Adventure is Not Outside Man; It Is Within

“Adventure is not outside man; it is within”

This is a quote by George Elliot that perfectly sums up how I feel.

My husband and I were on the phone the other day with a friend who is off exploring on his sailboat for a few months.  He’s a really colorful guy with a great sense of humor and he shared some stories with us from his trip.  Happily, he said, “I never know what’s around the corner”, expressing a sense of adventure.  I get that.

Even though we’re not taking off sailing for several months, I feel a sense of adventure.  My adventure is finally leaving my career to pursue something I want to create.

Leaving my career was a good decision for me.

Finally, I chose to walk away from the corporate paycheck and the seductive benefits.  However, my medical benefits are now terrible and I only made $100 this year from my new more meaningful work.  Fortunately, I’m healthy and require no medical treatments and that $100 was the most exciting money I ever made. That’s because I’m creating what I really and truly enjoy.   I called our CPA and excitedly told her, “I made $100, what do I do?!” and then I opened a new checking account for my windfall.  I feel terrific because now I do what I love.

We’re in the same age group as our friend and we also own a sailboat.  Many people in our age group that have sailboats, take off for parts unknown, usually South.   I’m genuinely happy for them because they’re doing what they love.  That also goes for friends that want to keep working, because they still enjoy their work.  Or for the first time, some of them are pursuing their own ideas for more fulfilling work.

After many years of following the ways of so many others, I know I don’t have to follow or share the same dream as our friends.

I don’t necessarily have the same outlook on earning money, what fulfilling work or retirement should look like.  I have my own ideas and experiences around what adventure and fulfillment looks like to me.

I’m following my passion, not someone else’s.

Adventure is not outside man; it is withinIncredibly hair frizzing, massively humid summers aside, we’re staying right here.  As we usually do, we’ll anchor our little sailboat in remote places, watch the stars, cook, sleep, and explore for days at a time, many times a summer.  Other than the humidity we don’t feel the call to leave.  I love the seasons.  My experience is that winters are awesome, great for nesting, and we get to enjoy our fireplace.

Adventure is not outside man; it is withinI wouldn’t trade this part of my life for anything.

And I’m becoming less concerned about what anyone thinks about how I’m choosing to spend my time.  One or both of us (depending on whose idea or dream we’re talking about) might try our hand at making furniture and see if that’s as enjoyable and creative as we think it might be.  There’s painting, writing, delivering talks, inspiring kids to be themselves, hosting house concerts, having our home be a canvas for our creativity, growing a small vegetable garden, supporting others to positively impact their own lives, their community, and even the world.

Though acting on ideas and dreams can be a bit disconcerting as they stretch me.

Sometimes it’s too much.  I don’t feel ready and I stop myself from moving forward.  But when I feel I can take another step, I take it.  It’s exciting because I don’t know what the next step, after the next step is.

This is why George Elliot’s quote means so much to me.  I’m learning first-hand that adventure is not outside me; it’s within.

Adventure is not outside man; it is within.

How does “within” show up for me?  For example, all the life changes I’ve experienced as a result of considering my self-beliefs and self-transforming those beliefs.  More exciting than getting on an airplane or sailboat for parts unknown.  It’s resulting in beneficial shifts in my life that I made on the inside and some are seen on the outside.  An example of inside shifts that illustrate what you see, are leaving an unfulfilling career, marrying even though it was never something I could imagine doing, creating a home that includes being with nature.

What one can’t see is how I experience life now, and others and the world.  I don’t get too far down the rabbit hole of hopelessness before I see the bigger picture.  It’s inside.  The outside wrapping and gifts are lovely to experience.  However, it’s the inside gifts that are often pushed aside but ultimately what’s within is the most precious adventure I’m on.

One more quote!  Roberto Assagioli said (I have no idea who he is, but I like his quote), “There is no certainty; there is only adventure.”

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