After chatting to Michelle Ellison in the last pod episode, Adventure: mountains, marathons and mantras with Michelle Ellison, I got to thinking about adventuring and how we can apply the concept to our own minds. A little like those ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ books in the eighties (remember those?) YOU are the writer of your story and YOU get to decide what happens. Take an adventure in your own mind.
Take a step out of your comfort zone
The dictionary definition of the word adventure is ‘an unusual and exciting or daring experience’. To do something daring often goes hand in hand with adrenaline, a feeling that some people love, and others hate. We’ve come to know the meaning of the word adventure as travel – to go somewhere new or do something you haven’t done before. If adventuring in the physical world is the act of doing new things and going to new places, then adventuring in the metaphysical world is thinking new things. It is exploring parts of the mind that you haven’t been too haven’t used, or potentially have been too scared to open the door to.
We so often just listen to what our mind is doing, rather than getting active in the conversation in our head by talking back. If you stop listening to your inner critic and start talking back, big change starts to happen.
Can you change the way you think?
I love going to new places – I’ve lived in many cities around the world. This has taught me so much about who I am. By thinking into the unknown I’ve learnt valuable lessons that I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to if I had stayed in the same place (both physically and in my brain). But you don’t need to travel to explore your mind. Adventuring in your brain can be done from the comfort of your sofa (or your bed, or your run, whatever!). And the great thing about this kind of travel is that you get to leave your baggage behind. Not just the real baggage of toiletries and towels, but also the metaphorical baggage from your past. You don’t need insurance or jabs. You do, however, have to be prepared for some discomfort as your brain re-programmes itself.
Neuro-plasticity is your brain’s remarkable ability to change its neural pathways, meaning that your beliefs about the world and your identity can be changed too. It’s hard work, but the rewards are immense. Find out more by listening to my latest pod ep here.
This is why raising your awareness of how you think is so important. You can rewrite your story by stepping out of your comfort zone.
If you’re ready to start your own adventure, download my Confidence Hack Pack to get started.