I sat in the airport lounge and heaved a huge sigh of relief. It had been a hectic morning and I wasn’t actually ready to be heading out of town on a two-week trip to Costa Rica. Mentally, that is. There were clothes in my suitcase and a book in my carry-on bag, but the weeks leading up to this major undertaking had been packed with major assignments and tight deadlines. I don’t get a lot of downtime as a general rule, so I hadn’t even begun to think about what I was hoping to get out of this trip.

This was a little challenging for me in that moment of brief respite. I love the thrill that comes from being well-organized and I am a self-confessed “recovering control freak.” I like to anticipate my adventures, and to think and feel deeply about what I’m about to experience. This was one trip where that just wasn’t going to happen. Taking big chunks of time away from my business is stressful for me as the business owner, and I have a wonderful team in place that I can count on to keep things running smoothly in my absence. But was I up to the challenge of just letting things unfold?

The trip about to take place was a 12-day sojourn in beautiful Costa Rica and it was going to be packed:  I was to give a workshop, as well as a 15-minute TED-type talk, and time was being set aside to start working on the new Crossman Communications business app, under the guidance of the organizers of the trip, AppBrosDesign. There was to be some contribution time at a local school. And I was anticipating some out-of-the-box fun as well. I had ziplining in my sights.

I had already met some of the people who would be joining me on this escape from my normal life, and there were quite a few new faces I would encounter as well. Group travel isn’t everyone’s thing, but I’ve had some extraordinary times saying yes to the unknown, and my trip in 2017 to New Zealand had been one example of how rewarding it can be to push the boundaries of my normal routine. What would I take away from this journey into the unknown, I wondered?

I’m a big fan of travelling, generally, and have been blessed to have been to many parts of the world over the course of my life so far. I love exploring new geographies and new cultures and, much as I respect the ways of living I meet along my path, I always come back feeling grateful for my life in Canada. But there, sitting at the gate and waiting for my flight to be called in Toronto’s Pearson Airport, I faced a little twinge of uncertainty. Was this the right thing for my business? Was the time I was about to devote to this trip a wise investment? Had I made the right decision?

All too suddenly, it was time to board the plane. Ready or not, I was about to find out.