Life to you is a dashing and bold adventure".

While I certainly believe that in a big-picture way, there's a reason I have it on my mirror.

It's one thing to think this way while you're off viewing wildlife in the rainforest, or exploring ancient Greek ruins.  But what about the rest of life? What about the dull days spent toiling away at the office, or even (heaven forbid!) doing the accounting?  What about the difficult days, when disappointments arise, problems loom large, and tears well up?  Are those days part of the adventure, too?

This looks like a fun adventure!

Adventure
"1. A risky undertaking of unknown outcome. 2. An exciting or unexpected event or course of events." ~ Collins English Dictionary

Adventure and the dull days

Adventures don't have to be dangerous, physically challenging, or geographically distant.  You don't have to follow in the footsteps of Indiana Jones, searching for long-lost treasure, while evading jungle natives and outwitting German spies.

Walking around the block can be an adventure, when you first arrive in Hong Kong, you're jostling through the crowds, absorbing all the strange and fascinating sights and sounds, and you don't know what's around every corner.  Walking to the mailbox the same way you do every day - not so much.

But even then, are there ways you could add adventure to it (aside from darting between the cars on a busy street)? Perhaps set a goal to discover one new thing on the way every day, or take a daily photograph, and create a photo montage for the month.  A cloudy sky, reflections in a puddle, or recording a flower as it blooms and fades - there's beauty everywhere, if we take a moment to look for it. Discovering something new every day would bring lots of unexpected things, and the challenge and creativity would add a lot more fun and excitement.

Adventure and the difficult days

Problems are part of adventures, too. They go with the territory. After all, you don't get to the top of Mt. Everest without enduring plenty of difficulty and hardship on the way up. Even Indiana Jones got beaten up, captured, and thrown in a pit with a thousand snakes. That's the risky part of adventure.

Hmm, temple of doom....

In terms of travel, I've always found that the worst experiences at the time can make the best stories later. If you're going to laugh a year from now about the time you spent 2 days sleeping at the airport, or your bus broke down in the middle of nowhere, why not take it in stride, and laugh about it right away?

But it's a big step from there to viewing challenges and hardships in our "normal life" as part of the adventure. When you're in the middle of the snake pit, it's scary, and it's not where you want to be. It's hard to step back from there to see the larger view, where this is one of the ups and downs that make life exciting. (I'm not speaking of real tragedies here, but the many types of obstacles we have to overcome.)

It's difficult to get that perspective, even though we know that in the long run, the hard times are just part of life. They build ability and confidence, as you know that you've made it through another trial.  The next time you're in trouble, you can think "I can do this - it's nothing compared to the snake pit." They make the good times that much sweeter, as you suddenly appreciate any day without snakes. And sometimes they make great stories later, too!

Attitude is the only difference between an ordeal and an adventure." ~ Larry Hazan

So this year, my goal is to keep that adventurous outlook, regardless of what's happening.  I intend to have adventures afield, adventures close to home, and even adventures on days when I have to do accounting. And when I hit a difficult patch, I'll do my best to picture it as a yawning chasm or a pool of quicksand - all just part of the adventure!

What do you think? Do you see life as an adventure, or would you like to?  There's nothing required except an adventurous spirit.  I'll keep you posted on how it goes - I foresee one awesome, rocking year ahead!

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For 2011, my resolution is to explore the concept of adventure.  I'm not spending the year trekking unexplored mountain passes, but wherever I am, and whatever I'm doing, I'll be looking for the adventure in it.  Can every day be adventurous, even the dull and difficult ones?  That's what I aim to find out, in the Year of Living Adventurously!
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Related posts:

1. About Us - Adventure is the spice of life
2. The first post - Philosophy of adventure
3. Wilde about the senses

Wait - back up... It's not good to start a blog post with a lie, is it?

I DO know why birthdays evoke such a mix of emotions. First off, phrases like "getting older" - well, let's just say I live in a world of denial where this doesn't exist. Then there's the annual question - "another year, and what have I accomplished?" No matter what I've done, it's never as much as I could have or should have. And finally, there's the loss of something irreplaceable - one year of a finite life is gone forever.

On the plus side, I'm always happy for any reason to celebrate!! It's just that this particular party comes with a bunch of baggage.

