The formula for adventure is actually very simple: something new + courage = adventure. An adventurous person can jump off an airplane, be the first to offer to save someone, or even ask someone out on a date. You may not be the type to take risks. If you are motivated and create new habits for adventure, you will be exploring new worlds in no time.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Finding Your Motivation
Step 1. Let go of everything holding you back
Inhibition is a feeling that makes you insecure and unable to act casually and naturally. Maybe you are shy, inexperienced or scared. In order to let go of whatever is holding you back, you must feel safe with yourself, your surroundings and the people around you.
- Ask yourself why do you want to have an adventurous spirit? What do you think this trait will give you? Do you want to open yourself up to all possibilities? If so, you are right!
- Defeating physical challenges requires you to overcome mental challenges as well. For example, if you train and climb a mountain, it will challenge your physical abilities and show how strong you are mentally and physically.
- Do you feel the need to prove something? Do you crave attention? Why are you looking for a thrilling thrill? Do you feel that it will build confidence? Do you just want to have fun?
- Take a few minutes to answer these questions as they will help you develop a plan for action.
Step 2. Face your fear
If you've never been adventurous up to this point in your life, it's likely that fear has held you back. Recognizing your own fear can be easy, or it may require more introspection. Your feelings, thoughts, hopes and fantasies cannot be seen, but they are very, very real.
- Your fears may include public speaking, snakes, or high places. Fears can also include talking to strangers, getting fired, or failing in class. They can all stem from deeper fears such as looking stupid, being abandoned, or losing their sense of security.
- Overcoming fear leads to building confidence in yourself, your own thoughts and actions. You will learn that you can take care of yourself. For example, you may be too afraid to live apart from your parents' house because you feel you can't do it. If you choose to be adventurous and move out of their home and find that you can do it, you have overcome your own fear.
- Use visualization techniques. Imagine yourself doing various activities that challenge you to be adventurous and complete them safe and sound. These scenarios could be surfing, horse racing, exploring your musical talents or something smaller like asking an athlete for an autograph. Adventures can be large and small.
- You may avoid adventure because of a fear of uncertainty. You must change your mind from sure to unsure to get rid of the obstacles that are preventing you from being adventurous. For example, if you avoid or postpone participating in events because you don't know what's going to happen, make small visits that will slowly build your tolerance level.
Step 3. Unleash your adventurous spirit
Being adventurous includes feeling mentally free, open and willing to enjoy life. Opening your heart by being kind to yourself will help you build personal strength.
- If you feel like you need to feel safe before you feel comfortable doing something new, use meditation and yoga to calm yourself and relieve stress. Once you build a sense of security and calm you will become more open to adventure. For example, you will go on vacation to Thailand alone even though you do not know Thai at all.
- Give yourself a boost to feel free. Saying affirmative sentences such as, "Everything will be fine"; "I'm ready to start"; or "This change will do me good!" can help. Making a sound can also help. Just shouting at that moment will amplify the energy to propel you forward.
- Take precautions for safety. Being adventurous doesn't mean you're doing things that aren't safe. Adventures that require physicality must be accompanied by a conscious evaluation of the dangers involved. For example, if you want to race dirt bikes, you should research the safety requirements.
Part 2 of 3: Making New Habits
Step 1. Explore your interests
There are times in life when you become too busy to think about what interests you. If you want to be more adventurous, you should take time to have fun and explore. Maybe you've always wanted to travel or do an exchange student in a foreign country. Perhaps designing a stage backdrop for a drama performance has always piqued your curiosity.
- If you want to be adventurous in your career, access online questionnaires that help identify your interests.
- Talk to people who do activities that interest you. Ask if they have any tips for people who want to get involved in the activity as well.
- You may discover new interests that you didn't even know about before. For example, there may be a martial arts studio that you pass by on your commute every day. One day you decide to be brave and visit there. You observe a class and like it, then sign up for it.
Step 2. Choose a role model
You probably know someone who does what you want to do. He may be someone who looks brave and achieves what he wants to do. He spent his vacations building homes for the poor, white water rafting and scuba diving in the ocean. You admire this person and want to learn from him how to be adventurous.
- Choose a mentor to help you. A mentor can be a friend, family member or someone you know at work. Talk to him and ask "I'm trying to be more adventurous in life and you seem to be doing really well. Is there any advice you can give me? Do you mind if I talk to you about this a lot?"
- You can model your behavior from a professional you don't know. For example, if there's a traveler you admire and has a television show, you can watch the show and follow that person on social media. You can ask him various questions through social media channels.
Step 3. Make a plan for the adventure
Make your plans to travel, make changes or try something new. Decide how often you want to do these things. Make a commitment to do something new once every day, every week, or every month. If you schedule your events, making them a "to-do list," chances are you'll stick to them.
- Planning an adventure with friends can be fun. Discuss and make an agreement to get everyone to take responsibility for the tasks to be completed. For example, one person can check the price of a plane ticket; the other identifies the various activities that must be carried out when reaching the destination.
- Go around the world. With the right planning traveling around the world is affordable. Traveling the world can be cheaper than you think. Find out the various costs before you let money problems keep you from adventuring.
Step 4. Get into action
You can't be adventurous if you just sit around and do nothing. The material of trying to be more adventurous is actually an adventure. Like any change in life, you have to act for it to happen. Start with small steps and build up to big steps. Realize that every step is a movement towards your goal.
