Building A Future of Stories Map

A friend was telling me about a private Google Map she created. She used it to keep track of all the interesting places she wanted to visit. So when it came time for a road trip or vacation, she could pull it up and see where she might want to go.

I loved this idea. I just chose to build mine around people, not places. I wanted a way to plan a future where I would be meeting the people that inspire, push and awaken me. I wanted a map that would lead to a life more fully lived and that would generate the stories I would be telling in my final years on this planet. 

When I started, I could only think of a few people to put on my map. With each marker I dropped, another name would bubble up. Before I knew it, I had a dozen people I yearned to meet in-person.

I began to ask myself some questions:

• Who do I know that lives life to the fullest?
• Who says "yes" to the crazy ideas?
• Who lives fully present in compassion and kindness?
• Who have I always said "I would visit" but never actually made plans to do so?
• Who do I feel connected to online, but have never met in person?

One of the unexpected outcomes of this exercise was that I began to see entire parts of the world where I had no connections – countries and regions where I yearned to know someone and to one day visit.

It just so happens we have our first road trip coming up in June. And already there is a match on my map. I'm truly excited to see what experiences, connections and stories come from this exercise!

Do you have a map like this? I'd love to hear how yours is built and what it has brought about in your life.