People say a lot of things about me, but I’m glad to say that boring isn’t one of them.
I don’t make a lot of money, I don’t have some bigshot career or fancy house. But I have crafted a life for myself that is abundant in adventure because that’s what I really value in life.
I’m not the man you would come to if you’re seeking advice to climb the corporate ladder. But if you’re after a life as an adventurer, an explorer, or a nomad, maybe I’m worth hearing out.
So let me tell you a little about how I crafted a life full of adventure for myself, and how you can do the same for yourself.
Developing a thirst for adventure
When I was in my early twenties, I was on track to live a cozy life.
Go to university, get a degree, then a job, and build from there. I had a path to follow, and it was simple. But the trajectory of my life was abruptly shattered after I went through a spiritual awakening.
For the first time, my consciousness was opened to new dimensions of my life experience.
The idea of working the 9-5 became repugnant as I developed a thirst for something more from life. Surely there’s more to this I thought. I just couldn’t see the joy in living a life that may be comfortable, but hollow.
That idea set me off on a very different life journey. So with the scaffolding of a plan, I set off to travel the world indefinitely.
Jump forward seven years, I have now lived in eight countries, boasting a treasure chest of incredible memories. Amongst many odd jobs, I have worked alongside shamans, as a teacher, a coach, a tour guide, a bartender, and a writer. I have met so many amazing people, have had lives with others, and I’ve traveled into the deepest depths of my consciousness and beyond.
If there’s one thing I’ve done well in life, it has lived it to its absolute fullest. And that’s something I’m very proud of. Not just because it has been an incredible experience, but because I’ve learned so much throughout this adventure in consciousness.
It’s easy to tell you to try new things, but you’re not here for generic pointers. If it was that straightforward, you would be doing it already.
Here we’re going to get to the roots of the matter, and you be the judge. I’m going to tell you everything I know about living an adventurous life because you’re only on this planet for the blink of an eye.
I’m not necessarily going to tell you what to do. We’re all different. What I’m going to do is help you change the infrastructure of your mind, to perceive life in a way that facilitates adventure, spontaneity, and exciting new experiences.
The foundations of living an adventurous life
Everyone has a different idea of what having an adventurous life means, but I see it as the quality and quantity of diverse experiences that you have.
I say this because some people might occasionally have incredible experiences, but they don’t happen often. For the most part, life is pretty much the same thing, and there’s not a whole lot of spice to it.
Other people might have lots of smaller experiences such as going out, meeting new people, and doing different activities. But none of these experiences are necessarily life-changing.
So even though they may have busy, eventful lives, nothing really stands out.
To have the adventurous life you want, you need to be having different experiences regularly, and memorable experiences as much as you can.
It’s okay to have some routine, but you don’t want the routine to turn into complacency. To live an adventurous life, you should always be on the lookout for exciting new experiences to mix things up, so that your life never feels stagnant.
Before we move on, I need to address something important. People tend to think that an adventurous life just means getting out and doing lots of interesting things. But you’re missing a whole dimension of adventure if you approach it from this angle.
Living an adventurous life is as much of an internal process as it is an external process. I’ve experienced more of a thrill in deep states of meditation than climbing active volcanos. My search to understand what’s underneath these layers of flesh and bone has been more of a mindfuck than living out of a backpack for the last 5 years.
There are 2 major components of living an adventurous life: Exploring your internal reality and exploring your external reality. These components are like the yin and yang of adventure, so don’t neglect either of them.
The internal reality
Being adventurous pertains to more than exploring your extrinsic reality. Although this is what usually comes to mind when people think of adventure, only looking for adventure in the world lacks substance if you’re not also going inward.
You can go to amazing places and embark on fun adventures, but unless you’re exploring who you are, you’re cutting a whole dimension of experience out of the adventure of life. Because it’s so much more than the things you do that gives you a sense of adventure. It’s the exploration of your consciousness, and looking for a deeper meaning to your existence on this planet.
I know you probably came here expecting some applicable tips, not an existential crisis, but going inward and exploring your internal reality is crucial to living a truly adventurous life.
The external reality
Of course, if you only approach the internal aspect, life can also feel a little dull. Regardless, life will be a wild adventure in consciousness as long as you explore who you are, but without supplementing that inner pursuit with real-world actions, it is much harder to reap the benefits.
