When we talk about adventure, people immediately start thinking of mountains, the North Pole, the great outdoors. But adventure is so much more than that.
Adventures in wild places are amazing, wonderous experiences that help us to see our strengths and weaknesses, give us new perspectives, and teach us about resilience, awe, wonder and so much more.
But for me, adventure is a place to come from, not a thing you ‘do. In coaching we talk a lot about ‘being’ rather than ‘doing’, and adventure is something that I be.
I am adventure.
Adventure is an opportunity to see the world through the lens of possibility.
“I wonder what’s around that corner, over that hill, on the other side of that conversation”
It’s about approaching unfamiliar territory with excitement. About being scared but doing it anyway. About knowing that everything you desire is on the other side of your fear.
At Vortex we define adventure as “an uncontrolled environment where the outcome is uncertain”.
Now this very definitely applies to paddling a canoe across the ocean, or scaling a mountain. But it also applies to running a business. Navigating a relationship. Parenting. Even visiting an area of town you aren’t familiar with.
If we approach life as if we are always on an adventure, then we are always open to learning.
We cannot fail, because everything and everything that happens on our journey is an opportunity for fun, learning, growth, and self discovery.
Process goals vs destination goals
I can hear you saying “But Tom, when I climb the mountain I want to get to the top, and I will be devastated if I don’t make it.”
If your only metric for success is the destination — the top of the mountain, the 7 figure business, the ‘perfect’ relationship, then not only do you miss out on all the wonder of the journey, but also the satisfaction when you get there.
By focussing solely on the end result, you are actually focussing on the thing you don’t have, the lack you are experiencing.
Paradoxically you push that thing further away, because what we put our attention on expands in our lives, as I talked about the other day.
But if we can adopt the attitude that the goal is the journey, then it doesn’t matter where you end up, and more than likely you will discover a more beautiful mountain, a more successful way to do business, an even more fulfilling relationship.
Adventure is having a big goal, but focussing on the next step. It’s being open to discover new things, to being challenged and thinking differently.
It’s about being open to changing direction completely if an opportunity arises, the weather changes, or you simply decide you’d rather be going in a different direction.
It’s about freedom.
Freedom from vs. freedom to
There are distinctions within freedom, too.
Are you looking for freedom FROM something? Freedom from control. Your boss. Your partner. Sadness. Pain. Poverty
This is what is called negative freedom. Freedom from some external interference that prevents you from doing what you want, when you want.
The more negative freedom you have, the less obstacles that exist between you and doing whatever it is you desire.
Or is it about freedom TO? Freedom to explore. Freedom to choose. Freedom to be whatever and whoever you want to be. Freedom to love. Freedom to be successful.
This is positive freedom. Positive freedom allows you to consciously make your own choices, create your own purpose, and shape your own life; you act instead of being acted upon.
The former can be summarised thus:
“I am a slave to no-one”
And the latter:
“I am the master of my world”
Which would you prefer to be?
I choose the freedom to adventure, every day.
And if you want to explore Adventure Consciousness and bring more adventure into your life, let’s talk. I’d love that.