When was the last time you A: stepped outside your comfort zone, B: surprised yourself with what you could do or C: were truly proud of yourself? There’s a good chance that one event comes to mind when you answer those three questions, and that’s no coincidence.
We are most fulfilled when we do something that challenges us or makes us question our capabilities. Aspiring professional triathlete and UNC student Mollie Brewer said, “That’s the only way you can get better — stepping over that boundary or threshold to see how far you can go.”
Stepping outside boundaries is a critical component of adventure. Joel Heimbach used the example of being a kid climbing over his backyard fence into the woods, seeing how far he could get in an hour. For him, adventure always includes newness, discovery and difficulty.
Heimbach is a U.S. history and peace, war and defense double major and all-around outdoorsman. Last weekend I had the privilege of joining him on a nine-mile obstacle course around Chapel Hill (of his own creation), during which he shared some of his insights into how he creates and defines adventure. Heimbach said “adventure happens when you don’t plan for it,” and believes people limit themselves when they over-plan.
We’re all guilty of that here at UNC, scheduling ourselves into neat half-hour boxes throughout the week. Of course organization is an important life skill, but so too is the confidence to step outside the neat tracks we lay and loosen our grip on the situation.
Heimbach said experiencing adventure can be beneficial for everyone, because doing so teaches you about yourself. “How do I behave in a stressful situation? How much can I take? How do I handle fear?” He learned the answers to these questions and more when he completed Marine Officer Candidates School last summer.
Many of the things Heimbach and Brewer do for adventure are intimidating, but they weren’t always champions. “Start somewhere,” Brewer suggested. “If it’s something you really want to do you can make time for it.”
And as with anything, the African proverb applies: “If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
Enlisting a friend for support, or a mentor for advice, is immensely helpful when you are looking to tackle something new.
