In response to my last newsletter
about making productive,
conscientious use of the stories we
tell ourselves and the metaphors we
live by, a reader responded with
this question: “Clearly the
metaphors we use shape our
perceptions, and ultimately our
reality. I am a teacher working with
young people whose view of the world
of work is still malleable, ready to
be shaped. Denise, is there a
metaphor for work that you recommend
we promote to these young people as
they set out into their futures?”
While this is a rather big question,
I loved it because it caused me to
dig deep and really examine the
various metaphors we live by,
comparing the merits and virtues of
each and the qualities they inspire.
Obviously this is a purely
subjective exercise, and the
metaphors that work for each of us
are largely dependent upon the
personal experiences and
connotations we associate with them.
Which is to say, my advice to the
teacher was to help his students
explore and select the metaphor that
worked best for them individually.
(to see the large list of examples I
provided in that article,
follow this link.)
Having said that, here I sit writing
an article promoting a metaphor that
I would encourage everyone to
embrace, confident that it could
only enhance and augment anyone’s
current perspective not just about
work, but about life itself. I am
personally drawn to the metaphor of
the garden with its rich
associations of planting, nurturing,
cultivating, pruning – and yet
cooperating with the larger miracle
and mystery of nature itself. I have
also had a long-time affinity for
the metaphor of “the journey”,
having employed the term in the
title of many of my books and
courses over the last few decades.
But what trumps them both, because
it is inclusive of all others, is
the metaphor of adventure!
Two responses to adventure:
Ready/Willing and
Reluctant/Unwilling
It is said that there are two kinds
of adventurers: those who go truly
hoping to find adventure, and those
who secretly pray they won’t. For
some, the word “adventure” is just a
euphemism for bad planning or
misguided venturing, an unnecessary
detour off an otherwise
straight-forward path. From this
point of view, only wayfarers,
drifters, and nomads have
“adventures”, and clearly only goofs
or oddballs would actually seek them
out. In that world, having to choose
among 32 brands of toothpaste, 55
cell phone plans, and 124 television
channels is adventure enough. But to
purposely go where no one has gone
before, enter new territory,
experiment with something out of
their ordinary experience, they say
“Phooey!” So be it. To each his own.
I am of the mind, however, that
those wishing to pursue a
wholehearted, robust life greet
adventure not as reluctant victims,
but as eager volunteers. We crave an
occasional wildness, a jolt from
normality, a sharpening of our
senses, a brief excursion from our
normal way of life. Sometimes we get
the urge to leave home for a time to
go on retreat or set out on a
pilgrimage, to remove ourselves from
the duties and dramas, the roles and
relationships, that keep us
distracted from our emerging sense
of self.
I am not talking about reckless
risk-taking that comes from a
persistent and relentless need for
an adrenaline rush. I am referring
to the call to adventure that stems
from a hunger to be challenged in a
new way, to test the boundaries of
what we know, or to push the limits
on our current way of being and
relating with the aim of furthering
our own development and realizing
our own potential. It’s a thirst for
new knowledge and fresh learning. A
longing for discovery, a yearning
for exploration. To paraphrase poet
David Whyte, it’s that voice that
tells us that the territory we are
living in is too small for us.
Regardless of your knee-jerk
response to employing this metaphor
to your own life and work, consider
the following ten qualities that
“the spirit of adventure” inspires.
Clearly, this list is far from
complete, but here’s a place to
start.
Nine Qualities Inspired by the
Spirit of Adventure
1. Acceptance that life itself is an
inescapable series of adventures.
One common dictionary definition of
“adventurer” is “one who goes out to
meet whatever may come”. By this
definition, the most common
adventure is simply facing the
responsibilities of everyday living,
never knowing what the day may
bring. Life itself is the great
unknown. As Vincent Van Gogh
observed, “I am not an adventurer by
choice, but by fate.” This is true
for everyone. Every true
relationship represents an ongoing
adventure in communication,
patience, generosity and
forgiveness. One’s vocation is an
adventure in uncovering and honing
one’s talents and gifts and making
one’s way in the world. A job search
is an adventure in self-discovery,
exploring one’s options, presenting
oneself in a favorable light, and
ultimately decision-making. In this
sense, there is no escaping the
various adventures that come with
each age and stage of everyday
living.
From this point of view, adventure
is not just a way of traveling, but
a state of mind, a stance towards
life. We can choose to view life as
a grand, ongoing adventure, or we
can see it as a never-ending cycle
of predicaments, quandaries, and
dilemmas, or as my dad would say, a
real pickle. By characterizing an
interview gone haywire, a harrowing
day of air travel, or a situation
with an absurdly difficult customer
as an “adventure”, we find ourselves
adopting a much more productive
stance than by simply experiencing
it as a turn of rotten luck or
further evidence of the conspiracy
the world is running against us.
2. Perceiving challenges as
“adventures”, we loosen our grip on
expectations.
