Get out of the routine and be adventurous

Are you feeling as though you are stuck in a rut? Your daily and weekly routines never change and you start to wonder just what life holds for you in the future? If you do, not to worry as you are not alone. Hundreds of people feel the same way and are looking for a way out. There is a simple answer to this and that is to get adventurous! Honestly, when was the last time you tried something new? A new food, a new hobby or even watched a new TV show? Routines make you feel safe and this is why it is so easy for people to slip into this type of habit. You feel safe and secure and know there is nothing hiding around the corner, waiting to jump out at you. Routines are great to have. They can keep you on schedule and allow you to be productive. But what about doing something new? Wouldn’t this add some excitement and fun to your life? There is no doubt that you must feel daring and adventurous at some point. The question is do you act on these feelings and thoughts? If not, why not? When daring thoughts enter your mind it is your self-conscious thoughts that are generating these ideas. So deep down, you must be wishing to be a little adventurous, sometimes! When these ideas pop into your head it is common to quickly dismiss them. The words risky, dangerous, difficult and daring probably have you dispelling taking any further action. But the truth is that you can be a little more adventurous and risky in your life without losing control. There is little to be gained from a life of risk avoidance. However, even the slightest increase in the level of risk that you take can lead to handsome rewards. Irish entrepreneur Bill Cullen has a great old saying ‘Beware the chair’. This is meant to warn older people that if they start to spend too much time sitting down doing very little, they may not be able to get out of the chair when they actually want to. The same is true for youger people i.e. if you are happy being comfortable and avoiding risk, you will not be able to cope with discomfort and risk when you actually need to.

Being a little more adventurous

You can easily add a little more risk or adventure to your life. The following are some simple examples:

1. Money

If you want to make more money from your money, there has to be a little bit of risk and adventurous behaviour involved. The fact is that low risk investments and savings schemes attract very low returns.

Increasing the level of risk you take with your money does not mean that you have to burst into a casino and throw all of your money on the table. There are many different options including:

• Buying shares
• Investing in savings schemes where your money is locked away for a fixed period of time thus attracting higher interest rates
• Starting a small business on the side e.g. online business
• Investing in property

As with all risk, it is essential that you seek good advice first but even if you only become slightly more adventurous, you are likely to make more money.

2. Fitness and health

You could set yourself an ambitious fitness related goal which challenges you e.g. run a marathon. By pursuing this adventurous goal, you are forced to improve your fitness, health and wellbeing in the process; otherwise, you will not achieve it.

It can be hard to put in the effort and commitment required to maintain your health and fitness. However, an adventurous, ambitious goal will inspire and motivate you to take action.

3. Relationships

If you are naturally shy and introverted, like me, then asking somebody out can seem like the biggest risk that you can ever take. But, unless you take that risk you are unlikely to ever experience the type of relationship that you are looking for. Even when the answer is ‘No’, you are still better off for having been adventurous as you know where you stand and you can move on.

Allow me to give you an example from my own life. A few years ago, I was training in the same gym as a very attractive lady. We got along very well and she was very flirty with me. In fact, many of the other members assumed that there was something going on. One day, I was feeling impatient so I decided that I was just going to have to find out where I stood. I walked up this lady and asked her out. She politely rejected me.

For the first 5 minutes, I felt a little disappointed. But then, I was just happy that I wasn’t wasting time chasing something that wasn’t there. I moved on and shortly after I was in wonderful relationship which gave me some amazing times. Had I not been adventurous and taken the risk, I would still have been chasing a girl who wasn’t interested.

If you want to set some adventurous goals for you life, check out Ultimate Guide to Goal Setting. The next time an adventurous idea crops up, don’t dispel it immediately. Instead take the time to really consider if this is something you could do. Write down all the reasons for taking the adventure, and then those for not taking it. Then compare the two sides and see which one really makes sense. Quite often the pros will outweigh the cons. There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to change up your routine by adding in a little fun and excitement. In fact it can be extremely healthy to do something different now and again. You can broaden your horizons and gain experience by taking on a new challenge. Plus doing something different is a great way to reduce stress and boredom in your life. So if you are feeling way too comfortable with your regular routines. Consider adding a little adventure into your life.