What is adventure?

If you look at the definition according to Wikipedia, adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. What makes an experience or undertaking adventurous is different for everyone, hence the expression, “Choose your own adventure.” It could be as intense as jumping out of a perfectly good airplane, diving with sharks or simply choosing to drive down that mysterious fork in the road that you’ve always been curious about.

That’s the great thing about adventure, its unique for everyone. But whatever adventure you do choose to follow, the benefits of doing so are immeasurable. Having the courage to challenge yourself, will not only bolster your own courage and resilience but also help you to more deeply discover who you really are.

My Story

My own discovery of adventure started early, where as a kid, I was always outdoors, disappearing into the forest for hours on end and always coming home with something exciting to tell my parents about. Through National Geographic magazine I learned about explorers like Jacques Cousteau, saw amazing pictures of far-away lands and amazing diverse cultures. This led me to seek out my own new discoveries like the fascinating underwater world through Scuba Diving, joining my schools outdoor club and eventually led me to explore the natural beauty and wonderous culture of Japan, where I ended up living for 15 years.

The deeper, internal part of my journey began when I started studying martial arts in my early 20’s, particularly Aikido. I’m not exactly sure when or how it all started but I’ve always suffered from confidence issues, no matter what I was doing or how long I’ve done it for, the feeling of never being good enough has always been there and although better now, is still a struggle. Discovering discipline through the martial arts and continuing to seek out new adventures and trying new things has assisted tremendously in building my overall confidence.

Early in my Aikido journey I was fortunate to come upon the phrase Masakatsu Agatsu which in English translates into; True victory is victory over yourself. Since the moment I read it, this expression has had a profound effect on me, helping me find a way to mentally deal with my confidence issues, keep a spirit of adventure and how to navigate through life in general.

Agatsu - Self Victory

For me, I want my life’s main objective to be about not comparing myself or striving to be better than anyone else, but to constantly grow and evolve by seeking out new challenges and continuing to be adventurous so I can try to become the best version of myself that I can be.

That is the inspiration behind this blog. Its main purpose is to be a logbook for my experiences and adventures as I continually try to challenge myself to learn new things, explore new places and seek victory over my inner self. My hope is that this site will also provide inspiration to other like-minded people that our looking to discover their own true nature by being in nature. It would be my sincere pleasure to have you join me on my adventures.

Adventure is always better when shared!