One Simple Shift to Turn Life Into an Adventure(adˈvenCHər,əd-)

One Simple Shift to Turn Life Into an Adventure(adˈvenCHər,əd-)

By Leo Babauta

When I was young, I would run barefoot(ˈbe(ə)rˌfo͝ot) through the jungles(ˈjəNGgəl) of Guam(gwäm), being chased(CHās) by bad guys, imagining(iˈmajən) I was on an Indiana(ˌindēˈanə) Jones-style adventure.

The world was filled(fil) with possibility, excitement(ikˈsītmənt), discovery, exploration(ˌekspləˈrāSHən), and a delicious(diˈliSHəs) sense(sens) of danger and the unknown lurking(lərk) in the darkness(ˈdärknis). It was fun, play, and curiosity(ˌkyo͝orēˈäsitē).

Adulthood and the responsibilities of family and work all did their best to beat(bēt) out this sense of adventure, and create a sense of routine(ro͞oˈtēn) and discipline(ˈdisəplin) in me.

But I’ve always still become lit(lit) up by a sense of adventure.

One of the best discoveries I’ve made is that my entire(enˈtīr) life can be a huge adventure.

And it can be done with one simple shift: embrace(emˈbrās) the thrill(THril) of not-knowing.

Let’s take a look at a couple examples …

The Adventure of Your Commute(kəˈmyo͞ot)

So you’re driving to work in the morning. Ho hum, boring, you’ve done it a few thousand times, no one likes traffic(ˈtrafik). So maybe you try to make productive(prō-,prəˈdəktiv) use of it by listening to an audiobook(ˈôdē-ōˌbo͝ok) or making calls, squeezing(skwēz) use out of this boring time.

But what if, instead, you made it into an adventure? What if you looked for the excitement of things you didn’t know about the drive?

For example(igˈzampəl), you might drive a new way, exploring side roads. You might explore mindfulness practices on each drive, seeing what you can learn as you drive. You might use the time for contemplation(ˌkäntəmˈplāSHən) and invention(inˈvenSHən), seeing what you could create during the enforced(enˈfôrst) silence of the drive.

The Adventure of Your Work Day

We tend to just start each work day as if it were another day, launching into messages and quick tasks, meetings and calls, busywork and distraction(disˈtrakSHən).

But each day is a blank canvas, waiting for a splash(splaSH) of colorful paint! Each day is an opportunity(ˌäpərˈt(y)o͞onitē) to be seized(sēz), a life lesson waiting to be learned, full of possibility and the unknown!

What if you could ask questions throughout the day, not knowing the answer but excited(ikˈsītid) to find out more?

What if, instead of running from the uncertainty(ˌənˈsərtntē) of difficult projects, you could embrace the not-knowing of those tough tasks and savor(ˈsāvər) the deliciousness of what might emerge(iˈmərj) from them?

For example, writing a book chapter for me might cause me to want to procrastinate(prō-,prəˈkrastəˌnāt), because I don’t know what to write or how people might perceive(pərˈsēv) me once I publish the writing(ˈrītiNG). But instead of running from that uncertainty, I can say, “I have no idea what to write — how can I play around with it and see what might happen?” Or “I have no idea what people might think of this … let’s find out!”

The dangers lurking in the darkness are then turned into thrill of potential(pəˈtenCHəl) discovery.

The fear(fi(ə)r) is then excitement, wonder, a chase and a beautiful battle(ˈbatl).

…
https://zenhabits.net/adventure/