Why are you so mad?

Camping somewhere south of Mackay, I got chatting with my campsite neighbour. An old Irish fellow that had been in the same spot for the past 8 weeks, taking life slow in his campervan. Naturally he wanted to know what a single female was doing travelling around in a Troopy and sleeping on the ground. After telling him my story with the passionate energy I always tell stories with. He responded with “Why are you so mad !?” (must be said in Irish accent).

Great question! I’ve been trying to figure this one out for a while now.

What makes me do crazy things? Where did I get all this courage and confidence? What possesses me to take massive leaps into the unknown?

This first blog post will explore (or attempt to anyway) why I am the way I am. Barking mad.

I’ve always known that I am destine for big things. I just don’t know what that big thing is yet or where this knowing came from. Stay tuned. I have big Joan of Arc energy. If I were born 600 years ago I would have been burnt at the stake already.

I’ve read enough solo female adventurer books to know that I possess the same spirit that guided these women to tackle big challenges in the face of criticism and disbelief. My favourites are Jessica Watson and her sailing feats, Cheryl Strayed’s solo PCT hike (Wild), Robyn Davis with her camels (Tracks) and Heather Ellis on her motorbike across Africa (Ubuntu). These women’s stories have taught me to follow my heart, trust my gut and with belief in yourself anything is possible.

About a month ago after getting plenty of eyebrow raises about the path I am pursuing. Fed up, I wanted to understand why I have such a strong tendency towards activism and why others don’t feel the same way.

So I did what any millennial would do and asked Google. Which led me to the Myer Briggs personality test. I found that I am ENFJ (Extraverted, Intuitive, Feeling and Judging). This is the assertive protagonist type. People this type are natural inspiring leaders, full of passion and charisma with strong ideas and values. Me to a tee. This type represents only 2% of the population, well OK this explains why I’ve been feeling so different (good different). People this type are often politicians (Jacinta Arden sorts ofcourse ), teachers and coaches. Yes, yes yes!

Earlier in the year on my quest to know who the heck I am, I got really into the Enneagram. The Enneagram is a sacred system that provides a map to our souls deepest desires, only if you are ready for it! Think a mixture of astrology and personality quiz. Interesting stuff. I got a lot out of it. The Enneagram explains how we think, act and feel through nine types. My two strongest types are seven and eight. Sevens are the enthusiasts, the most extroverted of the nine types. Freedom and happiness are sevens top priorities. Sevens are adventurous, outgoing, quick and talkative. If you have ever heard me rant about something I am passionate about, you’ll know. Dalai Lama is a seven.

Eights are the challengers. Strong, assertive, resourceful, determined and action orientated. Being self reliant and having an important impact is at the top of an eights list. That makes sense, I’ve been making my own lunches since 2002. Fierce independence is my flavour.

Another point to add is that I am a Pieces. I won’t bang on about star signs too much in this first blog I don’t want to scare away the bogans….yet. But a wise man (swimming buddy) once said to me, “Pieces build castles in the sky but they are the only sign who can live in them.” I only know a couple other Pieces and they are living in their castles. So if you are a Pieces not living your dream or at least making it happen, you have some work to do. Don’t let us down.

“But what about your family, what do they think of all this!?” demanded my Irish friend. Well, they are all mad too! 5 crazy brothers is my go to explanation when people question my ballsy nature. I’ve got three older bro’s and two younger ones. I am the only girl. Mum was granted one daughter to do all the girly stuff with like shopping, movies, hair and nails. You will not find me doing any of the sort. All I want to do is go camping, 4WDing, climb mountains and jumping out of planes. Growing up on a farm in a boy’s world you just have to be tough. You learn not to take shit from anyone. You push each other to do stupid crazy shit all the time. More dangerous and stupid the better. And you run really fast when a bro you balled out first ball is chasing you with a cricket bat. “You got out by a girl”

After quite the yarn with my Irish friend he suggested that I start a blog as there are not many people doing what I am doing. True. Starting a blog has been on my mind the last few weeks as I have really started to enjoy writing. I told him my yeh nah attitude about it at the moment as I just want to relax and not open my laptop after finishing a hectic final semester. He told me to start today. So I did that very day! I believe you meet people for a reason and talking to this guy was the kick up the butt I needed to start this blog. He then asked where I was off too next. I replied Airlie Beach tonight because I am skydiving Friday morning. Poor bloke nearly had a heart attack.

Stay mad.

Jess