Welcome to a blog series devoted to all the Life Pro Tips that I come up with. I may only be 27, but I think I already have quite thoughts to share. I like to pass them on randomly and make people think. Sometimes they might be deep and insightful, and sometimes they might be hilarious and random.

For my first tip, I want to focus on taking detours. I just got back from a road trip to Oregon with my wife, and while some of the trip was taken on the main interstate, I definitely took a few routes that most people wouldn’t have.

What we saw and experienced isn’t even important. It’s not that these are secret places or small roads, because sometimes there’s quite a few people there at the same stops we make. It’s the fact that we did it. We went places the majority of people don’t go, and that makes me happy.

This attitude goes so far beyond road trips and vacations though. It’s practically a way of life. When something goes wrong, change your plans. Make the most of the moment and come up with something new and equally fantastic.

One time, Andrea and I really wanted to go out for dinner. Well, turns out the restaurant we chose was absolutely horrible, we weren’t happy, and all we wanted to do was leave, so….we did.

We were tired, hungry, and now incredibly grumpy at the situation, and with each other. It was one of those times when any little thing could have completely set us off. We decided that we may as well go grab something from Costco that we needed before heading home and finding something to eat.

While we were in Costco, we came up with the idea to buy a few packs of appetizers and hors d’oeuvres, a fancy dessert, and headed home to cook it all up. We had gone from grumpy to excited quite quickly while shopping, and in the end we spent less money than we would have at a restaurant, and had leftovers in the freezer for about 5 more meals!!

I took the biggest detour of my life when I married her almost 2 years ago, moving back and forth across the country multiple times, and she took a huge detour in deciding that she wanted to be married before school was over.

Over the course of life, everyone is going to have stories like this, from the small everyday mundane things, to the huge life altering course corrections that one has to make while navigating your personal timeline.

Remember, the point is not that it hasn’t been done before, but that each individual journey is unique. You might do something similar to someone else, but I guarantee that your story is your own.

Enjoy detours in all situations. Sometimes on purpose, and sometimes unplanned. It’s how we learn, adapt, and experience new things that make us all unique.  They’re not always good, but they’re part of what makes us who we are. I have no idea what detours I will have to make in the future, but i’m excited to find out.

Finally, check out this incredible commercial that came out this past year. It sums up humanity’s detours in the most relatable ways. I think it’s incredibly relevant, considering I thought about this while on a road trip.