I’m spending the weekend at an entrepreneur’s conference in upstate New York. Our host is podcaster and author Jonathan Fields. About four years ago, Jonathan published a video blog about how cool summer camps were for kids and wondered why adults didn’t have the same kind of fun. So he invented The Good Life Project Camp.

I have attended every summer since.

Here’s why.

• It’s a great break from my regular routine.
• Meeting with people from around the world in a creative setting generates a ton of great ideas.
• Meeting speakers who have been on an incredible life adventure is wonderfully inspiring. This is not just hearing them, but meeting them and having the opportunity to ask questions.
• I meet people who do things I like to do and we share ideas.
• I meet people who do things I have never thought of doing and am inspired now to try.
• Gathering with strangers in a creative, kind setting builds great energy which I take home with me from camp.

If you don’t have the opportunity to go to camp, there are plenty of other ways to keep your life fresh.

• Talk to strangers. People are mostly kind and interesting. Say hi. Ask where they’re from. Ask them how they’re doing. See if they will tell you a story. Listen. Share ideas.
• Read blogs about things that interest you, comment on them, and try to engage the blogger in a real conversation.
• Form a book group with people who have similar interests to what you read. You wouldn’t believe where these discussions will take you. If you don’t want to start a new book group, many libraries have ones you can join.
• If you want to write, form a writer’s group. If you want to be an artist, form an artist’s group. If you want to write music, form a music writer’s group. You don’t need a degree to pursue what you love. Doing what you love and finding a group to compare notes with is a great way to learn.
• Travel. Nothing keeps your mind fresh more than not knowing exactly where you are or what you’re doing.
• Challenge yourself with an on-line or live class. What have you always wanted to learn? Why not start in on that this fall?

I’ll leave you today with some twisted sumac. Isn’t there such beauty in the twists of life? 🙂

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