Do You Find Adventure? Or Does Adventure Find You?

Do you find adventure or does adventure find you?

A simple enough question. And a question that is seldom asked. But its implications have affected tens of thousands of stories, myths, men, and women for generations upon generations. It is a foundational question. It is at the heart of the great deeds of mighty men. It is the beginning of age-old stories. It is the start of a thousand journeys. And its answer has far-reaching implications for me and for you.

Do you find adventure or does adventure find you?

There are countless stories told throughout the centuries that revolve around a basic premise. A person is minding their own business when a chain of events out of their own control puts them in the middle of a great adventure. Throughout history there are examples of great men and women who had no intention of being involved in an amazing story but were unexpectedly thrust onto the path of adventure. There are stories and myths about unassuming heroes who followed their hearts and their convictions and that led them right into the midst of an adventure. Some people might use the word ‘destiny’ to describe a person who was not looking for adventure, but adventure somehow found them.

But is that how adventure works? Do you find adventure or does adventure find you?

There are also stories of great men and women who went out on journeys seeking adventure, and their desires were met in a variety of ways. From Achilles all the way down to General MacArthur – people have sought out adventure and found it. They have wanted to be a part of a grand story, and they succeeded. Whether there was a specific enemy that needed to be destroyed or a person or people that needed to be saved – there are countless stories of men and woman who chased after adventure and found it.

But, again, do you find adventure or does adventure find you?

I think that all of us – whether you think so or not – want to have adventures. We all want to be a part of a story – an amazing, adventurous story. There is something deep down inside of our hearts and souls that longs to be a part of something heroic and romantic. Even if it is way down there (and each and every day you push it down a bit further and a bit further…), each one of us has a longing to be a part of an adventure. So how do we do it? Do we seek it out or do we wait for it to find us?

Anti-climatically, I think that we can probably find adventure both ways. There are times when adventure will just sneak up on you and carry you off like a wave. There are also other times when the adventure is out there waiting for you only if you have the courage to find it. It is a boring answer, but I think it is the right one.

So if you are seeking adventure and want to be a part of an exciting story – then keep going, my friend.


And if you are not seeking adventure then, well, be careful: it just might be seeking you.