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Pico Iyer Quote on Rethinking Travel and Exploring ‘Nowhere’

    “In an age of speed, I began to think, nothing could be more invigorating that going slow. In an age of distraction, nothing can feel more luxurious than paying attention. And in an age of constant movement, nothing is more urgent than sitting still. You can go on vacation to Hawaii or New Orleans three months from now, and you’ll have a tremendous time, I’m sure. But if you want to come back feeling new – alive and full of fresh hope and in love with the world – I think the place to visit may be Nowhere.”

    Pico Iyer, The Art of Stillness

    Beyond the Quote (101/365)

    In his book, The Art of Stillness, Pico Iyer writes about an unconventional approach to adventure that involves, not traveling to New Orleans or Hawaii, but to “Nowhere.”  And yes, that’s exactly what he means.  Rather than taking the time to venture off to far and distant lands, he makes an argument for the opposite—adventuring to nowhere in particular and taking that time to turn inward.  This idea may not be what people want to hear—after all, who would want to give up the idea of going to Hawaii… to go Nowhere?  But, when you look a little closer at the dynamics of far and distant travel, the notion of “Nowhere” may begin to make more sense.

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    Joseph Jaworski Quote on Beautiful Settings and How They Can Drive You Out Of Yourself

      “Part of the magic of the experience lay in the sheer beauty of the setting: the breathtaking sight of the high mountains, the sweep of the sky, the panorama of the great valley. The beauty drives you out of the self for a moment – so that for this time, the self is not.”

      Joseph Jaworski, Synchronicity

      Beyond the Quote (55/365)

      This is (at least in strong part) why we are so drawn to beautiful destinations.  The sheer beauty of the settings that we travel to pull us out of ourselves—and for that time, the self is not.  It’s an incredible escape that is so cherished because our “monkey minds” drive us crazy.  I’m sure you might be able to relate.  You know the feeling of being unsettled, restless, confused, indecisive?  That’s the monkey mind It’s our inner critic and the part of our mind that is most connected to the ego.  The monkey mind insists on being heard, is relentlessly talkative, is constantly pointing to all of our flaws and mistakes, and contends to keep us distracted from doing any kind of deep work all of the time.  It’s exhausting and it’s what makes us want a vacation so damn bad.

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      Pico Iyer Quote on Leading A Balanced Life

        “In the end, we need two things to lead a balanced life – a sense of the world and a sense of ourselves; it’s like breathing in and breathing out.  And if you can only get to know the world by stepping out, and losing yourself in experience, you can only get to know the self by stepping back, and finding yourself in contemplation.  One without the other leads to a kind of madness.”

        Pico Iyer

        Beyond the Quote (17/365)

        I think at some point in our lives we all fantasize about traveling the world and living the life of a nomad.  We could wander from one place to the next and fill our days with spontaneous adventures while meeting new and interesting people.  We could explore new cities, take beautiful hikes, have campfires in the woods, listen to new music, and read stories from people who have come before.  We can hitchhike in cars, catch cross country trains, sleep in the back of busses, and take red-eye flights.  Every day would be different and every day would be filled with a wealth of experience that we could easily get lost in.  Sounds pretty great right?

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