GISHWHES Scavenger Hunt 2016 Recap

I’m not sure it’s possible to recap the GISHWHES Scavenger Hunt 2016 in a blog post…but I’m sure going to try!  If you’re reading this and wondering, “What in the world is the GISHWHES Scavenger Hunt?!?” the short answer is…the Greatest Internet Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen.  The longer answer is, “It’s a massive scavenger Hunt that takes place the first week of August. Players compete from anywhere in the world, including their own home, creating weird and beautiful “art” online and in the world, doing crazy fun activities, and committing heartwarming acts of kindness.”

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This was my first year participating and wow!  I love this quote from John Holmes, “There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.” And that’s what GISHWHES is all about!  When you spend a week focusing on acts of kindness for others and working together with your team towards a common goal, it is nearly impossible to focus on the things, “Going wrong,” in your own life.

I would highly recommend participating in future GISHWHES scavenger hunts.  Here are a few tips to help you out when you participate…

1. You can recruit a few friends to join you, but I would encourage to have most of your team randomly assigned to you.  This hunt requires all kinds of craziness and it helps if the people on your team are all accessing different resources and connections.  Random assignments will also help your ability to complete time and location specific items.  If you all live in the same city, you’re limited.  But if you live around the world, being in different timezones can definitely work to your advantage.
2. Be willing to step out of your comfort zone!  This is the biggest reason I signed up for the GISHWHES scavenger hunt.  Stepping out of your comfort zone, and inspiring others to do the same, is at the heart of my blog, so it only makes sense to join this hunt.  There’s a chance you’ll need to dress up in a tutu (I would suggest stocking up now!), complete random acts of kindness for strangers, create a LinkedIn profile for a dog, or other silly items.  So be ready to not just step out of your comfort zone, but leap!
3. Prepare yourself for the crazy!  You might be asked to track down an astronaut, create costumes out of food, break world records, and any other number of crazy items.  You won’t know what’s on the list until the hunt begins and then it’s go time!  So be ready for a week of crazy fun during which you will need to ask your friends and family for help!  Here’s a peek at all of the items for 2016.

Other Adventures of GOTM posts you might like:

Orange County Cupcake Crawl

Adventures in Denver