The hardest part of walking alone

During my 6,000-kilometre walk across Europe, people often told me they would love to undertake a similar adventure.

Then they added:
“But I could never do it alone.”

I assumed they were afraid of loneliness or concerned about safety.

Walking alone made me see another possibility.

When I took the wrong road, there was nobody else to blame.
When I lost motivation, there was nobody to carry me forward.
If I decided to stop, that decision would be entirely mine.

And without anyone to distract me, my fears, excuses and contradictions became harder to avoid.

The Perspective Shift

Doing something alone does not only remove company. It removes many of the places where responsibility can hide.

Perhaps that is part of what makes solo challenges so uncomfortable.

Every decision is yours.
Every excuse is yours.
And whatever the experience reveals about you is yours to confront.

Sometimes, what we fear about being alone is not loneliness.

It is having nowhere to hide from ourselves.

Walk your talk,
Franck

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