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wildlife journal

Change Happens!

In my professional life and my personal life, I continue to evolve and change. A part of it is growing older, but a huge part is because of the adventures we have experienced. 

The person I was a year ago is not the person I am today. It can be hard to explain, and sometimes it's hard for the people close to you to understand, I know my loved ones have suffered through the years because of it.

but it's a raw truth. 

Adventures change you… the journey of life changes you - Sometimes for the good, and sometimes for the bad. Things that were important, or seemed important six months ago, may no longer be so today.

The things that remain the same are my love for family and friends and what our company SDM Adventures means to me - passion, adventure, fun, and the beauty of the wild places and animals we love to spend time with.

Many years ago, I wrote a newsletter about how I am evolving and changing through my travels. It was very personal. Looking back, it may have been too personal. 

However, the response I got from that newsletter was overwhelming. 

Our subscribers responded in one of two ways; Some got angry and unsubscribed - others wanted to experience the kind of changes I was talking about. 

I can't help that some of our readers had a negative emotional response to the newsletter. They were just not ready to hear that message. 

And that is ok. We are all on different journeys. 

But on the flip side, there was also a very positive response from so many of our readers who were pretty excited on the idea of having their lives changed by adventures… there was a lot.

The thing is, change is not what you seek out when you experience life-altering adventures. The change is what happens when you survive them. Life flows, and you flow with it, and when the trip is over and the dust settles, you are just never the same again. 

You may think you are the same, but you are not. When you break free from routine and move out of your comfort zone to experience the world's magic, something happens to you deep down inside. 

And the more experiences you have, the more visible those changes become. Your energy grows and becomes something you can feel. And if you don't believe me - Try sharing time with someone who has traveled a lot. Talk with them, you can almost feel that energy in the air around them. It is such a cool vibe. 

Even as much as we have traveled, some people out there just make you feel like you're standing still in life.  And without them even trying to… they inspire you to want more out of your own life. 

So get out there my friends! 

Go on a journey, take a walk in the woods, sit and watch a hundred sunsets. Experience the natural world and all its perfection, and watch and feel how the world changes you. 

You may not be ready for it.

But if you are, then I hope to see you out in the world - let’s trade stories and inspire each other to do more… somewhere… anywhere.

Thank you for reading

Thank You For Being You!

Today's blog is dedicated to you - the Wildlife Photographer, the Adventurer, the Shark Diver, the Surfer, the Hiker, etc... I want to thank you for being out in the world - for writing your blogs, for sharing your images and videos on social media, for writing books and publishing your stories in journals, and magazines. 

And thank you for being on TV for everyone to see. 

Thank you for risking it all… for risking ridicule, and embarrassment, and loneliness, and death. Thank you for putting yourselves out there and trying new things. For being bold, fun, and different. Thank you for expressing your art and sharing your moments with the world.

Thank you for being brave enough to escape boredom, fear, work, and routine, so that you can travel and experience life. 

All of life, the good and bad. 

It is because of all of you that I started on this journey. It is how I found the courage to start a magazine all those years ago and how I got to live this travel life I get to experience. 

Your stories inspired me, and tens of thousands of people like me, to travel, and to want to experience adventures like yours. I grew up wanting to be like the amazing photographers I read about in National Geographic magazine. I wanted to be out there, experiencing incredible adventures - photographing wildlife in exotic places around the world. 

Your work and sacrifices gave me permission to realize so many of my dreams.

So thank you, because I know first hand that the adventure life is not easy, at least for me it has not been. I have fallen flat on my face so many times; I can't count them all. 

But that's part of what makes this crazy life filled with adventures so damn beautiful. It is unpredictable, it's not safe, and you have no idea how it is all going to end. 

So to all of you out there living your crazy dreams - please continue living life on the path less traveled. Please continue making mistakes and taking chances, and please, please, please, continue sharing your magic with us all.

The world is a much better place with you out there… so thank you for being you!