Birthday wishes and wisdom

Fortunately, we now have Facebook! Getting birthday wishes from boatloads of Facebook friends around the world, and replying to each one, inspires new feelings of gratitude.

It reminds me of all the friends I've made over the years, the places, the adventures, and all the fun times I've shared with people.  Though I prefer counting my birthdays backwards, it reminds me that I really wouldn't give up a single one of those years.  (Days and weeks, definitely, just not years!)

And nestled in this deluge of birthday greetings were a few nuggets of wisdom, that are good to remember not only on a birthday, but throughout the year, too.

May you blow out all the candles and may all your dreams and wishes come true! - To me, this is a reminder to never let your dreams fade away.  They'll only come true if you keep them bright, refer to them often, and remember them when the candles are in front of you.

Once more around the sun. Well done! Hope today is awesome and sets the minimum bar for every day going forward. - Do I have a bar for days going forward, or do I just let day after day pass on by?  If I want more awesome days, it's up to me to make it happen!

Have a great birthday, oh all-powerful wench! - What a great reminder that we're not just helpless victims.  We really are powerful, and we create our own reality!

How time flies....seems like it was just last year you had one of these. If you were here I would have let you celebrate by shoveling snow!! - Now this is a reminder to be grateful for things we don't have, as well as those we do.  Not shoveling snow is now on my gratitude list!

You worked hard all year long to get here, so go out and make some great memories. - It's true - we do work hard all year to get to wherever we are.  This goes with the "powerful" part above - we create our own realities.  Everything I've done so far has gotten me to this point.  And if this point next year is going to be different (with a bunch more happy memories along the way), who's going to make it happen?

Dance, laugh, mainly pamper yourself. Cheers! -  Why wait for a birthday?  We could be nice to ourselves every day.  I don't mean daily facials (though that would be nice!) - but why not dance more, laugh often, and do a little pampering frequently?  How hard would that be, and wouldn't life be happier for it?

Enough philosophizing for now...  I've got some dancing to do! 

Don't wish it was easier; wish you were better. Don't wish for less problems; wish for more skills. Don't wish for less challenges; wish for more wisdom."

~ Jim Rohn

What will you wish for?

When times are tough, it's natural to wish they were easier.  Whether you're sending out countless resumes, dealing with a problematic relationship, facing business challenges, or struggling to pay the bills, it's easy to just wish those problems would go away, right?  Problems be gone!

Those wishes are natural.  But useful?  Not so much!

On the other hand, if you flip it around, and wish you were better, stronger, and more capable - that gives you something you can work with.  You can actually develop your skills, educate your mind, and build your strength.  Improving yourself in this way can help you get through the current set of problems, and also improve your ability to deal with other things after that.

Here are a few positive outcomes we can gain from our challenges:

Expand knowledge and learn practical skills. A friend of mine was laid off with hundreds of other high-tech professionals, when her company decided to outsource their IT.  She's using this time to take an intensive series of courses to get certified in a specific niche skill set.  It's hard to dedicate the time to this when you're working full time, so this is an ideal opportunity in that respect.  It also puts her in a stronger position in the job hunt, and is likely to provide long-term career benefits.

Develop new perspectives, lateral thinking, and creative solutions. When our standard approach isn't working, it forces us to search for alternatives.  This can lead to new perspectives and imaginative approaches we would never have thought of otherwise. An example I love is from Rory Sutherland's presentation at TED.  A group of engineers were given the task of improving the rail service between London and Paris. Their solution involved replacing all the tracks and shortening the trip by 40 minutes, for a cost of $6 billion. As Rory says, what an unimaginative solution!  For less than that cost, you could hire the world's top male and female supermodels to walk slowly through the train, serving everyone free champagne for the duration of the journey.  Happy customers, who wish their ride would last longer.

Continual growth. Challenges force us to grow and change, while a lack of challenges doesn't. If everything is peachy keen, we can get lazy, assuming that things will continue to run along fine the way they are.  How much progress would we make in our lives if we never had problems?  How much would we learn if everything we tried worked perfectly the first time?

Intangibles. Dealing with problems can teach us resiliency, flexibility, adaptability, self-reliance, and equanimity. The normal ways of dealing with things may not work any more, and trying to rigidly stick to the way we've always done things is not going to get us where we need to go. When you have to adapt, you do.

