How to Add More Adventure To Your Life
We spend our lives wishing for more adventure in our lives, but how can we actually find it in our daily lives?
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We spend our lives wishing for adventure. Our favorite movie might be about an action hero who successes against impossible odds. Or may it’s someone fighting across an alien landscape, performing superhuman feats. We spend our time playing games, slashing zombies, or weaving magic spells in a digital world. Or maybe it’s hanging out with friends, rolling dice to defeat legendary monsters and succeed against traps that seek to hinder our journey.
“As soon as I saw you, I knew adventure was going to happen.”
— A.A. Milne
Those wishes are in sharp contrast to our everyday lives that may lack the excitement and daring of our adventure stories. We go to work, one boring Monday sliding into the next, with little variation week to week. A moment here and there of light, an interesting hobby, a family vacation, a new relationship. But quickly, our lives return to mundane, and all we can do is hope for an adventure.
But what if real-life adventures are possible and available to you right now?
Photo by Raimond Klavins on Unsplash
What is an Adventure?
According to Merriam Webster’s Dictionary, adventure is “an undertaking usually involving danger and unknown risks; an exciting or remarkable experience.”
But that description leaves out so much of what is possible.
Think about your favorite role-playing game; what makes it so enjoyable?
Is it exploring unfamiliar lands?
Leveling up a new talent or progressing up a skill tree?
The sense of accomplishment when completing the missions?
The camaraderie of questing with other players or challenging them on the battlefield?
Or the thrill of taking on a challenging boss and sense of victory when you defeat them?
“The world is not in your books and maps; it’s out there.”
— J.R.R. Tolkien
Adventure in gaming can be all these things and more. But what makes it enjoyable is subjective, with each of us having different desires and challenges that we seek to overcome.
Adventure in real life is equally subjective. And are there still real adventures to be had in this modern world?
Photo by Maria Teneva on Unsplash
Do Real-Life Adventures Still Exist?
How we define what is an adventure is personal. What I may consider a thrilling opportunity, another might find mundane. When you hear the word “adventure,” what first springs to your mind?
Perhaps it is exploring unfamiliar lands, traveling to the deepest darkest jungles or frozen wastelands? Are you inspired by modern-day explorers like Eric Larsen or Ed Stafford? Larsen that in 2015, was the first to ascend the Himalayan’s Jabou Ri peak after already completing several expeditions to the North and South poles? Stafford who spent 2008 covering the entire 4000 miles of the Amazon River on foot?
“I had never been to the Amazon, my jungle experience had mostly come from Central America with some short trips to Borneo, but the Amazon undoubtedly had a mystique all of its own.”
- Ed Stafford
Maybe your sense of adventure is about making incredible discoveries like a modern-day Laura Croft or Indiana Jones? Think those days of amazing discoveries are in the past? In the last two years alone, archaeologists have discovered the largest-ever Mayan-built structure, the prehistoric home of the builders of Stonehenge, and an entire lost city in Egypt.
Your sense of adventure may be about a more academic discovery? From physics to medicine, each year, more new fascinating discoveries change our world. From the confirmation of gravitational waves, continual advances in artificial intelligence, new methods for cancer treatment, space travel, and dark energy surveys, the last few years are full of modern academic adventurers making amazing discoveries.
“If happiness is the goal – and it should be, then adventures should be a top priority.”
― Richard Branson
Or perhaps, adventure to you is about becoming the best by overcoming obstacles? It might be about becoming a great athlete or a successful business owner. It’s hard not to see the founder of Virgin Group, Richard Branson as a modern-day adventurer. From space travel to kitesurfing, he lives a life of adventure. Yet this billionaire had to overcome obstacles, dyslexia, and multiple failed business attempts before he became successful.
There are thousands of examples of real-life adventurers who are currently living the life that you dream of.
Photo by Diyar Shahbaz on Unsplash
Why Do We Want Adventure?
Why would putting ourselves in potentially dangerous situations be encouraged? It seems counter-intuitive, but adventures are good for us.
Adventures give us a goal and a sense of purpose. Whether it’s tackling that mountain, uncovering hidden secrets, or completing your novel, these real-life quests push us out of our comfort zone and motivate us to reach new goals and expand our horizons. But moving out of our comfort zone can be frightening. (Read more about Real-Life Questing)
“To live would be an awfully big adventure”.
- J.M. Barrie
Undertaking adventures means facing unknown risks. In games, that may be about stepping up to the boss battle, not sure that we can win; venturing into new territory with strange monsters; or heading into a dungeon, unsure of what we will find.
Real adventure is also about venturing into the unknown. There is a sense of danger that we must overcome obstacles and face our fears. But humans actually crave a sense of fear. It gives us a boost of adrenaline and makes us feel more alive. (Read more on the science behind why we enjoy fear in Why We Like To Be Afraid and How RPG Horror Campaigns Make for A Great Experience).
Adventure means living a life full of new experiences. Those experiences scientifically are known to make us happier. Research has shown that investing in experiences over material goods gives us longer-lasting and higher levels of happiness.
“Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go.”
