Show Notes
Push, push, push
I'm 15 years old, cycling across England with two school friends. We get lost and end up on the summit of Great Gable (the 10th highest peak in England: stupid lost!). I wipe away tears and carry my heavy bike down what feels like an eternity of scree slopes. It's hard, we're lost, and I'm much slower than the others. I don't think I can do it.
I'm 18 years old, driving into a place unlike anything I've seen in all my life. A rough town of shabby homes, bullet holes in the walls and people staring at me. It's my first day in Africa. I cannot imagine living here for an entire year.
I'm outside my Mum and Dad's house on a beautiful summer day. I say goodbye, then climb onto my bike. I've told everyone I'm going to cycle around the world. Can I really do this? Absolutely no chance.
I'm at the front of the living room facing three rows of people, maybe 30 in all. They have come to hear me give a talk about my travels. I feel sweat trickling from my armpits. Not only do I have to remember what to say, I now need to remember to keep my arms clamped to my side as well! Speaking in public is terrifying. I vow never to do this again.
I sit down at my laptop. Open a blank document. Stare at it. It is time to begin writing a book. But how do I turn this blank page into a finished book? I walk to the kitchen to make a cup of tea while I mull over the enormity. The enormity of the blank page has overwhelmed me.
I'm about to quit my job. Jack in the salary and the pension and the sensible working hours.
'You're going to do what?' asks my boss.
'I'm going to be an adventurer.'
No, I'm not. Unless I can earn some money, I'm going to be unemployed.
I'm at the cinema. Beer and popcorn. Lights off, film about to start. Comfy chairs. I'm anonymous and surrounded by darkness and people. Strangers who are about to watch my first ever film. What if nobody laughs? What if they laugh in the wrong bits? What if they just fidget, a bit bored? I ought to be happy that my first expedition film has even made it this far. But instead, as always, I'm afraid and out of my depth.
At least this time there is beer and popcorn. So perhaps I am making progress, after all…
***
Living adventurously is about cajoling ourselves to venture beyond what we initially think possible. At each stage in the narrative here, I did not imagine that I would attempt what came next, nor did I give much thought to how many different 'comfort zones' we reside within. There are so many ways to scare ourselves. But each time we dare ourselves to try, we are making progress in the right direction.
Time and again, the questions we ask of ourselves come back with positive replies. I have learned, over and over, that I am capable of more than I realised. We all are. This growth mindset is one of the most precious gifts that living adventurously has given me.
OVER TO YOU:
- How has your comfort zone grown over the years? Has it begun to contract with age?
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What is The Doorstep Mile?
Would you like a more adventurous life?
Are you being held back by a lack of time or money? By fear, indecision, or a feeling of being selfish or an imposter?
Living adventurously is not about cycling around the world or rowing across an ocean.
Living adventurously is about the attitude you choose each day. It instils an enthusiasm to resurrect the boldness and curiosity that many of us lose as adults.
Whether at work or home, taking the first step to begin a new venture is daunting. If you dream of a big adventure, begin with a microadventure.
This is the Doorstep Mile, the hardest part of every journey.
The Doorstep Mile will reveal why you want to change direction, what’s stopping you, and how to build an adventurous spirit into your busy daily life.
Dream big, but start small.
Don’t yearn for the adventure of a lifetime. Begin a lifetime of living adventurously.
What would your future self advise you to do?
What would you do if you could not fail?
Is your to-do list urgent or important?
You will never simultaneously have enough time, money and mojo.
There are opportunities for adventure in your daily 5-to-9.
The hardest challenge is getting out the front door and beginning: the Doorstep Mile.
Alastair Humphreys, a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, cycled around the world for four years but also schedules a monthly tree climb. He has crossed the Empty Quarter desert, rowed the Atlantic, walked a lap of the M25 and busked through Spain, despite being unable to play the violin.
‘The gospel of short, perspective-shifting bursts of travel closer to home.’ New York Times
‘A life-long adventurer.’ Financial Times
‘Upend your boring routine… it doesn't take much.’ Outside Magazine
Visit www.alastairhumphreys.com to listen to Alastair's podcast, sign up to his newsletter or read his other books.
@al_humphreys