Post #10. The Science of Adventure with Jon Levy

Just came back from a walk, listening to an interview with the human behaviour scientist, Jon Levy…

Just have to say: Super cool guy. The interview made me laugh several times and I learned a lot. It was brilliantly hosted by Andrew Ferebee, founder of the podcast & Blog: Knowledge for Men. Highly recommend this podcast, if you’re looking for interviews with top-performers & other people who’s faced their fears & done amazing things with their lives.

Just wanted to share some insights I believe to be really valuable for us, in order to rise in our heroic natures.

Here’s what I learned:

Lesson #1. Ask: Can I live with the risk?
When you want to do something, and you believe it would benefit you and others in meaningful ways… but you’re scared of actually taking action… Then ask yourself: 
Can I live with the risks of failing? Also ask yourself: Can I live with the risks of not trying?

You choose… A live of conquering fears and growing more fearless. Or a future of timidness & regret… You choose.

Lesson #2. The size of our lives is in direct proportion to how uncomfortable we’re willing to be.
Really think about this idea. No matter who you are… there is more to life… It’s just a small detail… It’s on the other side of your comfort zone… Everything that you ever dreamt of is to be found there.

Imagine for a second if it was easy… then everyone would be “billionaires with perfect abs” as the entrepreneur Derek Sivers puts it.

Lesson #3. If you want to initiate a relationship, honour the other person by asking for something small they might provide.
F.ex asking for something as simple as the time, makes you more likely that you will connect.

The idea that I will apply here is: Start small… Start by asking for something really small…

Lesson #4. Perceived Risk is only Perceived risk
What we view as dangerous, might not be so dangerous. Our fear are very often irrational… Many times this nonsense is holding us back from doing the things we really want…

Thoughts about what others will think about you are completely normal & many times healthy… But if you get ruled by this fear, its a weak place to live in…

If, on the other hand, the risks are real… really dangerous… we will definitely want to consider them. And see if we could live with them… If you can predict the slightest inclinations to injury, death or destruction, you might want to choose another adventure.

“That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” 
– Nietzsche

Lesson #5. If you want to know what it is like to be & do something you’re dreaming about, first ask people further along the path to get a more realistic view of what you think you’ll experience by choosing that particular path.

In the interview, Jon Levy mentioned the book Stumbling on Happiness and shared the fact that we are often horrible at predicting what will actually make us happy in the future…

So he advices us to seek out people who are “living the dream” and find out how much of a dream it is… to get a more realistic picture of what it means to have gone there and be there…

Lesson #6. Do you want to grow and develop? Do comfort zone challenges & projects. 
Take some time and consider these questions:
a) What would I really like to do in life? What prevented me from doing it? 
b) What do I feel incompetent and scared to do? Why? What’s the worst thing that can happen? How would you grow?

So… my guess is that, the very thing that has prevented you from doing these things is because the simple reason that they are uncomfortable. They are outside of your comfort zone… What if you decided to do just that thing that scares you…?

Lesson #7. Do you want to really feel alive & discover what you’re here to do?
 Pursue a wide range of experiences.
Go out and expose yourself to interesting & challenging experiences & situations. You will grow & get to know yourself better: What get’s you excited and what you love to do.

Lesson #5. People who have gone far in life get more & more focused on personal development. Because they see the potential of growing your capabilities & capacities as an instrument of service in the world.

When Levy was asked what excites him today, he shared his main focus for this year: Developing super human abilities. A few things he mentioned is that he’s working on cultivation super human memory & deep diving as of now.

This simply reminds me of the fact that successful people are not necessary smarter or better than the one who’s not experiencing the success he’s like to… but one thing that makes successful people successful is that they believe that they can grown and change… that they are the ones that get to choose what capacities they will develop… And that they are the momentary authors of the script that is to become their life story.

This key insight that you are responsible for the choices you make in life, what you focus in and what you believe…

This is such a key insight for anyone to really think about… and try out.

***

“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.”
– Mark Twain

Good luck on your journey towards discovering more of who you really are… 

Over and out. 

Live well, 

Daniel Galovan