Unlike me, my mother did not have challenges with executive functions. She was not one to sit around and procrastinate. As the new year has arrived, I can hear her saying: “It’s time to get going!”
I always enjoy January 1st, when I sit down and draw out a picture of the things I want to achieve in the coming year. I am always amazed by how many of those ideas actually get done!
For example, last January my picture included “Trip to Patagonia.” I have been saving money for this big “bucket list” trip. And last month, it become real. My daughter and I started the trip together and then my husband joined us for the final week. It was a wonderful adventure, never to be forgotten.
The phrase “get going” has also been on my mind lately because one of my former students just wrote a book with that very same title.
Though it has been several years since I worked with Riley and his mom, Jody, I remember him well. This was a bright creative young man, who was not a perfect match for the traditional school setting.
From the perspective of Seeing My Time, Riley did not have a “lollipop” shaped brain. Over the course of our sessions, Riley and his mom learned so much about their brain’s executive functions and embraced supporting themselves in space and time. But the story didn’t end there.
Just a couple of years later, this family took a dramatic leap into the unknown: the parents decided that they wanted to savor their time together by embarking on the adventure of a lifetime before their children left home.
So…they sold the bulk of their belongings and took off for a year, traveling around the world with a fifteen year old and an eleven year old. They committed themselves to serving others around the globe. Now THAT was dreaming big!
It was a transformative journey for all of them. That trip also inspired other families who wanted to learn how to create similar experiences with their teens. As a result, a new family business was born. Check it out at The Courage Vibe
And what of the young man who didn’t fit the school mold? Today, at 20, he is not only an author, he has launched his own business, The Going Goods. Check out his book, Get Going. It is full of the wisdom he has learned traveling the world – on his own – with just a backpack. He is all about being safe as he learns about himself and others.
While written for the “a lot younger than me” set, I gleaned a few things that I incorporated into my trip planning for Argentina. If you know a creative young person, searching for their place in the world, (or a daring older one), this book might be a great starting point. All of us should follow his wise grandmother’s advice: “Let yourself happen.”
What audacious dream do you have? Make it happen. Write it down. Make a plan. And get going.
Little by Little,
Marydee
