Words Liam Friary
Image Jakob Lester

Often, I dream about escaping and doing something hard. I don’t quite know what drives this, but it’s real. Perhaps life has come too easy to me. Like most people, I want this easiness, however, I also crave challenge. When I take on a challenge, when I do something hard, that’s when I grow.

Challenges also create stories. I don’t want to be the person telling bland life stories; I want to create tales of absolute epic-ness. The scale often can’t be matched and when confronted with hardship, I’m the first to think—why did I sign up for this!? But I know I must go through that to reap the many rewards—this experience is transformative, and one that you want to share with others.

The hardship of any individual isn’t measured by a universal standard. The size of a challenge doesn’t matter objectively—it depends entirely on your personal level and experience. It’s easy to get caught up in FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) when we see others undertaking epic adventures, but true adventure needs to be personal and aligned with what you genuinely desire.

The gap between where you are now and your dream adventure might seem vast and intimidating but progress is about starting, and taking small, manageable steps forward. It can be easy to get stuck in the mindset that adventure must be of grand scale to be meaningful, but that doesn’t have to be the case. Pack a lunch and spend a long day on your bike. Venture off from the familiar routes. Explore more. Go off-road. Create something different—whatever that might look like for you. The key is simply to move outside your comfort zone, even if just by a small margin.

Your adventure is yours alone, and its value isn’t determined by how it might compare to others’ journeys, but by how it stretches and fulfils you personally.