When we hear the word adventure, we often picture epic journeys involving summiting mountains, hacking through jungles, or diving into the unknown. We associate adventure with intrepid explorers and Hollywood heroes, risking it all in pursuit of something greater. But adventure isn’t just about the big, dramatic moments that may or may not feature a Hemsworth brother. Life itself is an adventure.
Adventure is in the choices we make every day. It’s in the micro-adventures, the seemingly small moments where we choose growth over comfort, courage over fear, and movement over stagnation. These are the moments that define us.
Have you ever looked back at your life and realised that certain moments, possibly feeling insignificant at the time, completely changed your path? These are sliding door moments, where a single decision alters everything. A micro-adventure doesn’t have to be a grand, life-altering quest. It could be:
Saying yes to an opportunity that excites and terrifies you.
Walking away from something that no longer serves you.
Taking a deep breath and speaking up when your voice shakes.
Choosing to learn instead of staying in the safety of what you already know.
Changing your daily routine just to see what happens.
These moments, though small, accumulate over time to shape a life worth living. They push us beyond the narrow lines society tells us to colour inside.
My own sliding door story
If I think back to the scariest, most uncertain moments of my life, they are also the moments that shaped me the most.
One of the biggest leaps I ever took was continuing Take Shape Adventures after COVID. For ten years, I had run a studio that was a part of my identity. Then, suddenly, it was gone. We had to make a decision not just about the business, but about our entire way of life. We let go of the studio and were left with one business to support our family.
It was terrifying. Two years before COVID, Adrian had left his full-time job to work with me. That was another moment of fear, another sliding door. But we took the risk. Then, in one of the scariest moments of my life, I decided to go back to study. Not just once, but twice. Right after COVID, when life was already overwhelming, I didn’t know what the future of my business would look like. But deep down, I knew I needed to do something different. I knew I wanted to grow.
So, I took a chance. I signed up for my Master’s in psychology. And I have to be honest, there were times I freaked out. It was hard. There were sleepless nights, self-doubt, and moments where I questioned everything. But at the end of the day? It’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made and I look back at that decision with pride. Because the things that challenge us, the things that push us beyond what we think we can handle, those are the things that shape us.
Why adventure is important, even if it’s scary
Society teaches us to stay safe, to avoid pain, to seek comfort, and to follow the predictable path. But in doing so, we often miss out on the depth and richness of life. We’re taught to colour between the lines, to follow the road laid out for us by commercialism, materialism, and external expectations. But a real life of meaning isn’t about staying perfectly within those lines. It’s about daring to explore beyond them.
Adventure is about letting go of perfectionism, comparison, and fear of failure. It’s about embracing uncertainty, taking risks, and understanding that failure is just part of the process. Brené Brown says, “You can choose courage, or you can choose comfort. You cannot have both.” And she’s right. If you’re comfortable, you’re not being brave. Growth happens in the stretch, not the stillness.
So, the next time you’re faced with a choice to either stay safe or take a step toward something bigger, choose adventure. Choose the path that scares you a little but excites you a lot. Choose the decision that will push you forward, even if it feels uncertain. Because in the end, the most fulfilling moments, the stories we tell, the things we’re proud of… they never come from standing still.
