Adventures in life - a philosophy
Life is just one adventure after another isn’t it? I know that in my life I have had adventures that make me laugh; make me cry and quite a few where I’ve thought “How the heck did I get myself into this?”. Some are typical and some atypical but they all have one thing in common – they shape who you are; what you believe and how you approach life.
The Merriam-Webster online dictionary gives the follow definition:
ad·ven·ture
an exciting or remarkable experience
What is my philosophy on life? I hadn’t given it much thought until a friend came to me very troubled. She was scared and intimidated by an upcoming change in her life and didn’t know how she would handle it. I really wanted to help her so I gave her some advice. Here it is:
Change can be scary, and may not seem good at the time, but you can always gain something from any experience in your life – they are all remarkable in their own way. If you look hard there is usually something to be gained or learned, even from the bad ones!
Just take a moment to think about the memories you have that, in retrospect, give you the most laughs or the ones where you look back with pride on an accomplishment. Most of those memories were created as a result of some kind of adversity.
Up until that point I didn’t even realize that I had a philosophy for life but it became clear to me that the advice that I gave her was my philosophy. This advice/philosophy has served me well.
Life is a series of adventures and it’s hard to be negative when you are open to the possibilities of each adventure as it enfolds in front of you. You just need to take the right attitude with you everyday and enjoy the ride!
What’s your philosophy for life?
on 24 November, 2007 on 4:39 pm
Very good start, Shane. Onward and upward and we look forward to future messages.
on 24 November, 2007 on 8:12 pm
Way to go Shane. We’re looking forward to reading all about your new adventures.
on 26 November, 2007 on 1:27 pm
We will sure miss your smiling face. I am looking forward to sharing your experiences!!!!!!
on 29 November, 2007 on 2:49 am
My life has been always changing.
But I am enjoying those changes!!
Adventure!!!!!!
on 29 November, 2007 on 6:35 am
Hi Shane,
I really liked this post. I totally agree with this statement, “Most of those memories were created as a result of some kind of adversity,” because when I look back over my time in Japan I see a lot of struggles (and remember how a lot of my foreign friends have struggled as well) but out of those hardships have come beautiful and strengthening experiences. There is always something to learn and sometimes your greatest opportunities come out of your worst setbacks (when you have to find a different way to do something and the way turns out to be better than anything you could have planned).
I guess the trick is to see the situation in a positive way even while you are in the midst of it (I still have to work on this). It is easy for me to see the benefit in hindsight, but during… sometimes it is hard.
Good philosophy.
And good luck with your upcoming experiences.
Cheers.