11 Signs you need a new adventure this year
As humans, we have an innate need for certainty but also equally we have a need for new stimuli that gives us variety. In fact, these are two of the six human needs according to Tony Robbins. So, do you have enough uncertainty in your life or do you need a new adventure this year? Let’s explore this a little further.
We all love having a level of routine in our lives. It gives us that certainty we need and brings us comfort and peace. But without a balance of adventure these routines can begin to feel monotonous and create a sense of discontent with your life.
Take my friend Sonia for example. She had a fabulous job, a wide circle of friends, loving family, and enjoyed her regular exercise routine. From the outside looking in, it seemed like she had it all balanced out. Yet, she struggled with a restlessness. She felt bored by her daily routine and craved for something else.
When Sonia shared how she felt with me, I suggested it was time for a new adventure. Here are a few signs that it might be time to step outside YOUR comfort zone and spread your wings with a new adventure this year.
1. You constantly feel unsettled
If you’re feeling like you always seem to have an excess of unused energy. Yet don’t feel motivated by anything in your usual routine. It may be a sign that your brain has gone into autopilot and is needing a new adventure.
You may feel restless, agitated, or have an underlying current of anxiety. Whatever you’re doing may feel like it just doesn’t bring you as much joy as it used to. You could even find it difficult to make decisions, complete projects, or be constantly flipping between goals.
This feeling of unsettledness can be a sign both your body and your brain are ready for a new adventure.
2. You’re living vicariously through others
As you flick through social media do you find yourself imagining yourself doing some of the adventurous things you see? Like as if you are actually doing them! Do your friends adventures feel like they are your own? Do you find your heart longing to be in those pictures instead of just looking at them?
It’s natural to want those things or to imagine a different life from your own. In fact, it can be inspiring and even motivating. But if you’re feeling like your life is lacking in some way and your only sense of adventure comes from living vicariously through the actions of others, then it could be a sign it’s time to create your own adventures.
3. You’ve just experienced a big loss
Loss can be devastating and it can also be liberating. When you experience a loss that filled a substantial amount of time and space in your life it can be the perfect time to plan a new adventure. You have the space for something new.
Whether you’ve just come through a divorce or moved to a new city, or been laid off from your job it will definitely be heartbreaking at the time. No doubt about it! It can also give you the opportunity to evaluate what it is you really want. The chance to try new things.
4. Your dreams are still just dreams
Do you have an unfulfilled dream you keep tucking away for ‘another’ day? Do you find yourself saying you’ll do it when the time is right yet that time never seems to show up?
Maybe there’s a project you’ve wanted to do such as writing a book. Or a hobby you’ve always wanted to try like painting or sculpture. That side hustle you keep talking about, or that degree you never finished.
Your dreams will remain just that…dreams! Unless you do something about them. And with over fifty years under my belt, I can assure you there’s never going to be a more ‘perfect’ time than now to take that adventurous step.
5. You’re regularly checking out
It’s one thing to watch a movie to switch off or chill out sometimes. It’s an entirely different thing if you find yourself ‘escaping’ into TV or gaming for hours at a time because your own life feels mundane and boring.
If you find yourself regularly checking out of your routine life, daydreaming when people are talking to you, or numbing yourself in an alcohol or drug-induced comatose state then it might be a clue you need to spice up your life with a bit of adventure. Something you can get passionate and excited about.
6. You can’t remember the last time you were challenged
We spend most of our adult life attempting to avoid challenges and yet the truth is this is how we gain our most valuable gift which is an expansion of knowledge.
Without challenging ourselves we run the risk of unbalancing another of our six human needs, our need for growth. We need to continually stimulate our mind in order to feel fulfilled within our life.
So, if you’ve just been going through the motions for a while now without stretching yourself beyond the status quo you could be jeopardizing your growth. Throw in a new adventure such as learning a new language or taking up a new sport to keep you moving forward.
7. You’re stuck in a rut
There are certain benefits to being predictable. It meets our human need of certainty and allows us to feel relatively in control of our lives. No surprises, means you don’t have to worry about having to deal with the fears that come from unpredictability.
But become too set in your daily habits and you cut off your exposure to new experiences and run the risk of limiting your growth by missing out on opportunities.
Take Sheldon Cooper from the popular Netflix show The Big Bang Theory. Everything in his life is scheduled from his toilet habits and when he does his laundry, right through to what he eats each day, who he hangs out with, and what he does for entertainment. There’s no room for something new.
