Travel, even vicarious travel, is a mind-opener and offers us timely and timeless life lessons.
A colleague recently returned from an action-packed week exploring the rugged coastlines of Iceland—a place known for its vast landscapes and equally expansive mindset.
Icelanders live by a philosophy called þetta reddast, which loosely translates to “it will all work out.” This phrase isn’t about passivity; rather, it’s a reminder to let go of the need to control every outcome and trust that, even in challenging situations, solutions will arise.
What’s beautiful about þetta reddast is that it encourages resilience and adaptability. Icelanders face extreme weather, isolation, and geographical challenges, yet they find peace in knowing that things tend to work out in unexpected ways.
This mindset can be a powerful tool, even if you’re not on a grand adventure. Embracing þetta reddast in our own lives can inspire us to face uncertainties with a bit more ease, trusting the journey and ourselves.
Even if travel isn’t in your budget or schedule, we can still find joy and perspective in recalling past adventures or dreaming of future trips.
Research even suggests that planning a trip—choosing destinations, reading about places, and imagining the experience—can bring as much happiness as the trip itself. These moments of anticipation help us tap into that same spirit of adventure, reminding us of the world’s vastness and our capacity for growth.
Through travel, whether in reality or in memory, we connect to a broader perspective, seeing that each journey, planned or unplanned, has its own beauty. Along our own paths, perhaps we can take a page from Iceland’s þetta reddast and trust that, somehow, things will work out.
Two Links Du Jour:
The Unexpected Philosophy Icelanders Live By – Pocket
How Anticipation Can Lead to Travel Bliss – Travel Bug Tonic
Two Minutes Du Jour 