#1 Emily “Adventures and Kindness”

7 minute read

 

Every so often we are treated to one of those ‘wow’ moments in life.

They can come to us when we’re travelling and we stumble upon an incredible sight of almost impossible beauty. They can be in the witnessing of an inspirational act of kindness. They can be moments when we surprise ourselves with our own abilities. And they can come to us at times of clarity and realisation.

They can hit us anywhere and at anytime and in any form.

My most recent ‘wow’ moment came to me one lazy weekday afternoon when I was away on holiday with friends. We’d just finished lunch and I was sat back drinking a coffee and scrolling through my Twitter feed, when the name of a new follower popped up on the screen and immediately grabbed my attention.

Adventures and Kindness.

There was something about those two words that struck a chord with me and I went straight to their profile page and then to their website. I was amazed. And I was sold.

There are hundreds (if not, thousands) of travel blogs out there, and there are perhaps just as many self improvement blogs too; but very few seem to acknowledge that those two themes actually go hand-in-hand. This is an underlying message which flows through both Lossul.com and Adventures and Kindness.

The ‘people’ section of Lossul.com was created for bringing other people’s stories to my own readers; stories of travel and adventure, stories that are inspirational, and stories which are in some way linked to the themes of my own website. I’d been trying to get it up and running for some time, but for some reason the right collaboration just hadn’t quite happened yet.

But now, in hindsight, maybe some things really do happen for a reason.

And so this first ‘people’ piece is one that I am really proud to bring to you, because my new friend, Emily, of Adventures and Kindness, has a very special message to share.

 

Elliot – The first thing that struck me with your website is an instant feeling of positivity and warmth. For the readers of this article could you please give an overview of what your website is about and what the message is that you’re putting across?

Emily – My site is entitled Adventures and Kindness because I believe that it highlights its two main topics and overall theme. I write about travel which can be considered the adventures part and self-improvement which can be considered the kindness part. But more than that, I believe that the two are very closely connected. Adventures are everywhere and take many forms. Improving your life is one of the biggest adventures that you can embark on. There are a lot of ways to improve your life, but I believe that it ultimately starts with improving yourself. I write about kindness frequently because I think that is so undervalued and extremely important. Ultimately, I want to help my readers live more exciting and fulfilling lives through travel and self-improvement working hand-in-hand. I hope that through all of my personal interactions with my readers I can encourage, inform, inspire, and spread kindness!

 

Elliot – The word ‘adventure’ immediately brings a number of images to mind; extreme travel, death-defying moments, and Indiana Jones style tomb-raiding. But it’s much more than that, and as you say, adventures are everywhere and take many forms. Could you elaborate on that a little, and share your thoughts on what we can all do to bring more adventure into our own lives?

Emily – I think that adventures can certainly be the crazy, extreme moments that make for great movies! But there is also an adventure to “finding yourself” and growing as a person. Basically I think that to be considered an adventure it needs to be unusual/different and also exciting. To me, adventure can be a short one-time experience but often it is a process. The process of becoming who I am today was definitely unusual and incredibly exciting! We can all bring more adventure into our lives by living in the moment and embracing the unexpected. Trials can be adventures if we let them empower us instead of defeat us. Working in an office can be an adventure if we are constantly looking for ways to improve. Same with being a parent, family member, or friend! Live your life to the fullest and I’m sure the adventures will follow!

 

Elliot – To push yourself and to step into the unknown is most certainly an adventure in itself, and as you say, that really can take many forms; whether it’s trying to excel in your chosen profession, being the best parent you can possibly be, educating yourself, or trying something new for the very first time. I guess whether you can see all those things as an adventure is a conscious choice and is about altering your own perceptions?

Emily – I absolutely believe that everything we do goes back to our mind. In most cases, we have control over how our mind is going to interpret the events in our life. We can choose to see everything as an adventure, but it is a choice that we will have to continually make each and every day of our lives. When unexpected or challenging things happen to us, it is how we deal with those situations that reflects who we are. If we choose to be adventurous, then we will choose to see opportunity. The opportunity to grow, have fun, make friends, learn something, etc. When we focus on positivity and possibility, we open ourselves up to a life that is more exciting, fulfilling, and ultimately adventurous!

 

Elliot – I guess the over-riding message there is that everybody can turn their life into an adventure; no matter how big or small or what form those adventures may take. You mentioned previously that kindness is often undervalued but is extremely important. Could you elaborate on that point a little and also upon what your message about kindness is?

Emily – Just looking at our world today and seeing all of the terror, violence, cruelty, bullying, and suffering makes me believe that kindness is often undervalued. However, it is in those times where the “heroes” emerge. Those heroes often show a great deal of bravery and a great deal of kindness! That is what makes them so inspiring and remarkable. Our society generally does a good job of praising those that are kind when no one else is brave enough to be. However, even the small acts of kindness deserve to be recognized because they too can transform lives.

My message is simple – practice kindness. You can’t expect to be perfectly kind all of the time, but you can practice it day in and day out. With practice, we can get better at incorporating kindness into our daily activities and conversations. I think it is so important because it impacts others in a powerful, positive, and encouraging way. I hope that Adventures and Kindness will inspire and encourage people to practice kindness every day!