So explore your external reality too. Get out of your routines and do new things. Partake in new activities and challenge yourself. Travel. Experience as much as you can in this world, and your life is going to be much more colorful.
But remember to balance this outward pursuit with the internal quest. Because together, that’s what creates an adventurous life, inside out.
Reevaluate what's important to you
I wasn’t always an adventurous person. Throughout my journey of self-realization, I had to critically look at my life, and reevaluate what’s important to me.
I concluded that having a life rich in experience is more important than having a life rich in possessions. I would rather live a life that I’m proud of, rather than one that other people are proud of. And because of these decisions, I certainly had to make some sacrifices.
It’s important to acknowledge that your values set the coursework for your life. If you value things like wealth and stability, you’re going to sacrifice things like adventure and spontaneity.
Imagine you’re a character in a game, and you have a certain amount of points to allot to certain areas of your life. If you use up all your energy points on wealth generation, it comes at the sacrifice of exploration, adventure, and diverse experiences.
In the perfect world, we would have it all. But we only have so much time and energy to give, so you need to be a little selective about what you spend it on. I’ve spent many years traveling the world and indulging in life, but it has come at the sacrifice of having a stable, comfortable life. If I decided to pursue a career in Landscape Architecture (what I studied at University), I could have a cushy life by now. But I decided to travel instead.
So here’s a perspective I want you to look at.
Life experience is more valuable than book smarts. You can theoretically learn about everything, but unless you experience those concepts in real life, it doesn’t mean a whole lot.
With that said, I see an adventurous life as study. So by having this lifestyle, I’m gaining so much more knowledge and wisdom about life, than if I were to spend my life experience on a single career.
Now I consider myself fairly weathered. I’ve had a few experiences in this world, and my entire reality has changed form.
Especially if you’re on a personal growth journey, living an adventurous life is synonymous with it. So do it for you. Not just to make your life fun, but as an investment for growth, knowledge, and wisdom.
For more about embarking on a growth journey, here are some articles I wrote on the topic:
Stop conforming to the majority
Let’s face it. The majority is boring. That’s because most people value stability, comfort, and social status over having rich experiences.
Therefore, the baseline is to shoot for a life that’s rooted in these particular values. That’s society for you. If you’re trying to fit in, aiming for a good respectable career, buying a nice house, and setting up your future is the way to go. You’re not going to be an outlier in this sense.
But if you don’t fit into this large box, you need to resist the urge to follow what’s considered normal.
This means you will need to reject what society tells you is a good life. You may need to reject your parent’s desires for you. You’re probably going to feel like a black sheep, and that’s okay.
What matters is that you stick to your values, and don’t be swayed by what other people expect of you.
Characteristics of an adventurous spirit
Here are some signs that you have an adventurous spirit.
- You value life experience
- You're a YES person
- You seek out new experiences
- You get bored of routine
- You're always up for something new
- Complacency is your enemy
- You're constantly pushing your boundaries
- You like to get outside your comfort zone
- You are your own teacher
- You prefer to live in the moment
- You don't let things hold you back
- You recognize when you're making excuses
- Do you look at everything through the eyes of a baby?
The keys of an adventurous life
With all that out the way, now let’s dig into the specific characteristics you need to develop to become more adventurous.
🗝️Develop the opportunity mindset
Your ability to see new opportunities in whatever form they’re presented is a game changer when it comes to living an adventurous life. After all, opportunities are gateways to new experiences. When you pay attention to all of these windows that appear in your life, then you’ll always have a path to take.
If you shut down every opportunity that shows up in your life, you’re life is probably not going to change a great deal. This is why it’s important to develop a mindset where you perceive all the myriad opportunities in your life, at every moment. Therefore, there will always be an abundance of potential adventures to embark on.
🗝️Be curious
Curiosity is the root of an adventurous spirit. If you’re not curious to explore your reality, it’s very easy to be complacent with the life you have.
To develop curiosity, you need to constantly question your life, and seek answers to those questions. Look at it in a way where the more answers you discover, the happier you can potentially become. Each piece of knowledge is like adding another piece to the puzzle of life.
Ask yourself if you could be happier. What are some things you could try to become happier? Could you have more fun in life? Do you think there’s anything out there that you’re missing out on? What is it, and how can you experience it?
By constantly asking questions, you’re going to create more clarity on what you need to do moving forward. By cultivating curiosity, you begin seeking out new experiences because you’re eager to know what’s waiting out there for you.
