Need for Adventure — a balance between work and play
The sense of exploration and adventure is inherent in every human being, it’s just that this need can lie dormant in many of us due to normal busyness of life. But this intrinsic need for change, novelty and seeking new horizons can raise its head from time to time inside of us and we better listen at that point, else it begins to manifest itself in the form of stress, burnout and health issues.
When the famous mountaineer, George Mallory was asked ‘why climb Mt. Everest?’, his reply was ‘because it’s there.’ I would further add that we as a human being, are designed to push forth, surmount obstacles and explore our full potential. This exploration of self through adventure, travel and sports is as important as working towards wealth, success and achievement. There are instances when we feel we have achieved some form of success through hard work, but still feel a sense of ‘hollowness’ deep inside, it’s probably because we have not explored our ‘true’ potential yet. On the surface, we might have material success to show for some achievement but on the inside, we remain unfulfilled because we might have paid a price for it in terms of our health, relationship or hobbies.
Embarking on new adventure, you place yourself in a position of a hero of your own storyline, and wrestle with the obstacles and pain that comes with the journey. You emerge resilient, bold and courageous from these challenges. You start to find a deeper meaning in these adventures. At this point, doing something hard and challenging begins to become fun for you. You seek challenges both at work and at play !