Confidence. It may seem odd that problems breed confidence, but it can work that way. Overcoming challenges gives us confidence that we will be able to overcome other challenges in the future.  The next time a similar situation occurs, we see it from a different perspective - "I've dealt with things like this before".  We know that we will get through this, we will survive, we will grow and learn from it, and we will be be happier and wiser in the future.

Viewed like this, we can be grateful for the problems that come our way.  Or if not really grateful, at least we can recognize the silver lining. We can use these challenges to develop our own strengths and abilities.  We can gain a long-term benefit from a short-term problem.

So don't wish for less challenges; wish for more wisdom.

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I'm currently working on our high-level business strategy for Adventurous Wench, and as I'm sure everyone knows, our current economic environment has plenty of challenges!  And thank goodness for that! 
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Related posts:

1. Brains in your head, Feet in your shoes
2. Challenges are gifts that force us to search

All that is necessary to break the spell of inertia and frustration is this: Act as if it were impossible to fail. That is the talisman, the formula, the command of right-about-face which turns us from failure towards success."
~ Dorothea Brande

Failure is impossible!

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If only it were so easy, right? If all we had to do was "act as if", then why would anybody still be stuck in that state of inertia and frustration? Why wouldn't we all be exulting in abundance and joy? A simple look around shows that's certainly not true!

Yet, something so simple and paradoxical really does have power behind it.

"Acting as if" means putting all our efforts into this focused direction, without holding back, and continually thinking "maybe this really won't work", or "maybe I'd better not", or "what if I can't do it?". How much mental effort is normally wasted worrying about things that never do go wrong, and visualizing worst case scenarios? If you can focus your mental state forwards instead of circling in endless worries, you can make progress a lot more easily.

"Acting as if" means trusting that solutions to issues will appear, and that you will figure out how to make things work, even if you don't know all the details yet. This helps avoid the "analysis paralysis" syndrome, where you spend so much time trying to analyze every possible problem up front, that you never move on to getting things done. If you wait for all the answers first, you'll never go anywhere.

"Acting as if" means heading in your chosen direction, confident this is the path to the success you want. It's not about going a few steps down this path, then deciding "no, maybe I would be better off going that way instead", then later still "probably safest to go back the way I came and start over". This leads to starting down many paths, but never getting far on any of them! If you act as if, you can continue down a path long enough to see the results.

"Acting as if" means visualizing the success of our venture, visualizing the good things that can come from it, and getting that feeling into our bones through the process of acting. It helps us to achieve that winning mindset, seeing ourselves as successful, rather than losers. That helps develop confidence, which in turn can help us develop real results. Confidence leads to better results, leads to more confidence. It's an upward cycle, and you can jump start it with a little acting.

"Acting as if" means taking risks, as you would if you knew it was impossible to fail. Every undertaking requires risks of certain sorts -- whether it's financial risk, risk of trying something new, risk of being different than your friends, risk of looking foolish, etc. If you're afraid to take the necessary risks, then you're afraid to move forward. Act as if it's impossible to fail, and you take those risks, and get on the way.

"Acting as if" means pursuing your dreams instead of settling for normal, realistic, or status quo. It means that you get out there and go after what you want. Don't let anybody - family, friends, experts, or even your own negative thoughts, tell you that what you want is impossible. Of course it is if you never get started! But if you "act as if", and start moving down that road... Well, that's the way to get there!

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People often ask me how I started Adventurous Wench, or how I got to be so lucky to have a job that lets me travel all over, meeting people and doing cool things. It all starts with an idea, and then you have to turn the idea into reality. There's a definite leap of faith -- that critical period at the beginning, where you have to start "acting as if".
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Related posts:

1. The number of times I fail?
2. The man who never makes mistakes
3. The notion that we must be regular

You will never 'find' time for anything. If you want time, you must make it."
~ Charles Bruxton

Pickles and wine - yes. Time - no luck.

I took a Harv Eker seminar a few years ago, and it was excellent.  He covered a lot of ground in a 3-day session, and one of the concepts that really struck a chord with me is that we each have our own favorite thoughts/excuses that we use all the time.  Mine is "I just don't have enough time".

