Live in the “what if”
I live by this quote by Albert Einstein, “I have no special talent. I am just passionately curious.”
It sounds like a cop out, like an empty phrase you would use if you had nothing nice to say about someone. But I assure you, I am a fully functional human. I swear. I guess my special talent or my superpower is my ability to be curious, to wonder – but unlike Wonder Woman – this would be a terrible Halloween costume.
I truly believe that people don’t need a special talent to live an extraordinary life. Amazing things can happen when people live with passion and curiosity. You don’t need a special talent to wonder. Wonder is the birthplace of action and fun. Wonder is the spark that asks “where do we go now”? It begins a journey.
My journey began in Vietnam with my family. I was the seventh of eight children (can you imagine the hand-me-downs in a third-world, war-torn country?). Luckily for me, the 20-year war ended four months after I was born and my family escaped among the mass exodus known as the Boat People.
This is the journey of my family and how they wondered what was possible ahead. And that is the challenge my parents faced: “We’ve got to make a decision, leave tonight or live and die this way”. Yes, I just quoted a Tracy Chapman song. But wait, did my parents say it first or Tracy Chapman, and will I ever know?
My parents gathered the family. We got on a boat (slightly bigger than the piece of wood Rose, from Titanic, was floating on). Destination: the unknown. We arrived at a refugee camp, stayed there for one year, and serendipitously got sponsored to move to Canada. #luckpusher
I had a start line in life that was light years ahead of my siblings. I had the luxury of being raised in Canada. And the only way I would fail myself and my parents was if I didn’t bring my whole self to this life. I was given one small task… to constantly explore, to quest for knowledge, to thirst for more.
The good thing is that “starting from zero you have nothing to lose, maybe we’ll make something, me, myself, I got nothing to prove.” Yes, I just quoted a Tracy Chapman song – again! But I had everything to prove. The way I see it, everyone has a different start line in life, but you get to create your finish line. And I felt that I had nothing to lose and everything to gain.
From my parents (and Tracy Chapman), I’ve learned that we should do things even though they scare the tè (crap) out of us, but a new pair of quần (pants) is a small price to pay for chasing your dreams!
I’ve learned that there is nothing that can’t be accomplished by taking small steps, one foot in front of the other, a few … hundred … million times. No big deal.
So, what if we give it a try? What if we jump in with both feet? What if _______ (you fill in the blank)?
Join me in living a fearless, curious life full of wonder and what ifs.
Linh’s bio
Linh is a professional speaker, author, educator, and extreme non-athlete. She has completed the Antarctic Ice Marathon (in Antarctica), the North Pole Marathon (in the North Pole – for realzz), and a series of ultra-marathons of 250km each in common places like the 4 deserts.
She’s delivered a TEDx talk called “Rethinking Limits” and is the author of the upcoming book called “Luckpusher”.
Linh is a passionately curious and adventurous person. Her first adventure began at the age of 4 when she and her family were part of the mass exodus of Boat People who fled Vietnam after the war. Arriving in Canada in the 1980s, her journey as a child opened her eyes to what is possible if one lives intently and fearlessly.
Surviving a harrowing journey at such a young age instilled a deep sense of gratitude for the life that was gifted to her. Her driving philosophy is to explore everything that life has to offer. Linh loves exploring (40 countries and counting), running to the ends of the earth, devoting herself to the culinary arts, and other outrageous adventures and shenanigans. She is on a mission to inspire people to face challenges and create an extraordinary life full of courage, joy, and wonder.
Rethinking limits
How does a non-athlete, mediocre runner decide to attempt the world’s most difficult races? Not to mention the most costly?
This inspiring video showcases how Linh’s #luckpusher attitude led her to the start line and her humor and tenacity got her to the finish line.
Watch her funny (Linh-funny) and inspiring TEDx Talk!
Linh’s values
Curiosity
Curiosity opens doors, where you enter into new worlds, not in a spooky Twilight Zone kind of way, but in a supernova exploding possibilities and tearing down limits kind of way.
Curiosity is when you continuously ask the questions “what if?” and “can I?” and discover what’s on the other side of what you don’t know.
Action
Action starts with a nudge, not in a pushed out of a helicopter to save the world like 007 kind of way, but in a taking small steps towards the direction you want to go kind of way.
It’s googling a topic, asking someone for advice, or signing up for that class you have always wanted to take.
Fun
Fun is joyful curiosity, not in a dressing up in a tutu in a new rendition of West Side Story kind of way, but in being open and present to the magic that’s around us kind of way.
Fun is diving into experiences that energize you, no matter how small or expealidociously ginormous.
Tenacity
Tenacity is continuing on your journey even when it gets challenging, not in a frantically swimming away from a shark attack kind of way, but in a treading water in a crowded wading pool kind of way.
Tenacity is being brave and persevering towards your goals and aspirations, no matter how far the finish line.
Serendipity
Serendipity is when your actions align with the super awesome cosmic life-changing energy that is all around us. Not in a Jedi using the force to battle the dark side kind of way, but in a kumbaya – you’ve got the whole world in your hands kind of way.
You’ve got this! So take the force and become a force to be reckoned with.
I’m on a mission to inspire people to face challenges and create an extraordinary life full of courage, joy, and wonder.
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“You can’t use up creativity.
The more you use, the more you have.”
– Maya Angelou