― T.S Eliot
Trying new things not only can boost our happiness, but they can also make us feel like our lives are lasting longer. It sounds like science fiction, but how we perceive time actually changes when we live a life of adventure.
Ever notice in an action movie where the time slows down during a big fight scene or a terrifying activity. Our minds also do the same thing in an effect called “time dilation.” This idea is based on the scientific theory that our brains perceive time as memories. This concept is that we don’t necessarily live in the present moment but are viewing the world as a memory of what happened only milliseconds ago. Our perception of how much time has passed is based on those memories.
When we are completing familiar tasks, our brains go into automatic mode and may process less detailed new memories. Looking back, we feel like time flies because, essentially, our memories are a bit of a blur.
A 2003 study found the routine tasks felt like they took less time. But when a change was introduced, even a very slight one, participants perceived the time duration of the activity to be longer. New experiences encourage our brains to break out of autopilot, and we feel like time is lasting longer while we are engaged in them.
Did you feel that summers lasted forever as a child, but now it feels like the year goes from May to November with barely a blink of the eye? Everything was new to us as children, but daily life may become more routine as we age. A life without adventure feels like it flies by without us getting to experience it fully.
Photo by Hannah Jacobson on Unsplash
What Does Your Adventure Look Like?
The meaning of adventure is highly subjective based on our dreams and the fears that we must overcome to achieve them. What is a thrilling experience to me, maybe not be to you. At its core, adventure is about trying something new and overcoming our individual fears.
Adventure does not have to be wilderness excursions; it doesn’t have to involve travel at all. It might be the thrill of taking a class just for fun or learning the language of a place you’ve never been. Maybe it’s finally getting up the courage to ask out that certain someone or introducing yourself in a new community.
“Adventure is not outside man; it is within.”
― George Eliot
What frightens you? What makes you come alive? These are the seeds to discover your own sense of adventure.
What’s Holding You Back?
We say that we want a life of adventure, but most of us don’t pursue it. We stare out of that window longingly but then return to the mundane that we consider our lives must be. Why don’t more of us pursue our dreams?
“The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it.”
— W.M. Lewis
The first thought is often money or time. We can’t do this or that thing because we can’t afford it or we don’t have the time to invest in it.
Yes, an excursion to the rainforest is definitely not cheap. But what about going as a volunteer or through an education program? There may be a work abroad program or an internship that you could join. But even if offered inexpensive ways, most of us will still dismiss the possibility. “It’s just not realistic,” we say as we return to our desk piled with reports in a job that we don’t really care about.
Even when money is irrelevant, we often still don’t follow through with it. We dream of finding the right person to spend time with but don’t ask that special someone to lunch. Or we fantasize about becoming a best-selling author but spend our time binge-watching the newest show on Netflix instead of writing our book.
“It’s not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.”
― Sir Edmund Hillary
If it’s not truly time or money, what is holding us back from a life of adventure?
Adventures are scary. They aren’t scripted, and we don’t know how they’re going to end. We have to put ourselves on the line and face our fears to achieve them. They push us beyond our comfort level and challenge us in ways that few other things can.
We may say that money or time is the reason that we don’t do something. But the real reason is often our fear. We may not honestly believe that we can do it, so we don’t. Our lack of self-confidence and belief in ourselves, ultimately, is what holds us back.
“There is no certainty; there is only adventure.”
― Roberto Assagioli
How do we change so we can embrace the life of adventure that we desire?
Practice patience but keep moving forward.
We live in a world of immediate gratification. But that great life that we desire won’t happen overnight. Adventure is about the journey. Keep making progress forward. Even little steps made consistently add up to incredible possibilities.
“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.”
― Lao Tzu
Stop listening to others.
Adventure is highly personal. What your best friend, neighbor, or parents think is the best way to live is about them. It’s not about you and your dreams. You are the hero in this story, and only you can decide what makes it a life of adventure.
"Don't bend; don't water it down; don't try to make it logical; don't edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly."
-Franz Kafka
Learn everything you can about yourself.
Who are you? Do you know your goals? What gives you a sense of purpose? How do you define adventure? What makes you feel like a hero? What does your authentic life look like?
“The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams.”
― Oprah Winfrey
Conclusion
A life of adventure is a life well-lived. It’s fully embracing our lives and living our time in the world to the fullest. Your adventure might be loud and boisterous or subtle and quiet. The experience could change the world or just change yourself. It’s about living your life with your unique purpose.
Real-life adventures are frightening. The unknown is one of humankind’s greatest fears. But if we push ourselves to pursue our dreams, it will be a life worth living.
“Always there has been an adventure just around the corner…and the world is still full of corners.”
― Roy Chapman Andrews
There are thousands of ways to add adventures to your real life. Take a deep breath and take the risk. You might find your life of adventure is just around the bend.
Author:
Laurie Trueblood is a writer and life coach that enjoys fantasy, science, psychology, and everything nerdy. As the founder of Adventures to Authenticity, her mission is to help others level up and become the best versions of themselves.
Read more about starting your adventure: The Call to Adventure and Crossroads - Knowing You Are On the Right Path
