My daughter’s default setting at dinner time is to cry and whine over new foods.
It doesn’t matter if the new food contains ingredients she loves. Or if the recipe came from a friend and my friend’s kids love the dish. Before Charlie even puts a fork to her mouth, she’s already whining and cringing about it.
And I get it… she has life-threatening food allergies. For her, food is sometimes a danger and not a worthwhile experiment. But as a parent, where am I to draw the line? Should I just let her eat cereal for every meal because she has a good excuse?
Or should I coax her out of her comfort zone from time to time, knowing that the reward is likely a list of more stuff she likes… and a more mature palate and perspective on food later in life?
The same is true with travel writing and photography.
Fear of the unknown… trying new things… stepping out on a limb… taking a leap of faith… all feels scary. And it might actually be scary in some cases, too. But staying still has consequences, too—like bland palates and only short lists of the things we like to do.
Not enough nutrition (both mentally and physically) leads to the destruction of our body and brain development. We know that.
We also know that the last few decades of our life are affected by choices we make today.
So why is it easier to tell Charlie to eat her vegetables than it is to tell myself to get up from my chair and go for a walk every day? Both have about the same effect on our current and older bodies and both are really important. But for me, maybe like you, it’s a lot easier to see her lapses in judgement than my own.
So let’s take a minute today to look inward and think about what we’re not doing to accomplish our goals… what we’re not eating and filling our souls with just because our default mode is to complain and whine first or to pick apart someone else’s life before picking apart our own.
Try something new today.
Get out your camera or your notebook and write about it/photograph it.
A new food, a new style of music, a new art exhibit or tour down the street. Just take a step outside your comfort zone.
It’s time to change that default to something more productive. Something that gets you closer to the things you want most.
Along those lines this week, we’ll look at a few simple ways you can incorporate photography into your daily life… and take photos you can sell.
[Editor’s Note: Learn more about how you can fund your travels and make an extra income with photography, travel writing, blogging, and more in our free online newsletter The Right Way to Travel. Sign up here today and we’ll send you a new report, Five Fun Ways To Get Paid To Travel: A Quick-Start Guide, completely FREE.]