🗝️Keep an open mind
Any adventurous soul needs an open mind. It’s a prerequisite. If you don’t have an open mind, you’re going to bar out different experiences and opportunities because you’re not willing to try them.
You don’t know what’s outside the box if you’ve lived your life in it. This is a problem, and if you want to have an adventurous life you need to start trying things before forming an opinion about them. You need to hear all perspectives and opinions before jumping to conclusions.
Some things might not initially appeal to you, but when you consider all the possibilities, it makes the world a much more exciting place to live in.
🗝️Don't be afraid of things going wrong
Let me tell you, the best experiences happen when things go wrong. I have had many situations where things went wrong including:
- Being robbed three times, once was violent
- Being thrown in jail in Mexico
- Being attacked by a pack of stray dogs
- Motorbike breaking down in the middle of nowhere (many times) when riding through Vietnam
- Being swept out to sea
- Being homeless in the US
Okay, so maybe some of these things could potentially be a little dangerous. Don’t put yourself in danger, but acknowledge that sometimes you can’t avoid it. Sometimes, danger will find you, and that’s often when you’ll have the most exhilarating experiences, no matter how terrifying they were at the time.
But don’t be avoidant because there is always potential for something to go wrong. As long as you see things going wrong as a deterrent, you’re going to avoid a lot of great experiences in life.
Part of having an adventure is to acknowledge it, take precautions, and do it anyway. After all, it’s usually the experiences that went wrong that are the most memorable.
🗝️Be spontaneous
Spontaneity is a key for anyone who’s seeking a more adventurous life. In other words, go with the flow, because good adventures can’t be predicted, they just happen.
There’s a saying that the best adventures in life are the ones that weren’t expected. I believe this is very true because the experiences that I remember the most are not when everything went to plan. They’re when things didn’t go to plan at all, and I had to improvise.
Sometimes opportunities will come into your life on a whim, and if you don’t jump on it, it’s going to be gone forever. You won’t always be prepared, or expect situations to unfold as they do. But you need to always be ready to embrace the unexpected, knowing that life runs on its timeline, not yours.
I’m not saying it’s bad to plan, but overplanning can take the adventure away. So prepare, but accept that things might not turn out as you planned. Learn to welcome the unexpected, knowing that it’s usually unexpected situations that lead to the best adventures in life.
🗝️Expose yourself to new things
Don’t welcome painful experiences, but recognize that they’re experiences nonetheless. As I see an adventurous life as constantly having new experiences, of course, the more you expose yourself to new things, the more adventurous your life becomes.
With that said, don’t be afraid to try new things. Even if you feel like you might not like those things, it’s good to make a habit of giving them a go, even if it’s just once. Worst case scenario, it was a waste of time. In the best-case scenario, you’ve added another exciting experience to your belt.
Live for the experience. As long as you want to have more experiences, naturally, you’re going to expose yourself to more people, places, and situations, and have a more lively life.
🗝️Take calculated risks
One thing you need to acknowledge is that fear is always going to be there when you’re doing something new. It’s natural to have some fear. But when you decide not to give something a try due to that fear, you’re the ultimate loser here.
Living an adventurous life becomes an act of managing your fear and knowing when it’s serving you, and when it’s deceiving you. Of course, don’t be stupid, but don’t be avoidant of difficult situations either, because they’re what make the entire adventure.
With that said, you need to challenge yourself. The best adventures usually involve some sort of risk, and unless you’re willing to put something on the line, it’s all too easy to back out.
🗝️Seek change
Change is a constant in life. You might be comfy in your life situation and be a little hesitant to change it up out of fear of sabotaging what you have. But this pursuit will only lead to a dead end because change is inevitable.
By acknowledging that life change is inevitable, you might change your perspective a little. So allow yourself to change things up. Whether it comes to your line of work, the people you associate with, or the things you do, life will change sooner or later anyway, so get it before it gets you.
How to make every day more adventurous
So we’ve gone through the more significant changes you need to make to have a more adventurous life. We’ve explored the infrastructure and the keys, now it’s time to look at the day-to-day changes that you can apply to your life.
Here are some things you can do to make each day a new adventure.
Start learning a new hobby
What is your typical daily routine? I bet you work, relax, spend time with family, maybe work on an avocation or partake in a hobby a little, then go to bed. But what if there were things you could do daily that make you feel much better than you do right now?
