What We're Reading Now
#59in59 and What Would You Never Do?
16 June 2015
Allison read the #59in59 web site about visiting 59 National Parks in 59 weeks and pondered the power of asking yourself what would you never do.
Tags: allison read, allison watched, change, courage, creativity, darius nabors, ted
Yesterday my friend Darius Nabors and his friend, Trevor Kemp, quit their jobs. Today they packed for a 59-week trip to visit 59 National Parks to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service on 25 August 2016. Tomorrow they get started. They’re not college kids. They’re early 30-somethings who had pretty great jobs on their way to pretty great careers, and they decided to quit those jobs so they could have this adventure and raise awareness about some of our most majestic landmarks.
They don’t know exactly how they’ll pay for the trip. They don’t know what jobs they’ll return to next year, and they’d be happy to have you join them for a park or two. Really. You don’t have to know them. These are the kind of people who teach the world what a warm, inclusive welcome feels like. If you’re wondering why I think you should go camping with people you’ve never met, check out Darius’ 2013 TEDxCharlottesville Talk. You’ll laugh out loud, see the seeds of this trip, figure out how to have small and big experiences in your own life, think about goal setting differently, and find yourself feeling a little braver about a lot of things.
As you read about their reasons for the journey and watch this news clip, you’ll feel not just their excitement, but the awe and wonder of the people who are telling their story, supporting them financially, and considering joining them for some of the 59 parks.
Trevor and Darius sporting shirts from their sponsor, Meridian Line
You might be wondering why I’m writing about them today. I hope their big leap might inspire you to think about what would you never do. I first learned about the “What would you never do?” question from my friend and creativity colleague, Chic Thompson. Maybe you’re not ready for a #59in59 level of never, but perhaps you can consider doing a little of your own never. Sometimes when you’re trying to figure out what’s the right next step in your life, it can be helpful to give yourself permission to ponder the impossible.
You may choose to take a risk as big as #59in59 or your musings may open your mind to smaller but still very important possibilities you couldn’t see before. So go ahead and ask yourself, “What would I never do?” Then follow along as Darius and Trevor tell their story for the next 59 weeks. I've been making a list all of things I'll never do, and I've got a lot to think about as I cheer for these two who remind me to "be dareful out there."
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