I have a few slogans I live by. I also call these my “I AM STATEMENTS.” One of the most important things I tell myself everyday is “I AM THE GOOD KIND OF CRAZY!” I read my I AM STATEMENTS frequently (daily is my goal). I try to put wonderful affirmations in my mind each morning to start my day. We all need reminders, right?! Here a just a few examples:

“I AM A SON OF GOD, I AM LOVED, I AM ENOUGH, I AM FORGIVING, I AM FORGIVEN, I AM ON FIRE FOR JESUS, I AM LIVING A LIFE OF NO REGRETS & I AM THE GOOD KIND OF CRAZY!”

I try to say YES more often. YES to adventure. YES to new experiences. YES even if it seems like something a little crazy to attempt, especially for a good cause…

This Saturday, September 28th, my girlfriend Brittany and I are embarking on a crazy adventure! Let me start by telling you that I’ve never even seen the Grand Canyon. I’ve lived in Arizona since 2002 and have yet to make the trek. Let’s not forget that I just drove 8,800 miles around the U.S. over a seven week span; so one would think this minor road trip would’ve happened by now. I simply haven’t had the urge to make a day trip out of it, and from my understanding, lodging is challenging unless booked way in advance. Well, I am finally making the trip. I am nervously excited to announce that we’re doing the South to North Rim-to-Rim hike this Saturday!

We start at 4:30 AM bundled up and with headlamps on. We’ll be with a group who have all pledged to raise $3,500 per person to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation! We’ll all go at our own pace, yet we’ve been told we can plan on hiking for approximately 15-17 hours. The trail itself is about 24 miles. We descend for about 7, we cross for about 9 and we ascend the final 8 miles. I’ll get to see so much of The Canyon so I guess I’m making up for lost time not having experienced it already, considering I live so close!

I committed to doing this hike because it aligned with a couple of my I AM STATEMENTS: “I AM THE GOOD KIND OF CRAZY & I AM LIVING A LIFE OF NO REGRETS!” I write about this because so much of my belief system now has more to do with REALLY LIVING verses living for the world, for more tangible items or for short-term fulfillers. I am very dedicated to more adventure, more exploration and saying yes to things that align with LIVING A CRAZY GOOD LIFE! I was nervous at the time to commit, yet figure this hike was an opportunity to do something most will never do. How about those ONCE IN A LIFETIME ADVENTURES! I’m actually hiking 24 miles from rim-to-rim of the Grand Canyon in a single day- yikes! How CRAZY GOOD is that?! I’m still nervous, admittedly even a little afraid of the daunting task. Yet many adventures come with nervous energy, and I’m for sure not letting fear get in my way. Fear and worry are lenses I absolutely refuse to view life from!

Why don’t we all commit to being a little more CRAZY GOOD?! 7 week road trip with my dog- did that this summer! This 24 mile hike- that’s this weekend! Tough Mudder in December- of course! 1/2 marathon over the coming months- what’s stopping me? Skydiving someday- why not?! Who knows what else I’ll have the opportunity to do- GOD WILLING!

I don’t want to be confined to everyday norms. I am committed to more exploration and joy by saying yes more often to crazy good stuff. What have you always wanted to do, yet you haven’t taken the plunge? Let’s all start saying YES more often. We need more JOY in this world! We can choose to LIVE WITH NO REGRETS! We can all be THE GOOD KIND OF CRAZY!

Check out my Instagram page to follow the journey this weekend: @Surrender_Project

Feature Image via Earth Trekkers