By Shopify
Do you feel sometimes that your life is mundane?
Do you hesitate and find excuses to not do something when opportunities arise?
What do you find exciting in your life?
If you said “yes” to the first two questions, and if you are struggling to answer the third, then it’s time to add a little spice to your life. Start getting out of your comfort zone, and begin to take a few risks.
Saying yes to opportunity means taking some chances and becoming more adventurous. It requires courage to face the uncertainties surrounding the achievement of new goals. But regardless of the outcome, we learn and grow through our experiences and ultimately become more resilient and confident about engaging with change. With time, we are able to more easily take on the risks associated with new challenges, become more adventurous, and bring zest into our lives.
I want to share a couple of personal anecdotes with you on this topic. Some years ago, I was working as a teacher in Toronto. I had lived in the city for many years, and although I enjoyed my work, life was quite routine. After a year or so together, out of the blue, my partner suggested we quit our jobs, sell our belongings, and embark on a grand adventure: an around-the-world trip. I was anxious about the notion of such a drastic change, but she was adamant. Two months later we were driving through Europe, living in a camper van, and having an unforgettable life experience.
After three months of travelling, in September, we found ourselves in southern Spain, wondering how we would spend the winter. We had all but resigned ourselves to returning to Germany for work, when a BMW motorbike and a Land Rover with trailer in tow, roared into our campsite. Long story short, we hit it off with the three young Britons who invited us to join them in their planned adventure to traverse the Sahara Desert and then travel south and east through Central Africa to visit an uncle who owned a tea plantation in Kenya. I have to admit I was apprehensive about the journey, after all, in Africa there were snakes, insects, and people and cultures I knew nothing about. My first reaction was negative; I was inclined toward remaining in what I perceived to be the relative safety of Europe. But our new friends were most persuasive, and the next thing we knew, we were aboard a ship bound for North Africa. A year (and 15,000 km later) we had completed a gruelling yet unforgettable, extraordinary trek down the length of Africa.
These and many other life-changing experiences helped me grow as a person, able to adapt to changing circumstances and to seek out new challenges. I will never be a wealthy person, but life has been an adventure for which I am truly grateful.
If you are interested in learning more about our African adventures, my book, titled Through Africa…with Grit, Determination, Guile and a Modicum of Stupidity (2009) can be accessed at https://www.amazon.ca/Through-Africa-Determination-Modicum-Stupidity/dp/0968485715/ref=sr_1_6?qid=1573155914&refinements=p_27%3ARichard+Merrick+Jones&s=books&sr=1-6
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