I'm in high school; almost no friends; never go out because I have no one to go out with; and because of this nothing interesting happens in my life. I'm locked in my room most of the time but I want new experiences, risks to take; a little danger or excitement would be nice. I'm just so boring...
Lose. The. Safety. Net.
I don't care what you're doing in your life but you're walking around with a safety net underneath it. Most everyone is. The safety net keeps you from pushing your limits, your comfort, your ability to see consequences.
Don't be stupid and live like you're going to die tomorrow. Go to work. Love your spouse. Be good and do good to others. But don't spend a lot of time on backup plans or "recovery mechanisms".
Do this next month when you've saved up. Buy a ticket somewhere. Anywhere. One state over, one country down, two continents up, wherever. Don't pre pay a hotel. Don't pre pay a car. Don't get a car. Go where you don't know the language. Go where you will have to depend on your wits, your bravado and your humor. No matter what happens, no matter how good or bad the trip turns out, no matter whether you regret it or not, you did it and you did it on your own. You proved you can survive. Absolutely no one can ever take that away from you.
Too much at first? How about you just change one little thing in your brain? One little idea that will really blow your mind when you're in bed later thinking about it. What if you stopped living for an outcome and started living for an experience? What if, when you are considering two jobs, you didn't say, "This job will make me more successful/give me the right connections/pad the resume/whatever" What if you said, "I'll enjoy this one more." What would happen in your life if you chose things by the experience they gave you and not the outcome they guaranteed?
You'll end up doing things like I've done:
1. Got lost in Hezbollah territory in Lebanon
2. Drove to the equator -- in Africa -- to pierce my ear like a pirate
3. Lived in Qatar
4. Lived in Germany
5. Spent a summer in France
6. Ate the cheapest finest dinner in Buenos Aires
7. Attended midnight mass at the oldest monastery still in use in Romania (I'm an atheist)
8. Visit every continent, fly once around the world, see the major works at every major museum in the world.
8. Yadda, yadda, yadda. Need I mention the lobster bisque?
You can't live a meaningful life or an adventurous life until you know what those look like. You have to define them for yourself. Maybe I'm too adventurous for you, that's fine. The point is to expand yourself in small spurts, contract, assess, live, enjoy, then push again and relearn yourself. Adventure is about losing the safety net so you know your real self, the self that is capable and confident, not by sheer braggadocio, but by the test of fire. Just be smart about it.
As pointed out in the comments, it doesn't take money to be adventurous either. You need enough to keep body and soul together but not so much that it becomes the reason you keep getting money. Remember that every study that has looked at happy rich people says that they are happy only when they buy experiences. The unhappy rich people are the ones who used their money on things. The happy rich people also lived on average about 12 years longer than unhappy rich people. That should tell you right there how to live your life.
I don't care what you're doing in your life but you're walking around with a safety net underneath it. Most everyone is. The safety net keeps you from pushing your limits, your comfort, your ability to see consequences.
Don't be stupid and live like you're going to die tomorrow. Go to work. Love your spouse. Be good and do good to others. But don't spend a lot of time on backup plans or "recovery mechanisms".
Do this next month when you've saved up. Buy a ticket somewhere. Anywhere. One state over, one country down, two continents up, wherever. Don't pre pay a hotel. Don't pre pay a car. Don't get a car. Go where you don't know the language. Go where you will have to depend on your wits, your bravado and your humor. No matter what happens, no matter how good or bad the trip turns out, no matter whether you regret it or not, you did it and you did it on your own. You proved you can survive. Absolutely no one can ever take that away from you.
Too much at first? How about you just change one little thing in your brain? One little idea that will really blow your mind when you're in bed later thinking about it. What if you stopped living for an outcome and started living for an experience? What if, when you are considering two jobs, you didn't say, "This job will make me more successful/give me the right connections/pad the resume/whatever" What if you said, "I'll enjoy this one more." What would happen in your life if you chose things by the experience they gave you and not the outcome they guaranteed?
You'll end up doing things like I've done:
1. Got lost in Hezbollah territory in Lebanon
2. Drove to the equator -- in Africa -- to pierce my ear like a pirate
3. Lived in Qatar
4. Lived in Germany
5. Spent a summer in France
6. Ate the cheapest finest dinner in Buenos Aires
7. Attended midnight mass at the oldest monastery still in use in Romania (I'm an atheist)
8. Visit every continent, fly once around the world, see the major works at every major museum in the world.
8. Yadda, yadda, yadda. Need I mention the lobster bisque?
You can't live a meaningful life or an adventurous life until you know what those look like. You have to define them for yourself. Maybe I'm too adventurous for you, that's fine. The point is to expand yourself in small spurts, contract, assess, live, enjoy, then push again and relearn yourself. Adventure is about losing the safety net so you know your real self, the self that is capable and confident, not by sheer braggadocio, but by the test of fire. Just be smart about it.
As pointed out in the comments, it doesn't take money to be adventurous either. You need enough to keep body and soul together but not so much that it becomes the reason you keep getting money. Remember that every study that has looked at happy rich people says that they are happy only when they buy experiences. The unhappy rich people are the ones who used their money on things. The happy rich people also lived on average about 12 years longer than unhappy rich people. That should tell you right there how to live your life.
