Who wants adventure?
Raise your hand if you’re ready.
I see your hand, but are you willing to do something new? Really?
Why do I ask that?
Well, of course you learn from each of your experiences throughout your life. At least you try to do that, right? And while this provides a foundation for the next action you take, it also creates an expectation that similar situations will require the same response from you.
This is the nature of life patterns and the way in which they develop. You do something in response to something else. Maybe it works; maybe it doesn’t. Then you do the same thing the next time the situation arises. Patterned responses can seem efficient; they allow you to bring what you have learned in the past to address what is before you today.
But think about it. Is any situation truly the same as what has already occurred?
Stepping into the Unknown Adventure
How do you discover a new way to be with situations? How do you find what you don’t already know? Creative discovery happens at the periphery of your known experience. It requires a willingness to step aside from your usual way of being and doing. As you engage with life as an adventure, as something that is always new, with something to discover, you are at the forefront of your own unfolding. This puts you in the driver’s seat, choosing the way forward. The situations that are present in today’s world and in your life right now are not being solved by continuing as you have always done. They require a willingness to go beyond the boundaries, to venture onto roads where you have not yet stepped. Take a deep breath. Don the adventurer’s garb. How do you feel? Excited? Scared? Fear is natural when you are entering new dimensions. Consider what you might discover, though, and take the first step. What does that look like? Keep moving forward. It is so worth it.Take another breath. Let it go. Take another. Devote some dedicated time of concentration/meditation. It doesn’t need to be hours of quiet, perhaps only 15 minutes. Then allow the question to simmer within you. Let responses bubble up into your awareness. Notice new ways of thinking, of images or ideas that arise spontaneously. Pay attention to your dreams. Let it happen. Be aware. See where it leads you next. Let yourself savor this process of receiving from yourself. Don’t judge whatever comes up, just receive it. Make notes. You may want to share something from this process. Sharing is an important way to anchor an insight in your body. It often leads you to deeper insight. It stimulates action. Share what moves you. So, how will you embrace your life as an adventure?It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life and in change there is power. — Alan Cohen
Time for Reflection
2 Responses
It is tough for me to venture “too far” because of, well, I don’t know the cause but it does keep me from being “better” in a very distinct way. Thanks for reminding me to keep going and new ways to react and cope.
It sounds like you have some great insights to build upon, Roy. Thanks for sharing.