Potentially, the first and most significant fear that you may encounter when beginning an adventure, is the fear of getting lost. Now, this is a reasonable fear because you may lose control of many elements during your adventure, which, could possibly endanger yourself and others. This feeling of helplessness can transpire into a thousand ‘what-ifs’ that dismantle your confidence and your ability to lead yourself. Questions such as: “What if I can’t find my way back? What if others worry about my safety? What will happen to my plans for the rest of the trip?” The fear of becoming lost ultimately transcends from a concern to an expectation, causing you to anticipate regret and be fearful, deviating from your basic routine.

This situation could almost perfectly be described as an ‘out-of-shell’ experience. Now, I (or PARKIT) would never advocate for you to throw yourself into a dangerous environment solely for therapeutic reasons; however, "getting lost" can significantly impact your self-confidence. Out of your shell experiences have a way of doing that. 

The primary reason why I believe everyone should get lost periodically is that it forces one to reconstruct their fixed mindset into a growth mindset. A fixed mindset can be defined by a strict reliance on proving your aptitude to yourself, with what you have accomplished, in order to build confidence. This mindset tends to allow mistakes, causes you fear challenges and give up at the first sign of adversity. This mindset is completely natural to us because it helps us use previous experience and gut feelings to keep yourself safe (the natural instinct to stay alive); however, it completely inhibits learning and experimenting. It stops your from becoming your best self. 

Getting lost helps to abandon your fixed mindset. It necessitates important self-reflections: “I made a mistake and that is ok”, “I haven’t been in this situation before but I can figure my way out”, and “I don’t need complete control to survive”. The greatest thing about adventure is that there is no wrong way to do it so perhaps being lost is the greatest adventure there is. It opens up opportunities to discover parts of the world and yourself that you had never imagined.

The second reason why I believe everyone should get lost periodically is that your approach to adventure should not be constrained by time efficiency and to-do lists. There are many times when receiving tips from other adventurers on popular spots and in-the-moment techniques might be your best option to maximize your experience; however, If your adventure turns into a predictable list of tasks to manage, then you may find your adventure all too similar to your work-life.

Of course, this is not always the case and I am sure that many adventures enjoy following a routine because it maximizes the amount of which they can accomplish. Likewise, my mother used to print out a binder-sized itinerary for our week-long adventures that followed 30-minute increments. She, of course, was an accountant whose favorite activities included color-coding my Legos... nonetheless we all had a blast on our trips, I just prefer a little more go with the flow approach to a weekend away.

My favorite moments were the ones when she told me that I had a couple of hours to spare; in which I could decide what to do with my time freely and independently. In an attempt to give my legs a rest from endless trekking, I would suggest that we get something to eat (refuel) and head in a nonspecific direction to discover a place off the beaten path to enjoy our meal. Something about finding a spot to sit down, that we found organically, really completed the experience of our adventures. A taste of bewilderment and wonder in natural harmony with our environment. We didn’t have somewhere to be or something to do, just time to look around, discover and enjoy one another.

PARKIT lives for those indescribable moments of freedom. The moments you share during downtime to forget your burdens and appreciate the gifts in front of you: family, friends, and the inseparable bond between you and nature. We wanted to make a product that can make any spot, view, or backyard feel like the best possible place to be at any moment. A tool that can help any traveler on a path of their own or a path accompanied by a community. There are so many adventures ahead and to embrace the unbreakable spirit of enjoyment in that adventure, we built a chair that not only brings presence and peace to our experience but, something durable for whatever endeavors you may pop up along the way. Go out and get lost, be safe, and be bold.