When Transformational Travel stretches you WAY beyond your comfort zone

Yes, transformational travel unleashes your inner power, a strength you didn't know you had because you never had to call upon it. But once it is unleashed, it can never be tamed, it serves you and your dreams for the rest of your life.

Stepping out of your comfort zone is accomplishment enough, but what should you do when you have to deal with more than you bargained for? What happens to you and to everything you thought you knew?

For as long as I can remember I have lived a life full of opposites and paradox. I love adventure and a different environment of what I am used to, but I have a hard time going with the flow of adventure when it means dirty sheets, dirty bathrooms and vastly different cleanliness standards. I am fine with sleeping in a tent, but it has to be at least a somewhat clean tent, or at least something I can deal with despite my desire not to. 

But when it is beyond my wildest nightmares, and I am in one of the most beautiful places in the world at 14,270 ft. high, in a ‘deluxe tent’ (which felt like real-estate talk for ‘dilapidated sack that I was supposed to sleep in’) looking at the magnificent Pagong Tso Lake; feeling horrified feels a lot like being ungrateful. And in truth, I’d probably made a few mistakes too. 

The first was checking the sheets. They were dirty; one stain even looked like blood. The blankets were clearly holding years worth of dirt. I couldn't help but imagine all the people that had passed through this bed, these sheets … how long ago were they washed? I wanted to scream (I actually did, in my head, it did not feel good). I was horrified. But I also felt ashamed of my feelings.

Mistake number two was checking out the bathroom. Holy Mother of God, I wanted to run away. This was beyond my stretching limit. I seriously considered sleeping outside, but the below 0 temperatures at night made me reconsider. Dying of hypothermia or catching some disease? Mmmmh, well at least with the disease I had a fighting chance. So I stayed in. I couldn’t wrap my mind around what was happening. I tried to remind myself that these were the everyday living conditions of millions of people around the world. Some don’t even have a roof over their heads, and here I was, feeling upset because my western standards were not met. I felt bad about myself for feeling entitled to better sleeping conditions, or at least clean sheets, and I felt sorry for myself for having to soon lay in that disgusting bed.

A compromise had to be made. Fine, I thought, I’ll sleep in this thing they call a bed, but nothing will touch even a square inch of my bare skin. So I put on my snow suit, covered my head with my beanie and hoodie, put my gloves on and laid there. As for the bathroom … I chose the more natural way of taking care business. Peeing in nature (when you are not leaning against poison ivy!) is far better than that bathroom. All of a sudden, brushing my teeth outside the tent, looking at the lake, was a great experience. I thought that the bathroom being disgusting was actually a blessing in disguise because I always remember that moment fondly, especially with all the colors of the early morning. It looked like a painting. It looked like heaven.

I knew I had been stretched beyond my limits (well the ones I gave myself!). I never saw this experience coming. I survived the dreadful tent for 3 nights although my intention was to run. Had I been in America or Europe, I would NOT have put up with it. No way, because I wouldn’t have had to. But here, near the Tibetan border, I had no choice, and this allowed me to grow even more. I now know that even if I find myself in a similar situation again I will not freak out. I will most likely think “oh no, not again” but I willfigure out the best way to handle it. I already have the resources, and I use these in other situations that are not related to the cleanliness of my sleeping quarters. I use it whenever I feel over stretched, whenever I feel like this situation is far more than I have bargained for and I use it when I feel the resistance is so strong I’d rather give up or run away. 

But now I know that in allowing the stretch, and giving in to the discomfort of the stretch I find a new strength to do the things that make me uncomfortable or vulnerable because I know now that what I will gain from it is worth the major discomfort that sends you screaming into Pagong Tso lake. It also reminded me that people live like this every day, some will never experience anything better…it put things into perspective. It helps me also realize that some people feel stuck and comfortable in their “misery”, that some will never know anything different, but for the few daring ones, we have to do the things that sometimes make us feel scared, fearful, and vulnerable so that we can share our experience and help them the same way that tent helped me.

The power of transformational travel

Transformational travel does that … it stretches you, smacks you, holds you, and shows you things about yourself. It shines a light on parts of yourself you will not like, but it also sheds a light on your strength and inner powers.  The shadow and the light … all you. And knowing your shadows is just as important as knowing your strengths. Both are helpful. They are gifts you get to keep and use in your everyday life.

So if you ever find your self stretched beyond what you think are your limits, ask yourself what is the lesson you are suppose to learn here, and how best can you handle the situation. The answers may not come right away, but they will if you allow them. 

If you have fierce dreams of roaring your truth like a wild, untamed lioness; of adventuring, with fiery heart and soul, into your true purpose and your inner wisdom; of fully, wholeheartedly, inhabiting your true strength and unleashing your magnificence on the world … keep on reading - there are more ways transformational travel stretches you beyond what you think is possible!

Travel – and transformational travel – is more than just a memory-making luxury. In fact, I think it’s a mandatory prerequisite for cracking open your heart and soul and (re)discovering the key to unleashing your inner power. Here’s why:

Transformational travel allows you to open your mind and expand your consciousness. 

You don’t know what you don’t know, and there’s nothing that illustrates this more than journeying to an ancient, faraway destination, rich in history and energetic wisdom for you to reap. You can learn from other cultures, discover stories and knowledge from wise locals and experience the magnificent power of the earth in its rawest, most energetically pure form. 

Transformational travel inspires and provokes self-discovery.

In ancient times, the temple of Apollo at Delphi in Greece was adorned with the words: Know Thyself. The ancients (and the wisest of humans today) knew that these two words were the secret to discovering and unleashing your innate power to creat and live the life you want. Today, you can harness the potency of self-discovery with the many thought-provoking and boundary-expanding moments that transformational travel inspires. 

Transformational travel builds resiliency. 

One of the reasons that transformational travel is so incredibly life changing is because, in much the same way as extreme pressure placed on carbon results in a diamond being born, travelling outside of your comfort zone encourages deeper awareness, greater strength and stronger resiliency. You will be placed in new situations and given one-of-a-kind openings to grow, expand and transform into your true self (and a unique sparkling diamond!). These experiences will then serve you in your everyday life!

Transformational travel inspires untamed courage. 

And last but not least, transformational challenges you to tap into your reserves of untamed courage to become your best, most enlightened and most powerful self. Few, if any, other experiences on earth offer that same opportunity!

I'd love to hear from you! 
Let me know what you think or share your incredible stories
of transformations and travel in the comment section below!

Inspired to begin your Heart and Soul Journey to unleash your true power?
Head on over to my Upcoming Journeys page to find your next adventure.