 

Elliot – I really like your message about the importance of self-improvement. It can often feel as though some people wait for others to improve their lives for them rather than standing up and taking control of their own lives. I guess that like with many things in life though, somebody has to WANT to change in order to actually begin work on improving their lives. For anybody that has just woken up to this and realised that they need to make changes and that they need to improve their position in life, what would you say is the first step they need to take to begin that journey?

Emily – First I would tell them how incredible it is that they are realizing their need for improvement! That is a huge step, and it deserves some praise! I would also want to applaud them for their bravery in wanting to take action. That can be hard to do, so I would encourage them to not give up that motivation! I think I would have them start with a little self-reflection and have them spend time setting goals. I would advise them to think about the changes that they want to see, and what is motivating them. Then I would have them plan the changes out as long term goals. I would then encourage them to break those big goals down into attainable short term goals that can create a realistic path to success!

 

Elliot – The idea of setting off on a journey towards a big goal can be really overwhelming, so you’re right; it’s about breaking it down into smaller goals and taking tiny steps; moving forward one step at a time. Before you know it you’ve travelled a long way and have achieved more than you ever thought possible. Speaking of travelling, that’s a subject that forms part of what your site is about and you clearly have a passion for it. Where is your most favourite place that you’ve travelled to, and why is that place so memorable? And where is next on your list of places to travel?

Emily – Yes, I love to travel! My favorite place is probably Italy! I went on a cross-country road trip and visited Milan, Pisa, Rome, Naples, Pompeii, Florence, Bologna, and Venice (in that order). I think getting to see so many different “sides” or mini cultures of Italy is what made it so memorable. The country is beautiful, the people were all so friendly, and the food was delicious! I just got back from a trip to Los Angeles and in a month I will be leaving for Alaska! Then a couple weeks later I’ll be returning to Haiti for a mission trip!

 

Elliot – Alaska sounds like a real adventure and a mission trip to Haiti sounds very interesting. Will we get to hear about any of these trips on your website? The Italy road trip sounds incredible. I’m a big fan of road trips myself and my favourite place for that so far has been America. I understand that you’re from Arkansas which is a place I’ve not been to yet. What is Arkansas like? And for a first time visitor, where would you recommend as being the best places to visit?

Emily – Absolutely! I have already written one post about my Haiti experience a couple years ago, but I look forward on updating everyone after this year’s trip! I’m also hoping to get some excellent photography opportunities for my blog/social media sites! Yes, America (USA specifically) is one of the greatest places for road trips! So many wonderful states with unique things to offer! Arkansas is beautiful!! It is known as being the Natural State. It is a great place for hiking, camping, canoeing, boating/water sports etc. I would recommend visiting Northwest Arkansas! It has a lot of diverse attractions (such as Crystal Bridges museum) and great opportunities to do outdoor activities.

 

Elliot – You’ve certainly painted a wonderful image of Arkansas. I’ll add it to my ever-growing list of places to visit! So you mentioned there that there’ll be updates coming with respect to your Haiti mission, but are you able to give us an idea of what else we can expect to see from Adventures and Kindness in the coming months?

Emily – Well I can say that I have a lot of ideas and plans, and I’m hoping for the best! I’m currently trying to gather knowledge/opinions related to travel and self-improvement so that I can come up with freebies and helpful products that my readers actually need and want. I’ve also got some great guest posts and collaborations in the works! (I hope one with you as well!) I’m also planning on branching into the productivity side of self-improvement along with the current character growth and encouragement topics. For travel, I plan on providing more destination-specific posts as well as general tips and tricks!

 

Elliot – It sounds like there are exciting times ahead for yourself and Adventures and Kindness, and I’d be more than happy to get involved with any ideas you have for collaborations. I understand you’ve also been nominated for an award! So I wish you the very best of luck with that. For anybody who is heading to your website for the very first time, where would you recommend they start? And for those who wish to start following you, how can they stay up to date with all your latest news/work?

Emily – I have! The blogger who nominated me said some wonderful things, which you can read about here! I’m glad you asked about first time visitors because I actually have a Start Here page specifically for them! One of the best ways to follow me is to join my Weekly Newsletter, but I’d also love for you to connect with me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest!

 

Elliot – It’s been fantastic chatting with you Emily and I wish you every success with Adventures and Kindness. And good luck with the nomination too. Now to wrap this up I’m going to ask a completely random and totally off-topic question. Hmmm, okay, here goes. What was the last movie you saw at the cinema? And what would you rate it out of 10 (10 being the highest)? 

Emily – The last movie I saw was Star Wars: The Force Awakens! I would probably give it an 8.5! I really liked it, but I’ve never seen a Star Wars movie before and I was kind of confused!

 

So there you have it guys. This is the very first ‘people’ feature to be published on Lossul.com and I cannot think of anyone better to have begun this with. Emily has a fantastic vision with Adventures and Kindness and the message that she is putting across is an important one.

Please do check out Emily’s website and if you like what you see then please do show your support and follow her work. You will not be disappointed.

Travel, find adventure in everything, be the best person you can be, and start spreading some kindness in this world.

Footnote – since this article was published, Emily has been kind enough to feature an interview with myself on Adventures and Kindness. You can read the interview by clicking here.

 

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