I wrote the following words over 4 months ago, about 5 weeks prior to embarking. It remained in my queue of unpublished posts until now. Yesterday marked three months since leaving home. I find it interesting to look back at my mindset while preparing for this journey. I was reviewing my archives to revisit old ideas and tuck away old writings that no longer resonate with me. I was stuck by the simple profundity of the bolded statement and thought it worth sharing. While my thoughts about where happiness comes from have changed, I think this statement expresses a greater truth. Ask yourself what you prioritize most.

I also love how dramatic the final line is, haha. Nothing like a huge pending life change to bring out the melodramatic thoughts.

This was the beginning and central idea of what was to become a much longer post. I no longer care to finish it. The precipitating thought must have occurred while reading one of Colin Wright's published works as the title I chose at time, Extreme Lifestyle Experiments, is a term of his invention.

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August 8, 2014

My traveling is an attempt to prioritize my happiness over everything else. This may seem selfish but as is quite apparent the things that we do not prioritize never fully come to fruition. For my whole life I've done things the way I was supposed to and at least followed the path that was laid out or understood. This is an experiment to throw societal priorities aside and make my own desires the top of the list.

Will it lead to failure? Will I come crawling back, begging the daily grind to take me back, or am I setting out never to return?