This thought must run through my head a zillion times a day, and I use it as a reason (excuse) to avoid many things.  Writing articles, exercising, going to Toastmasters, remembering people's birthdays, sending out press releases, eating healthy, updating the database, ironing, and many more!

As excuses go, this is a pretty good one.  It's highly versatile, and can be applied to almost anything. It involves a universal concept that everyone can relate to.  I've got a great story to go with it, so it's very convincing (to myself and others)!

Lost time is never found again

But as the quote says, we will NEVER find time for anything!  That means using this as a universal excuse is a huge limitation.  Once you get into the habit of the "time excuse", it's so easy to keep ruling things out, instead of finding a way to get them done.

Bruxton is right.  Instead of finding time, we have to make time, and that's all a matter of priorities and efficiencies.  Removing useless time suckers, delegating what we can, and deciding what the big things are that we are going to make time for, no matter what.

One thing that drove this home was discovering Obama's regular exercise schedule.  If he finds time to work out every day, how on earth can I say I don't have time to?  It sounds pretty lame in that context, doesn't it?

So now I can't say that.  The standard excuse just doesn't work like it used to, and I've got to acknowledge the real truth.  Either I do it, or I choose not to.  Either I make the time for it, or I don't.  It's not up to the giant time god, it's up to me!

Do you have a standard excuse that you use regularly?  Is it serving you, or limiting you?  Is there a better way of looking at things?

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There are so many things in life that we tend to put off -- just "don't have the time now".  Maybe next week / month / year / decade.  Are there things you've been putting off way too long?  Remember -- you'll never find the time, you have to make it.
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Related posts:

1. Never forget: This very moment we can change
2. Polyphasic sleep = More hours in your day
3. That's when the joy happens

The future is not a result of choices among alternative paths offered by the present, but a place that is created - created first in the mind and will, created next in activity. The future is not some place we are going to, but one we are creating. The paths are not to be found, but made, and the activity of making them, changes both the maker and the destination."
~ Deborah James

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This is a powerful viewpoint.

Understanding that we are creating our own future - moment by moment, step by step, with everything that we do, means that we have power over that future. We have the power to mold it and shape it.   How it turns out will be a result of our own thoughts and actions.  How powerful is that? 

What are you creating?

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If you've got a lump of clay, what will you make with it? A fruit bowl? Sculpture? Ashtray? The possibilities are endless, just as they are with creating our own lives. Whatever you decide, you are creating something - first in the mind, then in reality. Even if your decision is to leave the lump of clay sitting there untouched until it dries and cracks -- well, that's creating something too.

Of course there are always things that happen that are outside our control, both good and bad.  Whether it's a chance encounter, or a car accident, or a company layoff, or winning the lottery - these things come into our lives, and we have to determine what to do with them.  We can't control the fact that they happened.  But we can control our response - how we view them, and what we choose to do with them.  It's hard to see the opportunity, or silver lining, in everything that happens in our lives, though some people are remarkably adept at it.

The ingredients await

Imagine a chef competition.  You're given certain ingredients, and tools, and constraints, and then it's up to you to decide what you're going to make with it.  Maybe you'd rather have lobster, but you got okra. Are you going to make Fried okra? Pickled okra? Bayou gumbo?  How about Spicy african-style okra?  Even with okra, you've got endless options.

You start with the situation and assets you've got. Then apply imagination to see the possibilities, then some thought to figure out the details, then the actions to make the final product. It all applies in life just as it does in cooking.

So think about your own life -- right now, where you are, doing what you're doing.  This is the "future" you created in the past, with all the materials you've been given so far.  Is it what you thought you were building?  What you wanted to make?

Now where do you want to go from here?

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One thing I've been creating recently is our new Women's Travel Store.  People always ask us about what they should take on their trips.  Now we're going to make it easier than ever to get just the right travel clothing and travel accessories that you need.
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The author received no contribution from the Okra Marketing Board, and this post is not an endorsement for any particular okra recipe, especially pickled okra.
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Related posts:

1. Never forget: This very moment we can change
2. Action is a great restorer
3. Brains in your head, Feet in your shoes

The only man who never makes mistakes is the man who never does anything."
~ Theodore Roosevelt

So true!  You can't be free from mistakes if you ever attempt anything new or express an original thought.  And the more new things you try, the more mistakes you're bound to make.  It goes with the territory.
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Mistakes, mistakes, mistakes...