It isn’t until he is coerced by his friends to step out of that pattern he suddenly realizes what he had been missing. He gets to experience an even deeper level of human connection, creates a whole bunch of new memories, and expands his knowledge. Maybe it’s time for you to break out of your routine rut and experience more too.
8. You’ve created a glass ceiling
Sometimes when you’ve set a certain goal and you achieve it we can get stuck there. This is often referred to as a self-imposed glass ceiling. You can see through to the other side but you have limited yourself to staying where you are because, well, it’s pretty good there. It has become comfortable for you.
Maybe your goal was to become the top salesperson in the company you work for. Or to reach a six or seven figure income in your business. It might have been to write a book, or become a public speaker sharing your message across the country.
But that was a few years ago and now and yet you’re still doing the same things. You haven’t stepped up to be partner in the firm. You’re still speaking on the same circuits without trying for an even bigger audience. You haven’t approached a publishing house with your next book outline or even started writing it.
There’s an invisible barrier you’ve put above yourself that is limiting your advancement and consequently keeping you smaller than you’re capable of being. This creates an inner torment, which can only be appeased by having the courage to go to the next level of your adventurous life.
9. You’ve forgotten how to fail
While it’s a natural instinct within us, (thanks to societal conditioning), not to want to fail at something. It can also mean that we’ve stopped trying. That we’ve stopped pushing the boundaries of the envelope. That we’ve stopped being our natural adventurous selves. (Yes, we all have that spirit within us).
I agree, it’s scary to face the potential of failing on a larger scale. And no one wants to fall flat on their face in front of others. But to not fail means you aren’t taking any risks and without risks, you are simply living a mediocre life. And there is nothing beige about you!
Perhaps you genuinely doubt you can go any further? But how do you know if you don’t give it a go! Often it takes someone else to remind us that we are capable of so much more such as my friend Dianna.
She received a very average performance review even though she had mat all of what was required in that position. When she questioned it her boss told her, “I know you are capable of so much more. That’s why I hired you. But you don’t seem to want to go for it.”
How about, this year we all stop letting our fear of failing get in the way of creating a whole new experience of what we are capable of.
10. You’re ready for a change
Accepting and making the most of a situation is one way to find happiness. If it goes on for months or years though, it can have the opposite effect. You’ll either begin to believe you don’t deserve anything better, think you’re not capable of changing it, or you’ll retaliate and do something completely radical (hashtag midlife crisis).
Before that happens, let’s recognize the signs of a need for change. Are you feeling suppressed, controlled, or confined in any way? Do you often think you can’t do any better, or don’t have the strength or smarts to change your current situation? Have you let your friends or family talk you out of something you really wanted to do?
Today that stops! Today you get to make a stand and say “No more!” One of my dearest friends used to always say to me “just because that’s how it’s always been done, doesn’t make it right”.
You have the power and the potential within you to make a change any time you want to. Tap into your adventurous spirit and take that first step to a whole new world and a whole new you. No matter the outcome, it will be liberating and your life will never be the same again.
11. You just know you need a new adventure
With all the social media platforms available to us today, we are often bombarded with images of Instagram or Facebook Influencers being adventurous and you just know in your heart that it’s time for a new adventure for you.
While it’s awesome to be inspired by others I just want to add a caveat here. Being adventurous doesn’t have to mean jumping out of a perfectly good aeroplane with a parachute strapped to your back. Or moving half way around the world like one of my best friends did.
Being adventurous is about stepping outside of YOUR comfort zone and hence, means different things to different people. What may be an easy thing for you to do, may be an adventurous thing for someone else. So, don’t get stuck in comparison-itis. This is your life and you get to choose what defines a new adventure for you.
Embrace a new adventure this year
If you’ve read through these 11 signs you need a new adventure this year and you’ve decided YES!! This year is for me and I’m ready for a new adventure, then here are your next steps.
Download 7 New Adventures ANYONE Can Do This Year here and get started on planning out your first new adventure. Inside you’ll find different adventures mapped out and a worksheet for each one to get you taking action towards them. (P.S. None of them involve jumping out of a plane, I promise!).
It can be scary, exhilarating, liberating and overwhelming to choose an adventure and then make it happen. But the good news is, you don’t have to do it alone.
With me by your side as your Courage Coach cheering you on you’ll always have someone who believes in you and you can lean on during the sticky times. Click here to book a chat and find out all about how we can work together to make this year your most adventurous yet.
Imagine waking up tomorrow feeling content, energized, and excited to face your next adventure. All because you were bold enough to make a thrilling new choice today. Ready to be your own style of adventurous! This is the year for you to do it.
Love, kindness and travel always (just not right now!),
Tegan xo