Want to Start Living Your Adventure?
I'm a believer in using adventure as a life tool. In fact, my TEDx talk shares why I believe that adventure can be a form of meditation. However, when I mention the word adventure to people I get two reactions:
- Yes, let's do it. I'm ready for something new. This is exciting.
- No way. I can't. I'm afraid.
Many people think that you must be an adrenaline junkie to embrace adventure. However, you don't have to jump out of airplanes to do it. Of course, you can, but I suggest we agree to a different definition of adventure.
Adventure is any new activity that is all-encompassing. It puts you in the zone. Adventure can be physical, mental, and/or emotional. So, trying a new sport is an adventure. An adventure can be traveling through a familiar city, but in a different way. Going on a blind date is certainly an adventure too.
In order to further convince you as well as give you tips on how to start living your adventure, I have asked fellow adventurer, Andrew Williams, from the U.K. to write this guide. Enjoy!
Here Are Some Things to Do First
Life can be an amazing adventure in all kinds of ways, and the memories that we forge over the course of our lives should be glittering and beautiful, and should be the kinds of things that we can carry with us proudly, and share with those we care about the most.
Of course, the fact that life can be an incredible adventure, doesn’t mean that it always is one.
For many of us, the Monday to Friday grind can seem pretty unfulfilling, and even kind of meaningless. There are a huge number of people out there who spend their time daydreaming about doing different things, and living in different ways.
If you’ve got an adventure in mind that you want to start living – whether that means seeing the world, starting up your own business, breaking a world record, or anything else – life’s too short to spend sitting around and daydreaming about it without taking action.
So, if you want to start living your adventure, here are some things to do first.
Begin actively saving up and planning in advance
Just about anything that you might want to do in life is going to cost some money. If you want to start your own business, and work on it full-time, you’re first going to need to have enough money in savings that you can count on a bit of financial security on your way.
You also need to invest some start-up capital to make things happen.
Likewise, seeing the world isn’t free – you’ve got to pay for flights, accommodation, food, and more.
Some people consider payday loans from companies such as https://www.snappypaydayloans.com in order to finance their dreams. A better option, however, is to begin actively saving up and planning well in advance.
When you know what it is you want to do, try and get a sense for how much it will cost. There are always cheaper and more expensive ways of doing things – but the more you can save up in advance, the better things are likely to work out for you.
Get a clear mental picture of what it is you want out of life, and visualise the consequences of not going for it, too
Often, we fail to pursue our dreams, and actively live the adventures of our lives, because we are scared of the risks that come with putting ourselves out there, and don’t know what to make of the fact that pursuing any dream takes a lot of consistent work, sacrifice, and focus.
In order to motivate yourself to stay on the path, it’s important to get a clear mental picture of what it is you want out of life. Visualise it in detail, and imagine how good, uplifting, and fulfilling it will be.
Here’s the catch, though – you should also visualise the consequences of not going for it.
Because, in life, is not just risky to chase your dreams. It’s also risky not to. Visualise how dark your life will be if you never do pursue your dreams. This will likely go a long way towards keeping you motivated, focused, and driven enough to make things happen.
Come up with a plan to get started – and then, as soon as possible, take action
Planning is important, but at some point, excessive planning just becomes another form of procrastination.
As soon as you’ve come up with a plan of action, you should do something – even just something small – to put that plan into action.
Do something that solidifies your commitment to the path you are on. Often, just being proactive in this way will work wonders all on its own.
Listen to your intuition, and see what it has to tell you
Intuition isn’t completely reliable, and it always has to be inspected carefully, and counterbalanced with logic and reason.
All the same, though, if you have a strong inner feeling that you should really be doing something else with your life, or that your particular dream needs to be reformulated somehow, you should take that seriously, and think about it.
While you shouldn’t blindly follow your intuition, you should certainly listen to it, and see what it has to tell you. If you find that the path you’re on is not at all motivational or uplifting for you, that may well be a sign that you need to readjust.
**Post contributed by British travel writer and adventurer, Andrew Williams**
