Think Less, Go More
What would happen if you thought less?
I am sitting in front of a wall covered in chalk board paint, blowing cherries with my lips trying to relax my face muscles as I am about to do another take for the 1000 time. There is a camera pointed at me, Oliver is behind it shooting in HD, Alex is monitoring the sound, and Raven is standing by with chalk to draw and re-draw a map of Europe / Asia on the chalkboard behind me.
There seems to be a small army of freshly minted graduates from NYU and Columbia University in the room, coming in and out, filling various crew positions on this tiny impromptu set and I am having trouble keeping all the names straight. There are shoes everywhere. Winter scarves and heavy wooly sweaters hang about the banister despite that we are well on into summer. The fridge is full of condiments and containers of mystery. How did I end up in this apartment in Bushwick?
I met Oliver on a job over Memorial Day weekend. I was the still photographer and he was the videographer. Brooklyn Brothers, a creative agency in NYC who have generously agreed to do a pro-bono round of work for me and SM Stowaway, had just told me that they think we need to make a new video; a video that introduces The Mongol Rally, the charity, and us. I asked Oliver if he would be willing to help me shoot the raw footage.
In a matter of 3 days, we went from Oliver acting as the cameraman to him being the director / producer on a fully conceived video for me. Another 4 days later, I am sitting in Brooklyn Brother's office with Oliver and Alex watching a well-animated, well-produced, super fun video.
I felt an incredible sense of possibility and excitement sitting in Oliver's apartment that afternoon as we waited to reload for another take. There is something so indescribably sexy about "GO." Let's go, let's do, let's just make it happen!
Age, experience and success are great. Except they extend the time between initial conception and go. Experience and success makes us hesitate a little bit longer before we pull the trigger. We stop and wonder about changing into our swim suits before we grab for the rope swing and jump into the lake. The unflinching gusto youth throw themselves into an endeavor is absurdly inspiring.
The thought of traveling the world sounds exciting to you but daunting at the same time? How about a career break? Or maybe even the Mongol Rally? You can do it! It is more than possible.
May I suggest that we think less, have fewer meetings, and more go! Let's just do. Let's just figure it out as we go along.
3 women, 1 tiny car, 10,000 miles of epic adventure --- The Mongol Rally 2012 - SM Stowaway from Charlie Grosso on Vimeo
'Travel' with Charlie and get your own souvenirs from Central Asia!
You can purchase a Mystery Crate and be a supporter of SM Stowaway’s Mongol Rally Adventure! We will be your personal magpie and send you a little bit something from our adventure….you will be supporting The Lotus Children Center and I hope the token will inspire you to travel, to activate “Go” time for you!
Leah on Mon, 6th Jun 2011 8:12 am
I really enjoyed reading your post. I am thirty-two soon and have itchy feet that are ready to try out foreign soils.
It is a fear of leaving the security of the day to day grind of paying the bills and living a safe and non-challenging way of life that has put me on hold for some time.
I hope (as it has I) your post will inspire others to go and follow their bliss – Leah 🙂
Patricia GW on Mon, 6th Jun 2011 8:54 am
Travel and experiencing a new culture really has put it into perspective, and filled that void with purpose (and joy).
In three weeks I’ll be moving to Paris myself for one month. I have the same feeling – the incredible surreal realization that I’m going to be living there…. it’s thrilling!!
Abby on Mon, 6th Jun 2011 2:11 pm
Oh, Jenny! Escargot isn’t palatable — it’s delicious! I love your writing style; it’s so fun and energetic. Can you believe how far we’ve come? Everyone, Jenny and I were in the exact same industry and have known each other online and via work emails for years and years. But we’ve only met once, many, many years ago. And one of those jobs she was sleeping next to her BlackBerry for was one I’d just left. And now she’s 33 and living abroad, just like I was last year. Kindred spirits. Jenny, you’re a true inspiration — I can’t wait to see how your adventure unfolds!
Debbie Beardsley on Mon, 6th Jun 2011 3:22 pm
Your life in Paris sounds ideal. It is nice to read about people who follow their dreams instead of wishing they had! Enjoy the rest of your journey.
Terriaw on Tue, 7th Jun 2011 1:40 pm
Wow, fabulous and well said! I love your new outlook on like. After experiencing career burnout and feeling a little lost and purposeless lately, you have encouraged me. I look forward to seeing Paris someday!
Jenny on Tue, 7th Jun 2011 6:50 pm
merci for all the sweet comments! @abby we are soooo kindred spirits! well except when it comes to our differing feelings on escargot…;) and congrats patricia on the move! thrilling indeed!
shawna on Thu, 9th Jun 2011 1:32 am
you’ve reawakened my travel bug. must. return. to. france. (someday.) eat a croissant for me!
Weekly Travel Blog Links — LandingStanding on Mon, 13th Jun 2011 6:16 am
[…] how badly I want to go to Paris… If only we could afford living there for an extended period of time during our travels! Any […]
G. Michael Schneider on Sun, 19th Jun 2011 3:36 pm
I am a firm believer in living and working overseas, just as you described. However, many of us actually like our jobs and our homes and are simply looking to renew and refresh our lives, not change it. However, you can have the same type of cultural experience without having to reach into your own wallet and without having to quit your day job–by taking what I call a “working vacation.” My wife and I have done this 15 separate times, from Australia to Zimbabwe, Turket to Tibet, Mauritius to Mongolia. I describe how to do it in my blog otherguysdime.wordpress.com and via Twitter at @otherguysdime. Learn how to have fun without having to have burn any of your bridges behind you.