By Bryce Klingonsmith
“Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.”
In 2013, a movie entitled The Secret Life of Walter Mitty told the all-too-relatable story of a man who had lost touch with his dreams. In his younger years, he had fantasized of a colorful life filled with travel and epic backpacking journeys, but when faced with the death of his father, he was forced to sacrifice his passions to fill the role of provider in his small family. Although he had become an introverted and seemingly unnoteworthy man with a dead-end job, he would frequently get carried away in fantastic yet problematic daydreams where he saw himself living the kind of life he wished he had: that of an adventurer, a hero, and a lover.
Walter Mitty’s life changed when the loss of an important photograph at work presented him with a choice between the safety of giving up or the risk of taking a step into the unknown to try and find it. In spite of his own hesitation and with no guarantees of success, he stepped into the unknown.
Throughout his journey, he would face risks of all sorts: jumping from a helicopter into shark-infested waters, trekking alone across the war-torn highlands of Afghanistan, and losing his job. On top of this, he faced risks of not being able to provide for his aging mother and failing in his developing office romance. Overall, he faced the inherent risk of heartbreak that comes from taking a big chance and being met with disappointment in the end. Although Walter’s story does conclude in a happy ending where he finds the photograph, provides for his mother, and gets the girl, the true resolution comes from one essential development in his character: he stops having daydreams. It was as if to say that Walter’s fantasies and aspirations were abated because, through his change of lifestyle, he no longer needed to dream. He was becoming the person that he wanted to be.
This idea of adventure has been applied in psychology for decades in clinical models of treatment known as wilderness therapy and has gained attention in recent years as a stand-alone topic of research. Fortunately, to live a life of adventure does not necessarily mean jumping from helicopters into shark-infested waters. What we can do to live deliberately and daringly in our day-to-day lives can have the same effect on us. Matt Walker, a psychologist and world-class mountaineer, claims that an adventure-centered life has more to do with our day-to-day actions. “At the core,” he wrote, “adventure is the willingness to commit to an uncertain outcome with an open heart and a willingness to learn and engage. It is the ability to take a leap into the unknown with mindfulness and grace. Framed this way, opportunity for adventure presents itself to us every day” (Walker, 2015). Essentially, to live adventurously is to consciously take chances on ourselves even when it isn’t guaranteed that we will succeed. In his book, Adventure in Everything, Walker (2011) describes the five elements of adventure:
High Endeavor – to make our daily routines of living into an adventure, we must first be ambitious and optimistic about ourselves, our abilities, and what we can do in the world around us. This elevated sense of self-efficacy leads us to set and accomplish loftier goals.
Total Commitment – given the unpredictable nature of adventure, an elevated level of commitment and willingness is required in order to cope with whatever difficulty may come along. It comes down to “confidence and belief in the face of challenge.”
Uncertain Outcome – our daily lives can be made adventurous by not shying away from taking chances on ourselves, in spite of the risk of a negative outcome. Adventurous living leads us to accept adversity and novelty in exchange for the “gift of possibility” in our outcomes.
Tolerance for Adversity – an adventurous person willfully submits themself to undesirable circumstances in hopes for a greater reward. Not only do adventurous people cope with adversity, but they are often able to respond to it with humor, compassion, and hope.
Great Companionship – According to Walker, a key element of adventurous living is the support of loved ones and the company we take with us. Without their help, it becomes much more difficult to live in “commitment, joy, generosity, and gratitude.”
Although characteristics of adventurous people, such as risk-taking, sensation-seeking, and spontaneity, are often used to describe those with drug addictions or impulse control disorders, there is evidence that, when met with the proper balance of self-control, these characteristics can be predictors of wellbeing. Those who participate in risky sports, for example, tend to be more extraverted, more open to experience, less conscientious, and less neurotic (Tok, 2011). It was also seen that those who embark on long, adventurous expeditions generally find personal growth and psychological well-being (Reid, 2020).
