live an adventure
I’ve been fixated on this idea for years now. I have travelled through nearly twenty countries since my deployment to Afghanistan in 2006. I’d like to think that the Army ruined my normal, boring life by thrusting me into a fast-paced, high-stakes life.
But I wouldn’t change it for anything.
There were things I saw and experienced that opened up my eyes (and soul for that matter) to what is available to all of us.
adventure \əd-ˈven-chər\ :: an undertaking usually involving danger and unknown risks; an exciting or remarkable experience
This word will forever define what I seek out of life. But how to do it has plagued me. Where do we find adventure? Do we seek it out or does it find us? Or both?
I’ve watched friends compared their lives to the thrill-seekers and death-defiers and say, “Man, I wish I could be that guy,” and I have come to the conclusion that statements like these are usually the death of us.
I mean think about it. We dream of being someone else instead of dreaming about who we could be. Now that’s not to say that we cannot use someone else’s life for inspiration. But the moment we elevate someone’s life or experiences to unattainable levels, we are screwed and doomed to a mundane, boring life.
I recently drove from Detroit, Michigan to Seattle, Washington. I helped drive a friend’s brother’s car and ironically said brother didn’t offer any gas money but rather myself and two other guys fronted that money. And food money. And hotel money. And park entrance money.
We paid our way into an adventure. Six days on the open road — 11 states, 8 national parks & monuments, 3 guys, and one saab.
It was, to say the least, remarkable.
I have been all around the world but there is just something about driving through the nothingness that is Illinois-Iowa-Nebraska, into the beautiful plains of South Dakota and Wyoming, and eventually crashing through the epic mountains surrounding Grand Teton.
Remarkable becomes the starting point to an endless list of adjectives that could describe the beauty of the united states.
But it occured to me while driving through the Great Plains, that unless we step out and say, “I’m open to just going out and seeing what adventure awaits me,” that we will be forever stuck comparing our lives to those around us.
We were not created to play the comparison game. We were created to live abundantly. To the fullest. To the max. 110%. Two epic thumbs up.
Life is an adventure. Believe me on that one. Life will give us results we could never imagine if we simply live it, not hide from it.
It involves unknown and financial risks and i implore you to take them. For the love of all that is good in this world, get in your car and drive. Buy that plane ticket to the exotic country that’s been on your bucket list and go.
Just take the risk, it’s worth it.
It may seem like a daunting road to jump out onto but there is nothing about that leap that you will regret. Ever.
