(Are you attending the Real Estate & Entrepreneurship Conference for Physicians on September 26-28, 2024 in Dallas, Texas? If not, why not? is a great experience. If so, send me a message so we can meet up. I would love to meet you in person.)
Would you call yourself adventuresome? If so, when was your last adventure?
We all need adventure in our lives. Physicians often get bogged down with their work and don’t feel they have time for adventure. Or they say they will start adventures after they retire. Many have the wrong idea of what an adventure entails. They think of adventure as either world traveling or doing dangerous things like sky diving or rock climbing.
I see adventure as anything new and exciting that gets you out of your usual routine. Taking dance lessons, coaching your kid’s sports team, learning to play an instrument, or even learning a difficult piece of music you always wanted to play but never found the time for. Learn to say YES to adventure.
Following are ten benefits of adding adventure to your life.
Lowers Stress Levels
In general, we feel more relaxed when we are doing something fun and exciting. We tend to forget about everything that is stressing us. I remember as a teenager I would play the piano when I felt stressed to help me relax. If stress is a problem for you, think about what you could do that will help alleviate your stress, and give it a try.
Escape the Norm
Now and then we need to break our usual routine and do something different. A life consisting of work-eat-sleep is boring. Try something you’ve always wanted to do. Ask your kids or your spouse what they would love to do with you. That is what inspired my son and I to ride our bicycles across America. I asked what he would like to do with me, and the bike ride was his answer. I said YES.
Life Changing
Some adventures can be life changing. When my wife and I walked the Camino de Santiago, 450 miles across Spain, I came home different. I felt the need for a lot less stuff after living with only what would fit into my 38-liter backpack for over a month. Upon returning home we began the process to declutter our house and life.
Personal Growth
We grow when we learn new things or explore a new territory. Take a fun class that will teach you new skills. Experience more of the world by venturing outside of your own state or country. Is there something you’ve always wanted to learn to do?
Sense of Accomplishment
It feels good to do something special. After our bicycle ride across America, I felt a great sense of having accomplished something special that few people will ever do. Although I did not know a single person who had ridden across America before we decided to take the adventure, a few people came forward after hearing this and shared that they had also accomplished the same feat.
When you do something rare, you get bragging rights. It’s almost like winning a medal in the Olympics. I have only met one person who has medaled in the Olympics.
Learn Something New
To stay young, we need to be in a constant state of learning. Many of us settle into a rut and stop learning beyond our required CME. Sometimes all the years of learning we survived to get to where we are can make us want to avoid learning new things in the future. Keeping the mind active is important and often can be exciting.
Conquer Discomfort
Whenever we do something that requires us to “push through the pain,” we learn a great lesson. We learn we can achieve more than we think we can. When my son finished his 50K Spartan race, he had several blisters on his feet and felt terrible. It took a few days to recover.
During the race when his feet were killing him and he did not give up, he proved to himself he can press through the pain. Now, after this experience when he is in an uncomfortable position in the future, he knows from his past experience that he can endure and press on.
Most of us learn this lesson during our first year of residency, which is one of the most uncomfortable times in our lives. If we can get through residency, we can get through anything.
Control Risk
Risk is a way to get our adrenaline elevated. Instead of doing this by facing down a bear, facing true danger, we can get our adrenaline flowing in a controlled activity.
We are in control of setting the conditions and the safety level of our adventures. This way we can experience an adrenaline high without risking our lives. We pick the river we raft down. We pick how close we will travel to a war zone. The amount of risk is under our control.
Lasting Pleasure
Some adventures will have lifetime repercussions. When my mother asked me if I wanted to take piano lessons when I was a child, I embarked on a musical adventure that is still going strong today. It led me to playing for the vice-president of the United States, recording an album, meeting other famous musicians and hundreds of opportunities to perform in front of a crowd, which can also get my adrenaline pumping.
Great Stories for Life
One of my favorite things about adventures is the great stories they generate, which are usually stories people wish to hear.
My bicycle ride across America has led me to being invited to speak and share the adventure with groups I don’t normally hang out with. Every time I share our story, I relive the adventure.
I still talk about performing for the vice president, recording a music album, traveling up the Amazon River, walking 450 miles across Spain, writing a book and winning Non-Fiction Book of the Year, winning the state’s Best All Around Rider award during my bicycle racing era, getting lost in France, playing the lead in a musical and many other adventures I have had, simply because I said YES.
Your adventures make up the stories you will tell your grandchildren. And if you take adventures with your kids, you will have a common memory that you will share for life.
Next time someone approaches you with an idea for tackling a new adventure, say YES! You will love the results. You will also enjoy the anticipation before it even happens. If you think back to when you told your kids something like “We are going to Disney World in three months,” you know anticipation builds excitement. Your entire family will be thinking about it and preparing for it for months.
Now is a good time for you to begin the process of taking one item off your bucket list every year and placing it on your calendar. Those things you want to do “someday” will never happen until you get them on the calendar. Start now. Don’t wait until you retire, or reach financial independence, or get your next job or any other excuse you have been using to keep from experiencing a great adventure.
The time to live your best life is NOW.
