How to be Adventurous in Everyday Life

I was going to write this post at least a month ago, then decided to talk about language instead. I want to circle back to this idea though since it covers a lot of my worldview and travel philosophy. The word “adventure” comes up a lot nowadays, especially in the context of entertainment media. But what does it actually mean to be adventurous?

Well, I think the best analogy I have for it comes from something that has had a profound influence on my life: video games. I spent a lot of my childhood enraptured by the possibilities of the interactive worlds and stories video games could offer. The ones that have always stuck with me the most are games like Minecraft, Skyrim, or the many other games that offer in-depth, detailed, nearly infinite exploration and discovery. And to me, that’s exactly what adventure is: discovery and exploration.

I often spend most of my time in these games just exploring my surroundings. While games like Skyrim offer expansive stories that I’ve fallen in love with over the years, I think it’s ultimately the ability to go anywhere and do anything that gets me invested.

How Does this Relate to Real Life?

Most fantasy stories (or science fiction for that matter) involve going on a grand journey across a continent. There’s often exploration of ancient, forgotten ruins and a dragon or great darkness to be slain. We can’t journey to Mordor and defeat Sauron in the real world, though. It’s easy to be adventurous when there’s an epic quest to go on, but we don’t have many of those in the real world.

The closest we can get to this kind of adventure is traveling to a new country and experiencing new cultures (Like I did recently in Belize, exploring and excavating Mayan ruins). This can, unfortunately, get expensive, and isn’t easily achievable for everybody.

I have been playing Skyrim for over 10 years, and I still constantly find myself drawn back to it. Even with the ability to add player-made content to the game, there is always something I find that I didn’t know about.

The same goes for my hometown and its surrounding area, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho (For some fun summer events here in CDA, see this post). I always find new things around me that I didn’t know about: a new hiking trail I hadn’t heard of before, a new restaurant or business popping up, a new campground.

So, it isn’t always necessary to travel in order to be adventurous. Trying new things can help, but there are also ways to revitalize things you’ve done before. Here’s how.

Trying New Things

Within the bounds of your immediate area, there’s always new things to see. Maybe a new business opened up offering some entertaining experience like an escape room or VR lounge, or a new restaurant serving a type of food you like (or one you’ve never tried).

It’s easy to try new things within a category you already know you like, too. I always play new games or read new books. I watch new shows and movies all the time. It’s a rare occasion that I watch a show again or play a game again, because the experience just doesn’t feel new.

I often see people replay the same game over and over. With some games this is easy since they’re built with that in mind, like multiplayer games. Sometimes, though, it helps to just branch out to a new experience, even if you aren’t sure you’ll like it. Try a new genre of book. Watch a new show or movie. Play a new game. Go on a hike. Camp. Get new experiences!

Of course, it isn’t always easy to spend money on things like going to a restaurant or business either. That’s why parks, hikes, and lakes/rivers are amazing. You can get so much out of a single hiking trip. And if you tried hiking and didn’t like it, it could just be the hike you went on. Branch out, try another one. Start with something easy and move on to harder, more complicated stuff when you get used to it.

Revisiting Old Experiences to be Adventurous

Doing the same thing more than once can still be adventurous. Just this past weekend I went to Round Lake State Park in North Idaho with my family. It’s been years since we went camping and Round Lake is a place we frequented when we wanted to camp.

Since our last visit, I’ve graduated high school and college. I’ve traveled to another country, and experienced myriad personal events and changes. Returning to Round Lake felt like a new experience even though I’ve been there countless times. It helps, too, that they’ve improved a lot of the park infrastructure!

A couple weeks before that, I went camping with several friends who haven’t gone camping before. Even if they had, it would still be a new experience since I wasn’t with family. We went to a campsite that I’ve been before, and it still felt entirely new.

How This Helps

The way to make something old feel new is to just do something different with it. Returning to my analogy above, Minecraft and Skyrim will always provide similar experiences if I always approach them the same way. Minecraft randomly generates its world every time, so I won’t ever experience the same world twice, but if I play the game the same way it will always feel like the same world.

I can take Skyrim and modify it with creations from others (mods). They add new things, like weapons, characters, or dungeons, to the world and completely change my experience. My surroundings and encounters will generally be the same, but I can make them feel new by giving myself more options. I don’t even need to add mods if I just find a different way to approach the game, like playing as an axe-wielding warrior instead of a wizard.

The same goes for Minecraft: limitless potential, expanded by mods that enhance or completely change my approach to the game. The core is the same: it’s a game where I can break anything I see and build anything I want, but I’ve added more to the pool of options to make it endlessly fun. Changing the formula is sometimes all you need to be adventurous.

What it Means to Be Adventurous

Humans are beings of exploration and creativity. We crave new things, and routines can make us feel trapped. And yet, most of the time, we continue on these routines. To a certain extent this can be out of our control: work or school schedules can’t just be ignored. When we get home, we might have homework or other work we still need to get done, and then we feel too tired to do anything else.

However, I encourage you: break this cycle. Find a way past it. It doesn’t have to be quitting your job or dropping out of school (and that definitely shouldn’t be your first step).

Maybe when you get home and finish your work, you scroll on TikTok, watch TV, or spend the rest of your day playing video games. Try something for me, though: change one part of this routine. Watch a new genre of show. Play a new game or approach the game differently. (For example, if you normally play a first-person shooter game, try an outrageous strategy that’s fun instead of just the one that will help you win. The outcome might surprise you!) If you watch TV, try a new genre of show. Read a book you’ve been meaning to get to. Take the time to learn something new, like a language.

Trying new hobbies, going somewhere new, and even just doing the things you already do in a different way can all make you more adventurous. Every time you do something new, do something new again. Before you know it, you’ll find all sorts of new hobbies and activities you didn’t think you’d enjoy!

Conclusion: Carpe Diem

I know “seize the day” is a common saying, but it’s true. Whenever I’m traveling I remind myself that people often regret things they didn’t do more than anything else. So when you’re traveling, or someone is offering to bring you on a new experience, remember that idea. You’ll enjoy life so much more when there’s always something new around the corner to see or do. Explore your city, explore other cities, explore your local wilderness. Explore creative endeavors, like fictional worlds and philosophical stories. There’s so much out there to see! Be adventurous!