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Entrepreneurs must be action-oriented risk takers, since that's what starting a business is.  So for all the perfectionist entrepreneurs out there, our variation on it is "...the man who never finishes anything!"

It's the story of perfectionism. You want every little thing to be perfect before you actually publish your masterpiece to the world, or even click Send on an e-mail to your sister.

Writing articles, marketing materials or blog posts becomes a lengthy effort to find a better word here, phrase it a bit tighter there, etc.  Web page updates turn into hours of moving a button 2 pixels to the right, changing a header to a slightly darker shade of blue, etc.

(Notice that I left the above sentences ending with "etc." How vague, lazy and imprecise.  Progress!  Yes, I'm now showing off at being imperfect.)

All this perfectionist striving means you feel good about the end product, at least if you dedicated enough time to get to that point. But that's the rub. It takes a long time to go through that process. That's time that could be better spent addressing BIG items elsewhere. You're trading time on the big important issues for time moving that button.

Why? Two reasons come to mind.

. . . (a) The idea that anything short of perfect is not good enough.

. . . (b) Little details are a lot easier! Sure, I could spend hours tweaking that photo, to get the size, colors and frame just right, but it's a task that I know I can handle.  On the other hand, "revise business plan to maximize success in a recession" -- well, that's a lot more uncertain.

A few years ago, a friend told me that perfectionism was a problem to be overcome. This caught me off guard, since I'd always thought that doing the best possible job on everything was a good thing!

Now I can clearly see the problem.  On the other hand, I lose respect for people or businesses who do things in a sloppy way, and I know I'm not the only one.  What's the answer?

Is it possible to  have perfectionism in moderation?  Or is that just an oxymoron?

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I've been away from posting for some time (sorry!) due to having too many projects going on.  Of course, I don't want to share any of them until they're finally perfect, but since I am making progress on this front, you can expect to see some mistakes soon!
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Related posts:

1. Brains in your head, Feet in your shoes
2. Is not life a hundred times too short. . .
3. That's when the joy happens

Joy is what happens when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are."
~ Marianne Williamson

It's a wonderful life

And how often do we do that?  Stop worrying about the future, and think about how good things really are, right now?  Stop focusing on our problems and what we don't have, and think about the wonderful things we do have?  I'm betting that for most of us, it's not too often.

We spend a lot of our lives working at one thing or another -- job, school, cooking, child care, cleaning up after Christmas diner, etc.  And working by its nature is usually forward-focused.  You spend your time working because of something you want to happen in the future, not because it's so inherently enjoyable right this minute.

There are people who love every working day, and leap out of bed each morning eager to face the new challenges the day will hold.  I've always envied those people!  I love my job, but I still keep hitting the snooze button, wishing the alarm clock would just shut up and leave me alone.

But for all of us, there are times when this present-tense realization happens, and that's when we find the joy.

Sometimes you can fully focus on a task at hand, and get "in the flow".  You're totally engaged in the present moment, not worrying about future results or what's happening elsewhere.  You've probably had this experience, and know how productive it can be, and how good it feels!

Sometimes it's on vacation, out in nature.  Hiking through the mountains, you sit down for a break at a beautiful spot looking out over a lake.  No thoughts of work, politics, or the economy.  Instead, you just  think about how beautiful it is, and how glad you are to be there.

Maybe tonight the cooking will be joyful in the present moment, as well as doing it for the later results.  That's especially true at Christmas, where there are family members standing around the kitchen, chatting and enjoying each other's company, while the cooking is in progress.

Today, I'm too focused on the the future to get a good flow going on work.  Christmas Eve dinner is tonight, and that (future) dinner is calling me more than this (present) blog post.  In fact, I can hardly wait to get into the kitchen and start cooking, and it's a rare day when I say that! 

As we wind down the work day today, it's time to stop the rushing and bustling and running around.  Stop the worrying for a bit, and reflect on just how good things really are.  That's when the joy happens.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everybody!

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Related posts:

1. Reflect upon your present blessings
2. Break the spell of inertia and frustration
3. The future is a place that is created

Don't be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the year as you make use of. One man gets only a week's value out of a year, while another man gets a full year's value out of a week."
~ Charles Richard

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Uh oh.  Another week is nearing an end, and I haven't gotten nearly as many things done as I hoped.  The lists keep multiplying and growing longer.  In fact, I haven't even finished the task of adding all my new items to the to-do lists!

