As a kid, were you ever asked what country you would love to visit one day? My answer was always a sanguine “All of them!” For as long as I can remember, wanderlust (hereby defined as “the strong desire to travel”) has been my lifelong companion.

I wasn’t born with the strong urge to travel—I don’t think anyone is actually. I just happened to be born into a family of rolling stones. We moved around many times growing up (I always joke that moving is my parent’s favorite hobby) and as a result, I’ve lived in six states by the ripe old age of 22.5. Wanderlust assuaged the usual pangs of losing friends or a sense of security, because unlike the memories of places left behind, wanderlust is never wan. Its siren call beckons to the colorful, volatile world of the future (allowing you to easily ignore the pain of now.)

However, there are many dark, dangerous side effects to wanderlust, such as discontentment and fear of commitment. If not properly maintained, wanderlust is consuming & unquenchable and will most certainly rob you of the joy of now. Unless you know how to properly handle the effects of wanderlust, you’ll probably turn into one of the many dyspeptic discontented who will never know happiness outside of a plane ticket.

I’m 99% sure that the main message of “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” has been vastly misinterpreted. I cannot tell you how many tweets I saw from people who saw the movie and gushed all about how they now want to travel to exotic places. (Not going to lie, after I saw it, I totally added Iceland to my list of places to visit.)  But I don’t think travelling to all those places was the point at all though. (SPOILER ALERT) The increasingly plucky Walter Mitty learns that his main mission behind all his travel was a seemingly ordinary picture of him working at his ordinary job in his ordinary home city. The “Quintessence of Life” was found (literally) when Walter Mitty became content with himself.

I hate reading articles or books that glibly state “This is a problem, you’re messed up, blah blah blah” but fail to provide solutions–they leave an acidulous taste in my mouth. I won’t do that to you:

I’ve found that the only way to cure the negative side effects of wanderlust is (wait for it…) by being present.

• Don’t let laziness or prejudice dictate your sense of wonder. Some of my biggest regrets are not exploring the towns that I lived in to their fullest capacity. When I lived in Dallas, I explored only a few areas of the massive downtown. When I lived in Chattanooga, I barely tried any of the cool outdoorsy activities. Even when I was in Cambridge in the United Kingdom, I didn’t do nearly enough as I would’ve liked. I guess what I’m trying to say is that your town might seem terribly dull, but give it a shot. Be a tourist in your own backyard and you’ll be surprised all the fun you’ll have. Make the most of where you are now or even when you live in super awesome places, you probably won’t make the most of it there either.
• Be thankful. If you’re discontent, write down a list every night of the little things throughout your day that really blessed you. It could be as simple as wearing an outfit you felt awesome in or having a gorgeous lunch, but focus on filling up a page with things you’re glad happened.  How can God trust you with big things when you aren’t even thankful for the little things in your life?
• Just Do It.  Don’t just pin it, post it, or tweet about it. Go travel. I’m tired of seeing people live online rather than in the real world. If you want something, work hard and attain it. It’s that easy. If you want to travel, save your money & go. It might take a while, but it’s better to work for a goal than just talk about it.

One final thought, now that we’re on voluble terms: There is a HUGE difference between adventure & wanderlust. Wanderlust is only satisfied with the exotic, while adventure is happy anywhere & anytime. You can have wanderlust but be unadventurous (in fact, I was! Remember how I never explored the cities I lived in? Prime example.) Adventure is the search for excitement, understanding, and self-awareness; wanderlust is the search for the next plane ride. See the difference there? First you must develop a sense of adventure—let it be your compass to fulfill your strong desire to travel & you’ll be amazed where you end up.