Committing to Adventure

How and when do you decide to just get out there and go for it?

I have a friend, Pei Ting – really just someone I know from uni whom I’ve talked to a couple of times before about our theses, and as far as I know, she has always been one for adventure – who is currently cycling around New Zealand.

She got herself a New Zealand working holiday visa, her bicycle and some hiking gear, headed out to the land of the long white cloud and started adventuring.

You can find out what she’s up to on her Facebook page. She posts beautiful photos almost every day with little snippets of her latest adventure. And I have to say, she really inspires me.

Seeing her posts on Facebook got me thinking about life. I’m sure at one point or another, we’ve all wanted to have an exciting life filled with surprises and adventure. 

Some people found a way to make it happen via working holiday visas like Pei Ting. Others become travel writers, some become plain ol’ adventurers, working their way through different continents, being as free as it is possible to be.

But that’s just a handful of people.

What about the rest of us? Those of us who want this adventure but somehow, we just never got around to it?

The other article I read today was on what older people regret in their lives. One of those regrets was being too caught up in striving for financial stability. Sure, money is important, but wasted chances are heart breaking.

And I really like that. I like knowing that taking chances is not a waste of time or effort, that being financially stable is not the be all and end all of life.

It's good to hear that from people who have lived long lives. Their advice is sound. And honestly, this isn't the first time I've seen or heard this little nugget of wisdom - it's timeless, always relevant.

Still, it’s easier said than done. I still want to be able to pay off all my student loans. I want to make enough money so that my mother doesn’t have to work any more. I want to feel secure so that I can make sure my family, now and in the future, are secure as well.

BUT, I also want adventure. I want to see the world. I want to be more than I am right now. I want to learn and explore. And I know there are tonnes of different paths I can take to make this happen. 

I could get a working holiday visa, work my way around the world. I could develop decent photography skills and become a photojournalist. I could apply for a job overseas. I could volunteer. And these are just the obvious ideas.

I’m sure if I do a little research, there are a million other ways for me to travel and find adventure. 

Also, adventure doesn't have to be of the globe-trotting variety. There's probably plenty of adventure right here. I just need to get off my lazy but and find it. 

There's so much to see and do in Malaysia, so much to learn in the world (and learning is so easy thanks to the Internet), so much to see that doesn't require much money. All it takes a commitment. 

Commitment can be scary. I know it scares me. I'm always worried I won't be able to keep up and that I'd eventually let people down, let myself down. 

But recently I was reminded to not be afraid of commitment. It's actually not that difficult at all. And I know that one of the reasons I've failed to be consistent in my commitments is because I've been focusing on the wrong thing. 

If you're always worried you're going to fail, then eventually you will fail. You are what you focus on. Visualisation is  so important in everything that you do, so why is commitment any different?

So I suppose the best way to find adventure is to commit to it. Visualise commitment, focus on experiencing adventure and then follow through. I have to choose to not be afraid of committing to adventure.