The fiction characters I mentioned, all stumbled upon the adventure. What I seemed to ignore (except the obvious fact that they all are a figment of someone's imagination) is that some of them actually had no choice.
I mean, these seem like a no-brainer:
- Have little sister killed OR fight to death with 23 other kids?
- Live under the stairs OR go to magic school? (Keep in mind that your growth spurt is just around the corner..)
- Throw a ring into a volcano and save the world OR keep living in the Shire and let Darkness take over? (Gandalf: "I don't get why you hesitate, it's very simple. You just have to carry and deliver, FedEx does it every day. You don't even need to package it!")
On the other hand, in my real-life examples, the adventurers actually chose to leave their comfortable lives and search for adventure. That is actually much harder than it seems.
In my experience when it's time to choose "new and unknown" or "safe and familiar" my autopilot almost always steers me towards home.
- Cut loose in the city OR watch "Game of Thrones" in bed? (Whatever means I won't have to change from my pyjamas)
- Trek in the mountains for 2 days, carrying all my stuff on my back, OR watch "Game of Thrones" in bed? (I'm getting tired just by the thought..)
- Swim with dolphins and watch sharks OR (wait for it) watch Season 2 of "Game of Thrones" in bed? (You crazy? It's the second season FINALE, and I get seasick!)
First, I had to open myself up to the possibility of an adventure, i.e. recognize opportunities for what they are. This meant changing my mindset from "unknown with possible dangers" to "adventure with possible fun". The problem was tricking my mind, cause frankly, it knows I'm full of bull$#!^.
Second, I was scared shitless!
It was a struggle, but I did make a choice.. Ready or not... Prague, here I come!
It was a struggle, but I did make a choice.. Ready or not... Prague, here I come!
What is your autopilot on?
