Editor’s Note:  Meet Sonia at the Renewal Summit.

(#2 is my favorite)

Sonia climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro

What does adventure mean to you?  Technically, it is defined as an unusual, exciting, and possibly dangerous activity. Well that sounds daunting. Personally, I don’t believe it has to be life threatening, but the outcome often has an element of uncertainty or unpredictability….which of course is part of the fun 😉

Apparently, 42% of Americans can’t even remember the last time they went on an adventure. Yikes! I have a hunch many of you are in the top 58 % but if not, what’s holding you back? And if you did embark on an adventure, take a moment to reflect, what did you learn or what was great about that experience?

I once asked a room of people how they felt about adventure. The two most common answers were exciting or terrifying. Lol, .just a little different. Interesting fact thought, fear and excitement have very similar physical reactions: increased heartbeat, shorter breath, tense muscles, heightened energy. The difference is the meaning you give it. So by reframing your mindset from fear to fun, it can open up a whole world of possibility.

And as it turns out, adventure has so many surprising benefits too. You don’t want to miss out.

Here are the top 5 reasons to make adventure a priority now!

1.Reduces Stress– Yes, you read that right, adventure can actually reduce stress. Often, we think of adventure as bungee jumping, skydiving, swimming with sharks or any number of terrifying feats. However, it doesn’t have to be a dare devil event. It can be a hike in a nature preserve or a bike ride around a lake or even a visit to a new city. While activities in nature have been proven to reduce cortisol, simply being in a different environment can shift our focus and our feelings

2. Adventure in Nature Makes Exercise Feel Easier: Really? As someone who wrote a book called “What if it Were Easy” about using exercise and mindset to create success, I absolutely LOVE this one….. and it turns out, science reinforces this idea too.

In a study at the University of Essex, participants were instructed to cycle in front of different color backgrounds. Results showed that when participants cycled in front of green images such as trees, plants and grass, their exertion levels were reduced, and their mood stabilized compared to cycling in front of other color backgrounds such as red and grey.

Sooooo if you want to work out harder and have it feel easier….go outside or at the very least look at peaceful nature settings instead of the latest reality show or thriller.

3. Provides invaluable life lessons: This is my personal number one reason why adventure is beneficial. I have had an abundance of adventurous experiences from scary ones like skydiving and bungee jumping, to climbing Kilimanjaro and most recently going on a Wisdom Quest in Spain. Each and every one of them have changed my life in some meaningful way and provided an incredible wealth of life lessons. Without a doubt, the most significant life lessons have been:

4. Growth Mindset: Adventure reinforces the belief that you can do hard things! I have used that mantra in all sorts of personal and work situations. Whenever, I feel afraid I remember those challenging experiences and remind myself of what I am actually capable of.

5. Perspective: There is nothing quite like standing on the edge of a bridge preparing to jump (bungee jump that is) to give a person a different point of view. Suddenly, I had absolutely NO problems. I kept thinking “My life is great; I don’t need to do this.” 🙂 All that habitual stress, angst and negative self-talk seemed so inconsequential and pointless. How freeing to experience life without that burden and of course once I did jump I also had the incredibly euphoric feeling of accomplishment. BUT one can learn that lesson on a beautiful walk through the park too. Appreciating all of the nuances and senses is enough to show you how magical life really is!

It’s Okay to be Uncertain: My Wisdom Quest included a 5 day nature solo in the mountains with no people or food, only me, my tent and water. That was completely out of my comfort zone and every day felt like a journey into the unknown. I had waves of fear and discomfort but with time, I learned that it was ok to be uncertain. In fact, it was better than ok. I became more present, there was a sense of wonder and curiosity about simple things, my awareness was heightened, and I was able to reframe the fear of uncertainty into an excitement about the next moment. What a gift!

How many times, do we avoid things because we are afraid of the unknown. Adventure catapults us into those places and makes us realize that nothing is completely certain and spending our lives chasing that impossibility blocks us from greater love, joy, fulfillment and achievement.

Greater Confidence – Years ago, I did my first Climb the Wall of Life workshop and adventure. Most of the participants had never climbed a wall and one woman, named Jesse was very afraid. However, she harnessed up and started putting one foot and one hand in front of the other. She was shaking and crying but she made it to the top.

Jesse worked in sales and months later she told me after that event she put a picture of her climbing the wall on a binder she carried everywhere. Anytime, she got frustrated or doubted her ability to sell, she would look at that picture and think, “If I can climb that wall, I can do anything.” With that newfound confidence, she ended up having her highest grossing months.

Powerful experiences give us evidence that we can do it. That evidence unleashes our confidence, and that confidence can help us create our greatest success.

FUN– We are so programmed to work harder and longer, yet our brains and bodies need to play and have fun. Fun gives us a much-needed boost of dopamine, that good feeling chemical that makes us feel calmer and happier. Fun also strengthens our immune system and increases our creativity.

Now I understand the danger part of adventure may not sound fun. However, you can choose the most fun adventure for you. And remember that the feeling of accomplishment plus the “fun” story you get to share with others makes it all worth it.

Which of these benefits could support you most right now? What kind of adventure could provide the ideal environment for learning and experiencing this? Imagine yourself doing it, overcoming challenges, and succeeding. For a moment, enjoy that feeling of “YES, I DID IT!” And then go out, give yourself that gift and SHINE!

And if you would like to join a fun group of like-minded women for a one of a kind experience, the Climb the Wall of Life Workshop and Adventure is BACK. We will explore the wall of life standing in the way of your life and then we will go climb a rock wall and literally reach new heights. No experience is necessary.

Say YES to FUN, GROWTH, ACCOMPLISHMENT, and a great story to share with your friends. SIGN UP HERE.