How adventure will develop creativity, resourcefulness and team-work

 

I believe that living an adventurous life and being encouraged to be adventurous from a young age taught me to be creative, resourceful, independant and eager to take up challenges, while also teaching me the importance of teamwork, camaraderie, attention to detail and being organised. Every adventure was out of my comfort zone and so I spent many years jumping in and out of the “Optimal Performance Zone” we talked about previously.
 
The very definition of Adventure in the Oxford Dictionary focuses on the experience of the individual:
 
“An unusual and exciting or daring experience”.
 
I believe that it’s these little experiences that shape who we are and the decisions we make and that it’s so important to have them from a young age in order to thrive in our adult years.
 
As we become older, the lessons learnt through adventure become even more valuable and vital to our success. Running out of water in the Sahara desert while on an old mountain bike with a puncture may be at the slightly extreme end of adventure for many young 16-17 year olds, but it certainly taught me resourcefulness and creativity in a stressful situation. The ability to think quickly and to solve a problem can provide an adult with security and resilience in their personal life and success in their work life.
 
The importance of camaraderie and the valuable skill of “Being cheerful in the face of adversity” can ultimately bring a leadership quality out in an individual that raises a teams moral and ensures their success in a project or event.
 
This skill, learned through difficult or challenging experiences can help an individual through difficult personal times, through injury, separation or even loss.
 
In the next blog I’m going to discuss how FEAR is a process we can all overcome.… stay tuned!