Replace Quantity for Quality

By John Teng

Long gone is the exiting spontaneity when you could pack up the car at a moment’s notice and head to the mountains for a weekend ski trip with the guys. Children have to get to school, your boss needs that project finished over the weekend, your partner has a to-do list for you that’s a mile long, and your calendar is jam packed with events for weeks (maybe even months) in advance. And, if perchance you have a big gap in your own schedule to hit the slopes, your best ski buddy can’t make the trip anyways since his 3rd grade daughter has a dance recital that weekend and his wife is going to kill him if he’s not there.

You do not have to give up on ever experiencing that kind of carefree weekend again. Only now you have to replace quantity with quality. There is no need to spend thousands of dollars or travel far away to have some fun. Here are some easy ways to add adventure into your life without it causing a lot of chaos:

1. Try something new. Find a new hobby, a new passion, or simply try doing something that you never had the guts to do before. And if you still don’t have the guts to do it, do it anyways, because your time on this earth is limited.
2. Find a new way to travel. Take a cruise, wander the countryside by car, or book a train ride across Alaska. Maybe look for new ways to get where you are going and you may discover that the journey might bend up being more satisfying than reaching the destination.
3. Go somewhere familiar, but with a new perspective. Don’t have the time or the money to get away? Explore a familiar place by looking at it as if it were brand new.
4. Do something out of character. Afraid of heights? Take a hot air balloon ride. Scared of the water? Try scuba diving. Step out of your comfort zone and try a new activity.
5. Try a new food. Head to a local restaurant that features cuisine from another country or culture. Try something you never have before. Surprise your taste buds!
6. Enroll in a random class. One of the best ways to get out of a rut and begin to see your life in a whole new way is to try something new. Take a painting class, enroll in an acting class, or learn to cook. Find something different that you would like to experiment with and give it a try!
7. Escape. Sometimes adventure starts with simply unplugging and getting away by yourself. Taking some quiet time alone can help you re-energize and start looking at your life differently. Escaping for a day or a weekend can also help you to see things more clearly, and may give you a few moments of peace that you need to think through an important decision.
8. Take action. If you have been waiting to do something or holding back, then now is the time to give it a try. Maybe you have always dreamed of singing in public. You don’t have to be a professional to go to a local karaoke night club. Simply stepping up and taking actions can help free you from the pressures of your everyday life.
9. Clear your schedule. If your life has become monotonous and boring, it may be because your schedule is so filled with routine matters that you don’t have any time or energy left to try out new things. One of the easiest ways to add some excitement into your life is to clear your schedule of some of the more mundane things that are filling up those calendar pages to give you space to try a new adventures.
10. Plan a dream vacation. Take some time off (a week or two will do), and go on that dream vacation that you have been putting off. At this stage in your life, you should have the vacation time accrued and the money available to spend some time hiking the Rocky Mountains or touring France. Whatever it is that you have been putting off until tomorrow, start planning for it today!

Travel and adventure await! Take the lead and make some plans. Whether you take a weekend away here or there, or you just plan a large scale getaway, take the time to try new things and allow yourself the opportunity to get excited and indulge in some adventure. Everyday hassles won’t be so troublesome if you have some excitement to look forward to!