A Spirit of Adventure
How having a spirit of adventure can help you become an Entrepreneur.
Becoming an entrepreneur can be like pulling teeth without the anesthetic and other times it can be the most rewarding and meaningful experience, but it is all that and the crazy rollercoaster ride in between.
Adventure is not knowing what the outcome will be, understanding the risks but trusting that you can do it. And having a spirit of adventure enhances life’s experiences as you learn to say ‘Yes’ to the unknown adventure and put your best foot forward to discover what is possible.
I am about to take you for a flight on my own experience in my attempt to encourage you on your journey so, hang on!
Years ago I had holidays from my regular job as an international flight attendant and I wanted to do what I would normally do on my holidays and ride a motorbike across another continent. But this time I decided to stay home and do something that would totally challenge my soul completely. I could feel I needed a good hard challenge to prove to myself that I am capable of doing whatever I set my mind to. So, sticking with my passion for flying I chose to learn to fly a plane and get my fixed-wing pilot licence.
At the time I was 43 years old and like I said I could feel a big shift about to happen in my life but I was unsure what it looked like. So I challenged my self to a duel.
I remember distinctly saying to my self “if I could trust myself to take off and land a plane I can do anything” and that was the catalyst to my next big adventure. But to even conceive this I needed to have a spirit of adventure. And the curiosity to see if it was possible.
It was like my basic military training but for becoming an entrepreneur. To take command of my life and be the pilot in command. Navigating the change, each day adjusting my mind through the thoughts of fear and doubt consistently having to trust that I could achieve it, no matter how scary it seemed.
You see I was a terrible student at school and I believed that being a pilot was only for smart people. I always had a passion for flying, it was in my blood however I believed that I could never fly a plane so I became a flight attendant instead.
What are your limiting beliefs?
This might be as simple as thinking you can’t swim or you can’t have a full-time relationship because it hurt before and you don’t want to do that again.
Limiting beliefs are something that you create from your experience. You take on beliefs from a suggestion that other people who judge you. You take it on subconsciously and consciously. It is created by us, so it can be recreated in a different form by us and deleted by us. We have the power to change it. What are your repeatedly saying to people that is a limiting decision?
It is up to us to prove ourself wrong if it stops you from experiencing life to it’s fullest adventures. It is up to you to reframe it and to use the power of repetition until it becomes natural.
Yes, I did learn to fly a plane and yes I did get my pilot licence and then I promptly left my job as a flight attendant.
Why? Because that was the proof point, I needed to change my life and start a business as I had wanted for so long.
However, it is not the way that I would recommend you do it, just up and leaving your job, please make sure you plan that part. But it did put the pressure on and I had to make a living on my own. Which made me run harder. A little pressure helps sometimes.
My point is to always challenge your beliefs. If you hear yourself saying something that you “can’t” do then ask your self this;
According to you who? And is that true?
As you may or may not know today I am a digital nomad, and I chose to live exploring the world and make the world my home. I experience change each day on so many levels. New people, new places, new experiences, new challenges of connectivity. My experience is what I believe gives me more freedom and is how I decided to live and experience the world around me.
The world is my home and my base is where my heart is most happy, with the people I love.
Where I am most happy is in the outdoors and in nature. From the small town of Monto QLD’s outback, working on my Microsoft Surface Pro on the back of my 4 wheel drive tailgate with the dog at my feet. As the raven ‘caw’ and birds ‘chirping’ in the background to sitting at the base of the Bulgarian Alps where I am today with the sun beating down on me with the air crisp and cold.
My life experience was different before I made the change and left my job all that time ago and now with all the startups, I have had the pleasure to work with I have more information than I did back then and the experience has changed me and experience enhances my life each moment.
“Let us step into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure’ JK Rowling, Harry Potter and the half”-Blood Prince
Depending on how you have experienced life yourself to date, you may or may not have an experience that you can relate to, that is like mine. What I am describing here is how I have designed my life this way purposely.
It might even make your head tilt and say “huh, you what?” Why would you do that? And think to yourself “I couldn’t do that”. And yes you could if you had the inkling or desire. And that is Ok. In fact, it is perfect! Because you see, my experience is not your experience and you will only allow yourself to conceive something you find familiar to you.
What I Have Learnt On My travels So Far
As I travel and meet people, I am always asked “where are you from and where are we going?” What they really want to know is “Why are you here?” and ultimately “how will this affect me?” It is a natural survival skill we pull away when we don’t understand something.
Amelia Earheart is my heroine and in the 1940’s she attempted an around the world flight, having crashed the plane on takeoff and being embarrassed she got back in the pilot seat and tried again with the entire world watching her. She knew the risk but she believed you she could do it and the pull of curiosity and the opportunity to do it was too much to say no. She died doing what she loved and she always knew that her spirit of adventure would carry her far and wide.
“Adventure is worth while in itself”- Amelia Earheart Aviatrix and World Adventurer
How Does A Spirit of Adventure Help Entrepreneurs?
Entrepreneurs are problem solvers they love to find something that is not working and create something greater for a better future. Sure they get it wrong sometimes as did Henry Ford felt while trying to simply solve a problem of the Horseless Cart for his father to have a an easier life as a farmer. In the end, he hated the factories he had created and he hated how people showed him how they would use his innovation, he was appalled at how people wanted more than just a model T Ford and in different colours. But he loved the outdoors, he loved adventure and he surrounded himself with great innovators and adventurous entrepreneurs. It was his spirit of adventure that allowed him to go far, to race his own car that he had never driven so fast before and trusted he could win the race and he did.
On my journey, through this divine life I have been given, I have experienced so many great adventures, from living in the outback on Aboriginal missions to living in the desert in a five-star hotel and flying with Royalty and the craziness that comes in between. Fortunately for me, I have been very blessed with a ‘spirit of adventure’ (which we all have inside us depending on if we let it out to play) enables me to do what I do the way I do it. I am just exploring life my way. Of course, it is not without its challenges, like learning the art of telling my story in a way that it will give value, and encourage you on your own journey, with the knowledge you are not alone anything is possible. My parents bought me up in the Northern Territory and as a child, I was fortunate to experience life in the outback.
“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experiences.”- Eleanor Roosevelt
What is your life journey and how has it changed through significant life events?
Understanding Your Personality Type
Something that I wished I had when I was a kid was this app, that helps you understand your personality and those around you and know that it ok to be you. Begin with understanding who you are and can help you to identify and find out who’s who in the zoo. This was a game-changer and for me. It helped me accept myself for who I am, in fact, accept and understand the whole zoo. furthermore that we play roles in our life to suit the circumstances, so the question is; “how long have you played that role for?” And “is it still relevant to who you are today?”
Finally well, there is never it’s never really final it just learning. I hope this story gives you the inspiration to give yourself permission to take on the next great adventure, and I know “not everyone wants to talk about motorbikes and aeroplanes” as I said to my father once and now I have to eat my words! I still don’t understand why you would want to just talk about motorbikes and aeroplaneses!
If you are thinking of leaving your employment to do a startup or start a business then I have a career transition coaching course that can help you get your mindset ready to create the strategy to map across to your new adventure. Adventure on my friends!
