Adventure Revolution

Have you ever wondered why people like to put themselves through misery in the name of adventure, yourself included?

Belinda Kirk, the author, British Explorer and entrepreneur, explains it all in this book with the theory about Type 1 and Type 2 fun as well as many human stories of expeditions and the positive transformations that can take place on adventures.

This was one of the books from the Adventurous Ink book club. I’m a little behind! I could pause but the books are always so captivating and my FOMO kicks in. Luckily all the discussions are recorded and uploaded to YouTube so I can catch up in my own time. It really is the perfect book club for me.

I love how this book is realistic in the fact we can’t all take off on month long expeditions. Even multiday adventures need quite a bit of planning when you have other commitments. She encourages you to embrace adventure around the day job. I always try to plan short hikes around my work day, like a mental health walk, I like to get some time in nature exploring. Now thanks to the book I have some new ideas about how to make this even more rewarding, like trying new routes or new methods of travel.

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives”
Annie Dillard, author

I have found that walks can be completely different when you change the time of day or the season. I love learning new things and while I’m not sure about trying bush craft, I do want to learn more about the different types of birds and wildlife I see. I’d love to be able to name different types of flowers and trees too.

I think my favourite part of the book is now being able to articulate what makes adventure fun for me, even when it’s hard. My husband is not into it and he has made comments before like “why would I want to do that to myself”. Now I can tell him that it falls under Type 2 fun. The kind that kicks in after you’ve got yourself through whatever predicament you found yourself in by problem solving and discovering resilience and flow within yourself. I think he will probably understand too because I’m sure that’s why he likes his high-pressure job in live events which takes him around the world in all sorts of uncomfortable but invigorating situations.

“A powerful reminder that adventure truly is a state of mind”
Bear Grylls

It’s why I loved my Kilimanjaro hike but also felt the training hikes I did were more transformative for me because of the adverse conditions I overcame and helped me grow more confident in my own abilities. I should probably write a separate post all about that…

While it’s really best if you can start adventuring early in childhood because it can completely alter the structure of your brain, it’s never too late to start. Start small and help start the adventure revolution by bringing a friend along for the journey too. I’m starting this weekend!