Back in April a friend and I applied to take part in the BBC’s Race Across the World.

It was a spontaneous decision, prompted by a conversation on a very long walk, and a quick google search that showed the deadline was in a couple of days.

At first we dismissed it as a ridiculous idea! We agreed that:

It was terrible timing - perhaps at some point in the future?
It wasn’t possible, we couldn’t take 2 months off from our lives when we played so many roles for so many different people.
It was completely pointless - there was no chance of being chosen.

And then we decided to take a few steps…

We recorded the required 1 minute video - right then, sat on a log in Richmond Park.
We filled in the application form.
We decided to keep it to ourselves and enjoy the anticipation.

Many months on - spoiler alert - we’re not about to head off on a travel adventure.

And that’s absolutely fine. It was still SO worth applying!

We realised how much we appreciated each other’s friendship, and that we could imagine being on the adventure together.
We got to have different conversations with the people around us about the ideas it brought up, and why we wanted to do it.
We got to share our excitement and the ‘scared in a good way’ emotions that came up.

Such a useful experience, and a reminder of the power of a true gift goal - that it really is about the journey not the destination.

Just because something doesn’t seem practical or probable, doesn’t mean you can’t explore the possibility.

It might not come to life, but it can add to your life to let yourself take a few steps towards it.

Is there something you’d love to apply for? To try out for? To see if you could?

Maybe there is, but you’ve decided not to pursue it because it probably won’t work out?

What if you took the first step anyway - for the joy of it, and to see what you learn along the way?

Wishing you all a week of exploring possibilities,