Rather than treating life’s various
situations and predicaments as a
test in which we either pass or
fail, approaching life circumstances
as an adventure invites the spirit
of exploration and experimentation
where there is no failure, just
feedback. We are open to unexpected
paths that may open before us, free
of the weight of expectations which
more often than not set us up for
distress, disappointment, and
disenchantment. By freeing ourselves
of the burden of expectations, we
find ourselves open to possibilities
that may not otherwise have seen.
Approaching situations as
adventurers with a pioneering
spirit, our perceptual lens is set
differently. Rather than perceiving
the unknown as dangerous territory,
something to be wary about, and to
avoid at all costs, we approach the
unknown as a welcoming frontier,
begging to be explored and upon
which we may plant new stakes.
3. A sense of adventure keeps us in
the moment.
The journey between what we are now
and who are becoming is where the
heart of our real adventure lies.
Any great trip we’ve experienced or
accomplishment we have made points
us to the wisdom of the Buddhist
saying, “It is better to travel than
to arrive.” The journeying holds
twice the punch of reaching the
destination when we are able to
remain in the present, focusing on
progress rather perfection, valuing
growth over the attainment of a
goal. A good adventure keeps us
grounded in the here and now, not
concerning ourselves with regrets
from the past or worries about the
future. We are alert to our
surroundings, attentive to
everything around us; remaining
steadfast in our powers of
observation and vigilance as we
strike out into the unknown. With
the spirit of adventure we are more
willing to accept whatever the wind
blows in, to embrace whatever the
tide washes up at our feet. The
alternative, of course, is to
struggle daily with the capricious
nature of life itself.
4. The spirit of adventure moves us
beyond the backyard.
The call to adventure urges us to
move beyond prevailing borders, to
shift our gaze from the comfort of
our own backyards to the distant,
beckoning horizon. And while I agree
with Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz,
that anything our heart’s desire can
be found in our backyard, sometimes
it’s necessary to run away from home
before we can recognize, pursue, and
find it. How can something “be truly
found” without having first been
lost? Or as Thoreau put it, “It is
not until we are lost that we even
begin to understand ourselves.” As
many seasoned travelers will attest,
there is nothing that will more
clearly and acutely teach us the
meaning of home than the experience
of being a stranger in a foreign
land.
Lest you think this is an article
bestowing the virtues of travel, I
am suggesting that we apply the
metaphor of “being home” or “in our
own backyard” in relation to other
parts of our lives. What does it
mean in terms of work and the use of
your skills and abilities? What
constitutes “home” in relation to
your primary relationships and the
current borders around what and how
you communicate, or how you express
and extend yourself to others? What
is “the backyard” of your current
knowledge, understanding, and
appreciation for and about the world
of the arts, music, sports, popular
culture, technology, and current
events around the globe? Where are
you happy to “just stay home” in
terms of your religious or spiritual
beliefs, your political convictions,
or your participation (or lack
thereof) in the various communities
of which you are a part?
5. The spirit of adventure
encourages us to trust our
intuition.
Ours is a culture that loves plans,
instructions, remedies and
directions. But underneath all of
our best-laid plans and
expectations, despite all the
professional and personal advice
both offered and thrust upon us from
everyone in this and the next area
code, the next step for each of us
is truly unknown and has never been
taken by anyone. Our challenge,
then, is to maintain the spirit of
the singular explorer within each of
us. The best step is always the
freshest step…the one that is taken
at the end of the little that we
know… breathing new air and feeling
new feelings, in reaction to no one,
in wonder at what is always
possible. To know how to choose a
path with heart is to learn how to
follow our own intuition. Logic can
tell us superficially where a path
might lead to, but it cannot judge
whether or not our hearts will be in
it.
The call to adventure compels us to
turn to our own intuitive guidance
rather than rely solely on counsel
and direction from outside
ourselves. Intuitively we know that
the discomfort or confusion we may
feel as we head towards the road as
yet untaken is actually directing us
to take charge of our lives and make
choices that will break us out of
stagnation or complacency. And,
while the popular culture tells us
to measure our success in terms of
our personal comfort and security,
our intuitive guidance encourages to
measure success by how much we have
learned, grown, and evolved as human
beings.
6. The spirit of adventure summons
our creative, artistic nature.
Art flourishes where there is a
sense of adventure. After all, what
is a work of art, a poem, or a
musical composition if not an
adventure of the mind, an
exploration of the spirit, or an
experiment of the expression of
one’s heart? Writer Paul Verlaine
attests to the fact that “Every poet
is a madman, lost in adventure.”
Towards the end of his life Norman
Rockwell shared in an interview that
the secret to so many artists living
so long (like himself) is that every
painting is a new adventure, keeping
life new and exciting. In the same
vein, Nat King Cole once expressed
that his music was the greatest
adventure of his life, the pursuit
of which imbued his life with
purpose and meaning.
As art leads the artist on an
adventure, I believe the spirit of
adventure leads us to treating life
as art. The artist within each of us
is continually called to awaken and
make itself known in the crafting of
our lives, be it on the canvas of a
day, a year, or a lifetime. We often
forget that every day is a creation
– not only for us, but by us.
