For me, the benefit of an adventurous mindset is that everything feels lighter. If we have many mundane tasks to accomplish in a day, they can seem boring at best, and often quite daunting. If we are too far inside our comfort zone, even the thought of going to the shops can seem like a mammoth task.
Canaima national park, Venezuela
However, if we have a much bigger goal as our focus, the details all fall into place. Just the other day, I was having a dilemma over what food to buy for dinner. I found myself procrastinating and not wanting to leave the house.
Then I thought about what I’ll do when I’m away travelling. I’ll be cooking a lot on my next few trips to save money. I imagined being in a foreign supermarket, grabbing a few random items off the shelf, and cooking up whatever delicious creation I could manage with limited ingredients and kitchen facilities! I certainly wouldn’t be wasting valuable time worrying about what to have for dinner, when I could be out exploring!
Monteverde, Costa Rica
I left the house immediately, got the shopping done in record time, and made a very simple delicious new meal with my spontaneously purchased ingredients. I didn’t even do anything exciting that day, but by remembering and deciding to be that more adventurous version of myself, the jobs I had to get done became a lot easier and more enjoyable.
I have countless other examples of being brought back to life by my adventurous spirit. Before I went to Costa Rica, I’d become very comfortable at home in the UK, and was starting to get into a bit of a rut with work. Booking my trip really got me focused, and I achieved far more with my business in those few months than I had the whole of the previous year.
Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica
Planning a huge trip isn’t necessary to feel that excitement though. If you struggle to get in touch with your adventurous side, I highly recommend going on a mini-adventure. One of my best days out last year was a completely unplanned trip to the Exmoor coast. You don’t have to go far, you can just take a few hours out of your day to explore somewhere new, or do something completely random. Sometimes you’ll get lucky, the weather will be perfect and you’ll see lots of amazing things. Other times will go less smoothly, but the exhilaration of a spontaneous adventure will be more than worth it.
If we’re feeling weighed down by life, and struggling with the small things, we need to remember that life is one big adventure. We can get into a comfortable bubble and forget how grand and amazing this world is, but it doesn’t make it any less true. When we follow our desire to make the most out of life, and start to think and act more adventurously, smaller problems seem to fade into the background.
Bristol, UK
It’s hard to worry about what we look like, how clean our house is, or whether we’re achieving enough at work when we have mountains to climb, forests to get lost in and trips to plan!
Do you naturally have an adventurous mindset, or do you have to work at it like I do? Whether you struggle to get out of your comfort zone, or are an adrenaline junkie, leave me a comment below. It’s always nice to know we are not alone! When we find the right level of adventure for us, I believe we can all thrive.
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