“What I love most about rivers is:
You can’t step in the same river twice
The water’s always changing, always flowing
But people, I guess, can’t live like that
We all must pay a price
To be safe, we lose our chance of ever knowing
What’s around the riverbend
Waiting just around the riverbend…”

This stanza instinctively filled my head as I thought about what it meant to be an adventurer. My youngest daughter’s favorite Disney movie is Pocahontas, and so part of my reaction may be predicated on the fact that I’ve seen (or at least overheard) the movie a thousand times as she watched it. But, the sentiment underpinning the song is even more of a reason:

To be true to herself, Pocahontas must heed the calling of her heart.

“Safe” means watching the river from the river bank, or, at the very least, staying in the boat and riding down the middle of the channel, en route to a known destination.

Growth, rewards and discovery all are benefits of taking the unknown path.

Certainly, lyricist Stephen Schwartz isn’t the only person to make the connection between taking risks and their rewards. Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” is a legendary example of choosing the untrodden versus the worn path:

In terms of adventure, though, my personal favorite is a short, but expansive poem from Walt Whitman. “The Untold Want”:

Through seeing the way when others don’t, an adventurer is a leader by definition. When we have the mindset of being an adventurer, our problems are viewed through the lens of opportunity, not lack.

Leaders are okay with flux. Adventurers know that the map may say one thing, but that the reality may not jibe with what the cartographer charted the year/month/week/day prior with what they find today.

The very nature of being independent dovetails with an adventurous spirit. It requires detaching from the known and operating in the realm of theoretical. The adventurer trusts in his or her own skill and has faith in his or her ability to adapt to whatever the road brings.

If you’ve ever gone hiking or backpacking through a mountain range, you understand the process of accepting risk. An adventurer packs lightly, taking instruments that will help him or her chart the course: a compass, the proper gear for anticipated terrain, water and a few snacks. Being confident in having the essentials, an adventurer is comfortable with the variables which may be encountered striking off through the wilderness.

The reality is that the river rolls past us, regardless of whether or not we step into it. Changing landscapes simply *are.*

As a result, you’ll find yourself farther along the path than if you had stayed on the banks of the river. Are you ready for the adventure?

——-

5 Comments to “Are you an adventurer?”

1. October 31st, 2010 at 4:21 am
   Barbara Ling, Virtual Coach said

   A non-adventurous life, I’ve found, is just a boring life.

   And while that’s great for some folk, it just doesn’t teach either me or my kids the key skills critical for being memorable in one’s passion.

   I gained my karate black belt at age 45, that was adventurous. I chose to build sites differently than everyone else in 2004, that was adventurous (and broke the google code, yay!) even though my family told me, it would never work.

   Adventure rocks!

2. October 31st, 2010 at 5:54 pm
   molly said

   Congratulations to you, Barbara! The only limitations upon our achievements are those we impose upon ourselves.

   To paraphrase, I’m with T Roosevelt: I would rather be in the thick of things as an adventurer than to be those in the stands, experiencing that twilight state of existence of never having risked anything.

   Again, kudos to you for having the confidence and the temerity to be adventurous. My best, M.

3. November 3rd, 2010 at 9:53 am
   Sarah said

   I think the biggest adventure you can have is to get married. No one can tell you how it’s going to turn out and what to look out for.
   bridal shoes

   All anyone can do is to take it one day at a time and love your partner.
   Sarah

4. November 14th, 2010 at 3:01 am
   Are you in control? | Liz Strauss at Successful Blog said

   [...] talked a few times in previous blogposts about the link between independence and the ability to let go. Whether positioned as an ability to deal with flux or operate within the theoretical, an essential [...]

5. February 12th, 2011 at 11:18 am
   Look at it as an Adventure… « Under The LobsterScope said

   [...] Are you an adventurer? (successful-blog.com) [...]