The Mantra

Nearly a year ago, I attended the Royal Geographical Society’s EXPLORE conference. In the saga of my life, I have no doubt it will be one of the pivotal turning points. So much of what I do now stemmed from that night, not only in the truly incredible connections that I made, and beyond the projects and expeditions I joined through the conference, going to the very mindset that I carry with me now.

I have a journal, and in the front of that journal, so that I will read it every day, I have a page titled ‘The Expedition Mindset’. I shamelessly copied this mantra from Eva Zu Beck, who compiled it before her journey across the Americas, North to South. To it, I have added the key takeaways from the EXPLORE conference, as compiled by Niall McCann.

Over time, I have added my own notes and scribbles to it. As you likely know, I’ve been living adventurously for some time now, between the US-Mexico Border, spending a year and a half in the UK, and now nearly a year in South Korea. My research also takes my mind further abroad, as I continually work in migration contexts from the Middle East and Africa to Southeast Asia and even missions into space. To put it lightly, it can be frazzling, being spread so thin over so many places. Thus, this mantra has become something that both roots me, giving me structure and reminding me why I do this, as well as driving my actions and giving them direction.

Now, I would like to share this Frankenstein with you. Give each one a think, but don’t be alarmed if they don’t all make sense. Over the next… oh, let’s say year, I hope to elaborate on each point, to ‘write with purpose’. For now, let’s consider this a checklist, a horizon to both get to and draw inspiration from.

The Expedition Mindset

• Write with purpose.

• Embrace the chaos.

• Lose sight of the shore.

• This is not daily life. You won't have time for meditation, workouts, reading, to rest, and repair, because you are embarking on an expedition. Survive with a day-to-day mindset. Accept messiness, because that’s why we do it. You won’t get another chance. Just roughing it. Just doing it. You will never feel completely ready.

• Be an Explorer.

• What problems are you trying to solve?

• What would you do to make the world a better place, if you knew you could not fail?

• Find your purpose.

• Connect with people, ask questions, and follow up.

• Cathedral thinking.

• Commit, collaborate, challenge, confidence, and communicate.

• There is still space for expeditions just for the hell of it, just “because it’s there”... but also an ever-present need for data, and importantly, stories from the field.

• Plan a lot, but also be prepared for things you haven’t planned for.

• Ask the right questions.

• Be sure to incorporate, credit, and give agency to your host country colleagues.

• Exploration is personal.

• Travel with purpose.

• Take what we have around us and repurpose it.

• How can I have an impact?

• Art is the difference between knowing knowledge and feeling knowledge.

• Plants can sing.

• UnstoppableProject.com

• Evan still needs friends.

• Base decisions on curiosity, not fear.

• Check the message boards.

• There’s a first aid kit called, “Ultimate Diarrhea”.

• Drinks are at the Queen’s Arms. If you can’t find it, you’re not an explorer.