Viewing our ordinary activities as
part of our creative lives infuses
them with a different kind of power
and energy. The spirit of adventure
invites us to live in accord with
the beautiful assertion from Henry
Miller: “To be a poet of life,
though artists seldom realize it, is
the summum. To breathe out more than
one breathes in.” (The term ‘summum’
meaning summit, apex or zenith.)
7. The spirit of adventure
encourages us to balance our need
for security with the desire to take
risks and expand our comfort zones.
Did you ever notice that when we’re
safe at home we wish we were having
an adventure, and often, while in
the midst of an adventure, we wish
we were safe at home? For though we
often need to be restored to the
small, the concrete, the familiar,
the limited and the certain, we as
often need to be reminded of the
large, the vague, the unlimited and
the unknown. As human beings I think
we have a clear-cut case of a
love/hate relationship going on with
the unknown and the vulnerability it
engenders. We seem to have an inborn
need for self-preservation, for
security, an emergency plan, an
escape route, and a full money-back
guarantee. Then again, part of us
thrives on the buoyant sensation of
anticipation, surprise and
possibility.
Around every bend in life lie new
opportunities, roads as yet untaken.
It is always a time of new
beginnings. Why would we avoid that
which we were designed to embrace?
Vulnerability reminds us that we are
alive and that life is not finished.
Prudence and caution makes us feel
safe and secure, but they don’t make
us feel particularly vibrant or
alive. As one philosopher posed, “If
one is forever cautious, can one
remain a human being?”
Adventure without some kind of risk
is just a trip to Disneyland. (Then
again, depending on the heat, the
crowds, and the conflicting desires
of your children, even a trip to
Disneyland holds adventure.) Taking
risks can engender fear and, for
many, give rise to one’s insecurity
or trepidation. But if we give in to
our fear of the unknown, then we
fear life itself. It’s what often
keeps people in sorry situations.
(As I once heard someone say, “While
heaven might be just around the
corner, we gladly stay in hell
because at least we know the names
of the streets.) The adventurer
within us resists such complacency,
thirsting instead for the thrill of
the unknown.
8. The spirit of adventure opens us
up to the element of surprise and
possibility.
We invest huge amounts of time and
money going to movies and reading
books for the vicarious thrill of
experiencing other’s exciting
adventures. We love the sense of
suspense that comes from not knowing
what’s going to happen next, that
being on the edge, wading knee-deep
in the thrill of mystery. It’s what
we look for in any story worth its
salt.
I think there is a deeper reason
that we seek this sense of delicious
ambiguity beyond that of mere
entertainment. With a brief look
into the history of our species,
isn’t it clear that we are made for
the frontier, bred for the
hinterland? Pioneer blood courses
through our veins. There lives in
each of us an exciting, adventurous
sense of the possible, a yearning to
move forward into the unknown in
order to embrace life in all its
fullness. Life is to grappled and
experimented with. We were designed
for struggle, for puzzlement, and
for bewilderment. We were meant to
be perplexed and mystified because
deep down where our wisdom lives, we
know that what challenges us is also
what grows us.
9. Adventure is the doorway to
discovery and self-knowledge.
The famous psychologist, Herbert A.
Otto asserted that “Change and
growth take place when a person
risks himself and dares to become
involved with experimenting with his
own life. To truly be alive and
growing within our own lives, we
need goals and aspirations that
transcend our current experience.”
We all function at a small fraction
of our capacity to live life fully
in its total meaning of loving,
caring, creating and adventuring.
Consequently, the actualizing of our
potential can become the most
exciting adventure of our lifetime,
requiring of course, the willingness
to break camp with our present sense
of self.
In his celebrated book, The Hero
with a Thousand Faces, Joseph
Campbell suggests that there is a
pattern to classic mythological
storytelling – there is a
hero/heroine who takes a journey,
confronts dragons, and discovers the
treasure of him/herself. He
believed, in fact, that it is only
in adventure that some people
succeed in finding themselves,
knowing themselves, and in
uncovering and owning one’s talents,
abilities and powers. What is
learning, after all, if not the
discovery of something that we have
not yet fully understood? Adventure
is the doorway to such discovery.
The knowledge and wonder of the
world, which includes the knowledge
and wonder of ourselves, can better
be found in the world than in the
solace and comfort of our living
rooms.
In a nutshell, we are either engaged
in the adventure of growth and
change, or we are engaged in the
process of stagnation and
complacency. As Bob Dylan crooned,
“He that is not busy being born, is
busy dying.” May we each possess the
spirit of adventure equal and
appropriate to the call of our work
and to our larger life’s journey -
~
Denise
© Denise Bissonnette, July 2012 (If
not used for commercial purposes,
this article may be reproduced, all
or in part, providing it is credited
to "Denise Bissonnette, Diversity
World - www.diversityworld.com." If
included in a newsletter or other
publication, we would appreciate
receiving a copy.)
