I’ve never really wanted to be a pirate. But, most of my life I wanted to be Bilbo Baggins. I was never an adventurous person to say the least. I was terrified of dirt, my own blood, and heights just to name a few things that have been fears of mine. I discovered the J.R.R. Tolkien series The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit at an early age because my outdoor excursions would frequently turn into indoor reading “adventures”. And boy did I resonate with Bilbo Baggins…

“Sorry! I don’t want any adventures, thank you. Not Today… Good bye!”

“…I have no use for adventures. Nasty, disturbing, and uncomfortable things.”

And I have felt this way for years. I know the phrase “what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger” is a phrase that I have heard over and over in relation to trying new things/adventures but why would I want to seek out things that might kill me??

A study done by psychologist Rich Walker of Winston-Salem State University found that people who participate in a wide variety of activities retain more positive memories than those who have a small variety of activities. This means that the people who lead lives that feel fulfilled and accomplished do things. Lots of things. New things. Old Things. Crazy things. Scary things. Any-things. The more things you do the more opportunity you have to create valuable positivity in your mind and life. But this just seems like something that people who actually like adventures and trying new things will tell you in order to coax you into doing something. But… there are other studies about this, too. Barbara Fredrickson, a psychologist at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill has found that a healthy ratio of positive memories to negative memories is somewhere between 3:1 and 11:1. Basically, there has to be a large enough pool of activities to draw from in order to create that kind of ratio of positive to negative. You have to do things.

So this is where the challenges start. It’s not just about doing one thing and being done. We need to have a lot of experiences in life in order to make the best out of it. Otherwise, it’ll feel boring, mundane, and unfulfilling.

This is the part where I answer the question: Why the heck do I need more treasure maps?

Bilbo had a treasure map that he and his companions followed. They had an end goal in mind. On the way to their goal is when they met adventure after adventure inside of their overall adventure (adventure-ception, if you will). Treasure maps often just show you the course to an end goal. They don’t include the excitement, terror, and thrill of the road that takes you where you want to go.

Many of us don’t have to face dragons hoarding dwarf gold, but we do have every day goals we should want to accomplish:

• Meeting new people
• Working hard
• Getting physically fit
• Trying that new restaurant that you’ve talked about going to for the last 4 months but never made the time to go
• Riding a segway
• Being encouraging

Whatever you might want to do with your life, there is always an adventure that could be had by simply following a treasure map. We need more treasure maps.

P.S. Here’s the shameless plug. If you are having a hard time with figuring out what your treasure map might look like or how to even start on your adventure, LifeSuccess.com is here to help you. Our Nav Book is just what you are looking for. Through self-assessment, goal setting, and action steps, we help you move towards the things you want to accomplish by helping you create the map that will get you there…. and here’s the real kicker… the outline of the Nav Book is FREE for simply sharing your email address with us! Really. That’s it. Just an email address and you have in your hands a tool to help start the adventure of your life!

So start your adventure today, follow your treasure map, and see what exciting (and sometimes scary) things will make your life a success!