Transcending the Narrow Mind

Mark Twain is credited with saying: “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness … Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.”

He was correct then and he’s correct today—only, today there is less of an excuse for ignorance since technology has made the world smaller than ever. I’ll never understand how people fail to embrace the diverse nature of the world and yet still fancy themselves as cultured and well traveled.

Simply riding from point A to point B while failing to get outside your bubble by trying new things, patronizing small businesses, and interacting with locals on your travels doesn’t make it so.

If you stay in your comfort zone, you’re hardly experiencing anything new. You’re still vegetating in your own little corner, riding the same miles and experiencing the same things again and again.

That’s not traveling.

Seek the Unknown

It’s critically important in life to become comfortable with being uncomfortable. Without this ability, a person is likely to perceive a disproportionate amount of adversity in their life, putting them at a significant psychological disadvantage when faced with any sort of actual challenge.