That's a sorry state of affairs that reflects the problem with my GTD system.  I'm great at capturing ideas and to-do's and getting them into the In Box.  And there they pile up into a daunting stack.  Anybody else have this problem with Getting Things Done?

According to the official site What is GTD, "Implementing GTD alleviates the feeling of overwhelm, instills confidence, and releases a flood of creative energy."  I can tell I'm not doing this right.  Flood of creative energy - check.  Feeling of overwhelm alleviated?  Nope!

On the creative energy front, I have zillions of ideas.  Every day, as I read, listen, watch, and talk, I get more and more ideas.  "Hey, that's cool - we could do something like that..."  Wonderful!  Capture that idea, and get it into the In Box, and from there into the rest of the system.  I've got thousands of ideas documented now, available for review whenever I want.  It's overwhelming though to know that out of those thousands of ideas, I'll only be able to implement a small number.   The rest will sit there in my system until they just evaporate -- ideas that came out of nowhere, and returned to nowhere.  Some ideas turn into reality, some are passed on to others.   The rest just vanish.

On a bigger scale, the entire year is nearing an end.  Yikes!  How can it be nearly over already?  We do get an extra second this year, but I could use a few more months, instead.

However, as the quotation reminds us, it's all in how well you use your time.  If I spend this evening reading the latest economic news (with appropriate wailing and gnashing of teeth), then not a lot gets done!  It really doesn't contribute anything - either to helping the business, helping my well-being, or helping anyone else.  It's unproductive and depressing, yet remarkably compelling.  Right now, we're watching history unfold around us.  Of course, I suppose that's true all the time, but it's a lot more dramatic history some days than others!

OK, enough rambling philosophy for one day.  I'd love to get a year's value out of the next week.  Or how about a week's worth out of the rest of the night?

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On a totally different topic, we just announced a special deal on our Costa Rica wildlife tour.  Book your trip by Jan 15, and get a free hotel night in Costa Rica the night before the trip!
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Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has many - not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some."
~ Charles Dickens

I'm pretty sure the same thing applies to women, too!
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Thanksgiving Day, 1867

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Many people in this country may be reflecting on their present misfortunes, as well as the past ones!  It's hard not to, if you watch or read the news, where every day seems to be full of economic doom and gloom.  We can get caught up in that cycle, and forget that there are still things that are going well.  There are still wonderful things in our lives, and we have much to be thankful for!

I'm thankful for my family.  I'll be seeing some of them tomorrow for Thanksgiving (which will be wonderful), and I'll be thinking about the others who aren't there in person.  Nobody could ask for a better family.

I'm thankful that I live in a country where I have freedom and rights, and where I can pursue my own dreams and career.  There are many places in the world where this would not be possible.

I'm thankful that I have good health, and that I'm getting into a morning exercise routine that's making me stronger every day.

I'm thankful that I live in a comfortable and safe home.  One I can feel good about coming home to.  One where I have everything that I need.

I'm thankful for all our customers - past, present and future - who let us share some remarkable places and experiences with them.  You're who it's all about!

I'm thankful for the wonderful people I work with  - both here, and in far-flung parts of the world.  It's not like I can do this all by myself.

I'm thankful for the many friends I have, scattered near and far.  Even when we don't see each other often, the bonds are still there.  And thank goodness for e-mail that lets us stay in touch easier, too.

I'm thankful that I have a life that lets me meet many people, experience many things, travel many places, and have many adventures.  It's very exciting!

I'm thankful that I have this technology - this very computer that I'm typing on, and the blogging platform that lets me communicate with people no matter where they are.  I can't imagine running this business without our modern technology.

I'm thankful in advance for that marvelous feast that I know we'll have tomorrow!  Mmmm...  I suppose I should fast today in preparation, but instead I'm getting hungry just thinking of it. 

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

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I'm getting our next newsletter ready to go out right after Thanksgiving, and have some exciting specials.  In the meantime, eat, drink, and be thankful!
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Related posts:

1. That's when the joy happens
2. I wanna hang a map of the world
3. Moving forward in today's economy