The direct benefits of adventurous living are best observed by considering the outcomes of people who participated in adventures as a therapeutic intervention. Although these interventions come in many forms, they all essentially aim to cultivate growth through accomplishment in risky and novel experiences. Participants of all ages experienced significant improvements in the areas of academics, behavior, mental functioning, family development, physical health, self-concept, and social development (Bowen, 2013). Positive effects of adventure therapy have been observed in a variety of other studies, such as an increase in resilience and a strengthened sense of self-efficacy (Ewert & Yoshino, 2011; Hans, 2000).
In summation, adventurous living leads us to cope with adversity, take healthy risks, embrace uncertainty, cultivate optimism for positive outcomes, meet disappointments with resilience, and live every experience with increased openness and vitality while deliberately seeking further experiences. Both those who learn to be more adventurous and those who are naturally adventurous experience greater psychological well-being in various areas. Most importantly, adventurous living can be fostered by anyone, at any time, without extreme measures. The following are practices that may help increase your ability to live life adventurously:
Many of us desire to live a more daring, intentional, adventurous life, but we are held back by fear. One way to address these fears is by writing a fear inventory. Take a piece of paper and in one column, write a list of a few things you would like to do but have not tried. They could be anything from picking up a new hobby to making amends with a loved one to striking up a conversation with the attractive barista at your local coffee shop. Then, for each thing you write down, answer the question: “What would I do if I wasn’t afraid?” For each thing that you would like to do but haven’t tried, write two to three simple steps you could take that would help you to feel more comfortable with accepting the risk of the situation. For example, if you are nervous about going to the gym, a step you could take would be to invite a friend for your first time so you do not have to go alone. Remember, we are not trying to minimize the risk that comes with trying new things or to invalidate our fears; rather, we are mindfully acknowledging the things that hold us back, accepting risk as a part of the process, and taking meaningful action toward trying the new thing.
An important part of living adventurously is to understand the very real possibility of failure, but to accept it and go forward regardless. You can do this by developing a growth mindset instead of a fixed mindset. A person with a fixed mindset interprets their failures and misfortunes internally. To them, when something goes wrong, it had something to do with them as a person. Someone with a growth mindset, on the other hand, views their failures as opportunities for growth. One practice to aid in developing a growth mindset is to cultivate a mindful awareness of your mental dialogue when encountered with failure or the recollection of failure. For example, instead of reacting with self-loathing over a social blunder that you remember from last week, remind yourself that you learned something new in that moment, and, when your chance comes, that you will not repeat the mistake. With consistency, this practice will lead you to take more chances and learn from your mistakes.
There is a wealth of other resources both on this website and elsewhere for practicing adventurous living. For more ideas on how to develop adventurous living, refer to My Best Self 101’s content on optimism, vulnerability, engaged living, resilience, mindfulness, self-efficacy, and goal setting. Since adventurousness is closely related to other well-researched elements of positive psychology, you could benefit by exploring these individual elements and implementing their strategies into your life.
“Adventure isn’t hanging on a rope off the side of a mountain. Adventure is an attitude that we must apply to the day to day obstacles in life.”
References
Bowen, D. J., & Neill, J. T. (2013). A meta-analysis of adventure therapy outcomes and moderators. The Open Psychology Journal, 6. https://doi.org/10.2174/1874350120130802001
Ewert, A., & Yoshino, A. (2011). The influence of short-term adventure-based experiences on levels of resilience. Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, 11(1), 35-50. https://doi.org/10.1080/14729679.2010.532986
Fairhurst, C. [TEDx Talks]. How to make everyday an adventure | Callum Fairhurst TEDxUniversityofEastAnglia [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/2I743kBiXqM
[Great cinematic scenes]. The secret life of Walter Mitty [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyRMV70FIVU
Hans, T. A. (2000). A meta-analysis of the effects of adventure programming on locus of control. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy: On the Cutting Edge of Modern Developments in Psychotherapy, 30(1), 33-60. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1003649031834
Reid, P., & Kampman, H. (2020). Exploring the psychology of extended-period expeditionary adventurers: Going knowingly into the unknown. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2019.101608
Tok, S. (2011). The big five personality traits and risky sport participation. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 39(8), 1105-1112. https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.2011.39.8.1105
Walker, M. (2015). 5 elements of adventure: Authenticity, purpose, inspiration. Sussex Publishers.
Walker, M., & Port, M. (2011). Adventure in everything. Hay House.