There’s a whole goldmine out there of things that you might enjoy, but simply don’t know because you haven’t tried them. Have you tried giving music a go? Writing? Making videos? Taking courses? Building something? Gardening? Reading? Walking in a park? Exercising? I bet there are many things you could do right this moment, but you’re just going to mindlessly scroll on Instagram instead.
Think about different hobbies that you want to give a shot, and commit to them. Look for new ways to change up your daily routine that ignites a spark, and just put in the effort.
Explore your surroundings
In most cases, you don’t need to travel far to find some hidden gems. There are amazing spots in every city I’ve lived in, and the best ones aren’t on a map.
So you need to go out and explore a little. Explore different spots in nature and just see what’s around. Check out different neighborhoods, stores, plazas, parks, or whatever appeals to you. I can guarantee you that there are plenty of places worth checking out that aren’t listed in an article or tourism video. And they’re the places you want to find.
I love to get out and explore nature. What I do is look at Google Maps or Google Earth for green spots within distance, drive there, and see what’s around. Sometimes it’s a miss, but more often than not, I’m pleasantly surprised.
Whether it’s a park I’ve never heard about, a reserve, some woods, a small lake, or an opening, it’s always worth checking out and just getting to know your home area a bit better. If you do this often, likely you’ll find some hidden gems that become your go-to spots. But you won’t know unless you explore your surroundings.
Cook a new dish
If you’re like most people, you probably have a few dishes that you cycle through. Sometimes you might try cooking something new, but it doesn’t happen often. Perhaps you barely cook at all or don’t know how to.
I suggest that you regularly change it up and try cooking new meals. If you’re not much of a cook, then learn the basics and start practicing. You can easily type some meals into Google and get some quick results. Try throwing the ingredients you have into chat GTP and see what it comes up with.
Eating is a pretty big part of our lives, yet so many of us make the act of it so tasteless. So try cooking new meals, and that is one sure way to change up your daily routine.
Reach out to someone you haven't spoken to in a while
Try reaching out to a friend that you haven’t spoken to in a while, and see how they’re doing. It’s easy to get caught up in our lives, that we tend to lose touch with all the people who have been a part of our lives.
The one upside of social media is that it’s easy to stay connected, and it’s not awkward to reignite a connection. Comment on one of their stories, or simply message them asking them how they’re doing. I do it all the time, and I always enjoy hitting up people that I met along my journey randomly, and seeing what’s happening. And they’re always pleasantly surprised that I do.
When life is starting to feel a little too regular for me, I reach out to a few people. Usually, they respond pretty quickly, and we exchange some messages to catch up. This is also a great way for me to stay in contact with people, and see what they’re up to these days.
Network
People are gateways to new opportunities, and they’re a surefire way to spice up your life a little. By making more of an effort to meet people (and maintain connections) in your day-to-day life, you never know where some of these connections are going to take you.
Many of us feel that we don’t have the energy to go out of our way to meet people. But you’re always coming into contact with people. Networking is about seeing each person as a potential friend, and just being genuinely curious about what’s happening in their life. Whether it’s a work associate, a shop clerk, or a stranger, engage the people you bump into, especially the ones you see regularly.
As long as you engage people, doors will start flying open. Of course, most conversations won’t lead anywhere, but by engaging people more on a day-to-day basis, you’re opening up your doorways.
Go to events
If you live in a city, I’m sure there are plenty of interesting things you could be going to, regardless of what your interests are.
Especially if you’re in (or near) a big city, there are always talks, networking events, meetups, language exchanges, and different things you could be doing. But I’m guessing you never really go to these things, and I know why.
For the most part, it’s not about money. There are plenty of free options out there. It’s not about availability, because even if you’re not in a city, there are a million things you can partake in online. It’s because you’re nervous, and I understand that.
It can be daunting going to unfamiliar events by yourself. You don’t know if you’ll just be an awkward mess, and usually, that thought is enough of a deterrent to banish the idea completely.
But what if you tried? You put yourself out there. You risked enduring a boring event that was a waste of time (and potentially money). Because think about what you could potentially gain. Who you could potentially meet? What experiences you could potentially have?
So try out different events, whether they’re in person or online. Check out what’s available by searching Google and social media, and see what pops up. I highly recommend giving some things a go, and just seeing what you think of them.