THE WEEKLY #219: ONE THOUSAND IN THE BANK

This blog post isn’t about money or about a vertical kilometer climbed, it’s about a milestone that’s taken me almost five years to reach. It’s hard to celebrate it with anyone because very few can relate or understand what has even been involved. This week, on what began as just another little travel blog, I published my 1000th blog post.

When the blog began back in 2016, it was with very few expectations. I genuinely had next to no idea about what was involved or what kind of journey I was about to embark on. I guess that’s what made those first few years so exciting. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a whirlwind today but the journey of discovery in those early moments was such a fond time for me to look back on.

You might be wondering, what does it even mean to reach 1000 posts and what’s the big deal? The reality is that it really doesn’t mean much. For me, it is about finding a balance between quantity and quality and not leaning too hard towards either, which would in turn neglect the other. What it means for me is less about the ‘achievement’ or a specific number. It means that throughout the last four and a half years, I’ve been consistent. I can rely on myself. When the motivation has been dim, I’ve kept the light on. While from the outside it may appear as a pretty basic lifestyle, it comes with many challenges that have really pushed me many times to the point of questioning if it was all worth it.

I’m most proud of my consistency. If the goal is clear and the passion is there it doesn’t matter if the motivation weakens because it’s not even an option it’s just a given to carry on. I can look back at a number of periods and remember very clearly the moments in which I was really contemplating if I would continue, if it was worth it, what the point to it all even was. But not once did I ever just throw in the towel. This is the number one characteristic I look for in friends and relationships. Are people reliable and are they loyal to the people around them but also loyal to their goals, projects, and ideas? It’s about being committed to your loyalty in the toughest moments.

I don’t have an overarching goal to become the top this or the best in a niche or industry. I really just go on adventures, document them and the rest takes care of itself. Sure, I work really hard but I do enjoy the creative side of the documentation. Otherwise, you simply wouldn’t be producing 5 articles a week for 5 years. It just wouldn’t be sustainable.

For this reason, nothing really changes at 1000 posts. The goal was never to attain something but just to adventure and document. It’s a great milestone but the adventures continue for another week, for another post, and hopefully for a long time to come.

Thanks to you guys for being here, following along on my journey and I hope you have found some useful adventure travel tips along the way that gave you some great memories while out exploring with your family and friends!

With all that said and done, here are my favorite photos from another week of adventuring on Madeira Island in Portugal.