Show Notes
What stops us
I am sure much is preventing you from living as adventurously as you'd like to be doing (and if not, why the heck are you still reading?).
There are probably two distinct aspects to the barriers. One will be practical, perhaps a lack of either time or money. The second aspect is more intangible. These are the mental barriers inside our heads. This might be something you're shy to admit. You may have not even acknowledged it yet. But I'm convinced that every one of us struggles with them. If I had to guess, I reckon you feel like an imposter or worry what people think or are saddled with guilt for being selfish. (They're my usual three, anyway! I have plenty more where they come from if you need more…)
I wrote extensively about overcoming the obstructions that get in the way of literal adventures (travel and expeditions) in my books Microadventures and Grand Adventures. Whilst researching them, I asked my website readers what they struggled with. From around 2,000 responses, the most frequent issues were time, money, family and commitments, fear, pressure, or having nobody to go with.
I was fascinated that not one person mentioned the hurdles of falling down a crevasse or getting eaten by a tiger. The greatest hindrances to everyone's adventures all lay before their journeys began.
So whatever you dream of attempting, it is wise to push the problems you may face later on to one side. That does not mean ignoring them. Just park them for now in order to give your mind as much space as possible to be brave about getting started. Allow yourself a long run up before tackling distant dramas. The most pressing obstacles are concerned with getting you on your way. If you don't solve those first, nothing will happen.
The next chapters will help you try to identify the bumps in your own road. They will remind you that you are probably not the only one facing them. And then they will help you choose whether to solve the problem or opt for another route.
The first task is for you to work out what is stopping you from living more adventurously. After all, this is a self-help book…
Only by answering this honestly and thoughtfully is there any point continuing to read this book and be able to take the first steps towards making good things happen.
OVER TO YOU:
- What practical barriers stand in your way?
- What mental barriers have you built up?
- Which concerns can be shunted further down the line?
Think of the most significant thing blocking you from living adventurously.
Now ask these questions, known as the Dickens Process:
- What has that barrier cost you in your life so far?
- What is that barrier costing you right now?
- What will that barrier cost you 10 years from now if it persists?
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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