Open to Adventures

I’ve been leading a virtual book club this month for Martha Beck‘s newest book, Finding Your Way in a Wild New World. One of the benefits of holding this virtually is that participants come from varied places, from Canada, Austria, and multiple states in the U.S., including Alaska! I love how technology can be such a great convener.

This week’s topic focused on the Imagination section of the book, where Martha explains how humans can leverage our amazing minds to solve problems and puzzles. I particularly enjoy how she defines adventures as “actively inviting into your life a problem or puzzle you could just as easily avoid.” Adventures can be big or small, from trying out a new restaurant or finding a new route home, to moving across country or travelling to a different country.

I can relate to this, inviting new adventures into my life. And I realize I do it quite often! A part of me enjoys the challenge, whether it’s testing my physical limitations through a triathlon, learning a new skill like editing a podcast (working on this now – FUN!), or exploring new parts of this amazing world we’re on. My love for adventures is what sparked the idea to lead an urban retreat to New York City. And while I strive to do my best in any endeavor, I’ve experienced my share of setbacks, failures and face-plants. It’s not always easy, but the journey provides so much value.

As Martha remarks, “Willingly encountering unfamiliar situations, you maximize the experiences that, though often inconvenient and uncomfortable, trigger huge leaps of Imagination.”

It’s difficult to picture my life without the adventures I’ve had. Through the “good” and the “bad” (in quotations because those are really just labels), I’ve learned so much and each experience has shaped who I’ve become. Learning about different cultures, ideas or customs gives me opportunities to include new ways into my beliefs or strengthens my existing beliefs as right for me. Travelling to other countries and living in different parts of the U.S. has opened my world view and given me a greater appreciation for what I have, our beautiful planet, and the remarkable similarities among people everywhere. And whether I travelled alone or with others, I learned more about myself along the way.

If you’re feeling like you’re stuck, in a rut, or stymied by a particular problem, I encourage you to invite a little adventure into your life. Whether you choose to go somewhere you’ve never been (locally or globally), learn a new skill, or plan a big event, you will get a new perspective, and that just might be the shift you need to provide a solution for your problem.