- Set your limits. An adventurous spirit will include doing things outside of your comfort zone. You may be comfortable hiking in the great outdoors, but have no interest in skydiving. Be reasonable with yourself and know your limits. Don't be afraid to tell others that you have limits too.
- One way to get into action is to vary your routine. Avoid getting caught in a vicious cycle of doing the same things the same way over and over again. Even something as simple as grocery shopping can open you up to new possibilities. For example, you go to a market you've never been to and meet someone who turns out to be offering you a job, asking you out on a date, or getting to know a childhood friend you haven't seen in years. This will not happen if you are not adventurous.
Part 3 of 3: Exploring Your World
Step 1. Find other people who share your interests
People are attracted to other people who have the same interests and have fun together. Enthusiasm for life is contagious. If you find a group of people who share an interest in adventure, you will almost never feel alone.
- Look for various groups online and filter to find the one that suits you best. For example, if you like computer animation, maybe you can find a local animation film festival and volunteer to work there. You will meet people who not only share a common interest in animation, but can also learn about the film festival process.
- Look at bulletin boards at school or in public places. There are various groups that meet and are always looking for new members. Take a chance, it might change your life.
- Attend an event and ask a question. For example, you attend a motorcycle show and ask one of the curators, "This event is amazing. How can someone get involved in hosting an event like this?" Most people will have a short chat with you that will lead you to something fun.
Step 2. Exercise your curiosity
A curious mind will ask you many questions. You can maintain your enthusiasm for adventure by constantly asking questions. How do things work? What does it take to do something? Why do we always have to do things this way? When can we change for the better? Curiosity is the root of the adventurous spirit.
- Create circumstances for yourself that will force you out of your comfort zone. Clumsiness is the first step towards learning something new.
- Read books about things you don't know, then don't forget to talk to other people about them.
- Talk to people who do work you've never done.
- Observe people playing, working, or relaxing with their friends and family. Notice the things they do that are similar and different to the way you do them.
Step 3. Change careers
If you feel suffocated by your job, take steps to find a new job that interests you. Financial support is a key factor in exploring new jobs. You want to make sure you have the financial capacity to support yourself on an adventure.
- Develop a resume and examine the various skills you have and how they can be applied to your new career.
- You may need to take additional classes to earn a certificate or complete a degree to enter a new area of interest. This may take some time, but the rewards will be worth it as long as you see it as a good adventure to make you happy.
Step 4. Consider moving to a new city, province or country
Sometimes all you need is a change of environment. With the right planning, you can make things happen as long as you stay in the mushroom and make smart choices.
Step 5. Make a wish list
A wish list contains all the things you want to do before you die. Fill it with everything you've ever wanted to do. This could include visiting every football stadium in Europe, swimming across the Straits of Malacca, climbing the Himalayas, or meeting figures in the world of sport. Every thing on the list is guaranteed to be full of adventure.
Step 6. Make up for your previous disappointments
It's never too late to get back to doing something. Whether you're too embarrassed to try to take part in a drama show, or you're pulled off the team during a basketball final, you'll benefit from a little redemption.
Make a list of things in life that make you unhappy, or cause you to feel scared and lessen your adventures. Then replay those situations one by one and fix things. If you quit your previous game, join a rebuilt team and with diligent practice you will easily improve things. The key is that you acknowledge all your efforts even though you are not a star player
Step 7. Keep pushing yourself
Once you experience the benefits of being adventurous, you will realize that it takes energy to do so. The lure of the rewards is very motivating and you should keep pushing yourself towards new adventures. The adventurous spirit is lively and you can use it as a tool to improve your life.
- If you feel like your mood is about to take a turn for the worse, encourage yourself to go on a new adventure. Let the rewards you'll get drive your mood.
- Praise yourself for the effort you put into being adventurous. Motivate yourself by saying "You are adventurous because you enjoy life to the fullest. Congratulations."
Tips
- Ask friends to remind you if you're trying to be bolder.
- Make small changes to something you've been doing for a long time. Cook exotic dishes. Wear something out of character for you. Ask yourself, "How could I possibly do this differently."
- Fear and anxiety can hold you back in life. Seek professional help if you are having trouble dealing with it.
- New people have the potential to teach you something that can open your life to new adventures.
- Talk to a variety of people. Their adventure stories can be almost as good as if you had experienced it yourself.
- Always looking for new things to do. Recording a documentary. Take a dance class. Meditation with Buddhist monks.
- Every adventure you take creates an interesting story to tell. People love a good story.
- Find a strategic position on a hill or on the sea that has a beautiful view. This will remind you that there is a big world full of adventure out there.
- Try something you've never done before and have fun doing it.
Warning
- Use the right equipment. Be smart and take the necessary equipment with you to go on the adventure. This step can determine life and death. Always have water and a GPS-enabled cell phone that is fully charged when climbing.
- Know your limits. You are not the invincible Superman.
- What you call adventurous can be viewed as annoying, arrogant or high-risk behavior. Don't overdo things.
- There's a clear line between being someone other people want to hang out with because they're cool and someone other people don't want to hang out with because they're always attracting attention or making a fuss.
- Think carefully if you are going on a life-threatening adventure. If you have suicidal thoughts seek professional help, and don't put other people at risk.
- Are you having a hard time feeling your feelings and need a high amount of adrenaline to feel anything? Blocked emotions can be a sign of depression. Seek professional help.
