The 5 Lessons I learnt on the Te Araroa Trail
In 2019, I walked 2000 km following the Te Araroa Trail : New Zealand's Longest Hiking Trail. This three months journey by feet across the country was absolutely blissful and taught me important life lessons.
Here the five lessons I learnt from the Te Araroa Trail
1 - Minimalism
First, minimalism : I value simplicity much more and reconsider whether I really need to buy something. After all, I lived for three months with one bag and I did perfectly fine. The problem nowadays is that society we are living in wants you to buy and consume stuff you really do not need and it is really easy to fall into that “marketing trap”. Trust me you will find yourself happier with less. If you want to go further and deeper I highly recommend you to watch the documentary “Minimalism” on Netflix.
2 - Sharing
This relates to my second lesson: sharing. Even though you don’t have stuff in abundance, you have so much to offer. You will be surprised by how you can help people, what you can share, and that words and gestures are so much more powerful than the size or value of things.
3 - Kindness
Thirdly, this has also to do with kindness. Being kind to people is probably the most important of all. It contributes an invaluable amount to the happiness of all and can really change one’s day – and it costs nothing to be kind. Even if you feel occupied by your doubts and frustrations, aren’t you feeling happier when you are kind? Aren’t your negative thoughts softened when you receive a genuine smile or see one’s appreciation of your small, helpful gesture?
4 - Living in the present moment
Furthermore, living in the present moment. Being present allowed me to see so much more of the world and my surroundings as my mind wasn’t distracted by an imaginary future or worries of the past. This really had an influence on my photography as you are more aware of the details, which often make the difference in a photo. Because it is not always about amazing sceneries – Beauty is hiding everywhere and especially where you don’t expect it to be so keep your eyes wide open !
5 - Everyting is possible
Finally, I also genuinely believe now that everything is possible. It sounds cliché and I personally never took this expression seriously. But during this journey, I realized that it is true, everything is possible. It involves a lot of effort, doubts, dedication, failure, and perseverance – but you can make it happen.
