We have no choice in where we are born and raised. Sometimes we are stuck in the same place all our lives. If we move, it is usually to the other side of town or the next city over.

You can never move forward if you remain in the same spot and refuse to take direction in your life. You can never gain life experiences by staying within the same city limits.

We spend our childhood and teenage years being told what to do, when to do it and how to do it. Now is the time to live your life and experience the world and all it has to offer. Do not stay in your comfort zone.

Growing up, we go on family vacations to destinations parents typically choose to visit. By the time we are adults most of us go to school, work full time to pay for school, graduate and land a career in the real world.

Sometimes people fall into the typical stereotype: get married, have a couple kids, take them on the cliché family vacations to Disney, grow old and move to Florida.
We should not strive for that, though. There are so many sights to see and things to do in Wisconsin alone, like hiking in Devil’s Lake State Park, cliff diving in Pewit’s Nest, jet-skiing on Lake Geneva, waterfall chasing all over the state and so many other things right in our own backyard. Many of these things are day trips, or you can even make a weekend out of it.

Many amazing stories start with a road trip that did not go as planned.

Some of the best memories of my life have happened while on vacation. One experience in particular happens every year when I vacation in Arizona: I wake up at 5 a.m. and hike Camelback Mountain. I reach the top as the sun breaks over the valley, and the view never gets old to me. It’s free, too. I do not pay a dime for that experience, and no one can steal those early morning memories from me.

In the United States alone there are so many amazing things to witness and experience. Two of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World can be seen in the US: the Grand Canyon and the Northern Lights, no passport required. Among other adventures, we can see all 59 national parks, Route 66, vineyards in California and pure white sand beaches on both oceans. The list of destinations within our own country could go on for ages.

There is the rest of the world to explore as well. There are pink sand beaches in the Bahamas, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, Cliffs of Moher in Ireland or the pyramids in Egypt. Each continent and country has something unique to offer. You just have to pick a day, stamp your passport and go.

Nature is available to us 24/7; it does not shut down, it does not need to be charged and it’s free. The journey to get to these places will be worth the view in the end, and the journey is half of the fun.

We constantly share videos on Facebook and tag our friends in them, saying, “We have to go here!” Stop dreaming and start taking action.

When you grow old, you do not want to tell your grandchildren stories about your corner cubicle job. You want to tell them stories about your adventures that are so crazy they will not believe you.

All the selfies you take would be more meaningful if they had an extraordinary background and a memory to tag with them. Memories are priceless; once you make them no one can take them from you.

The lyrics to country singer Frankie Ballard’s song titled “Young & Crazy” resonate well with the point being made. “How am I ever gonna get to be old and wise if I ain’t ever young and crazy?”

The Earth is so beautiful in all of its majestic glory. No matter what theory you choose to believe of how Earth was created, one fact remains: the Earth is an independent natural living thing. All the wonders in nature are continuous without aide of humans. Earth puts on a live act every day and night. It would be a shame if we never experienced its performance in the lifetime we inhabit it.

Strive for experiences. Strive for memories well-made. Strive to see the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, to step on all seven continents and to be able to say “been there, done that, bought the t-shirt.” Adventure is a game, and you should play it every day of your life.