A friend and I had both promised to do some kind of swim adventure in late August, when the stars had aligned and everyone else in our families (both of us have four children) were busy doing other things. We had talked about lake swimming in Switzerland, then the beaches of Sardinia, then possibly Jersey and ended up going to Norfolk. Previously Norfolk swimming to me meant churned up brown water, bitter wind and a sense of disappointment. These 24 hours (5 different beach swims) showed me that wonderful Norfolk swims are possible - thank you heatwave!
To feel our best we need high quality rest
4 Breath Mini Adventures
Below you can see some of my mini adventures in nature in 2019. The aim of these mini adventures is to help me get perspective and reset what I value. If you asked me what matters at the end of a busy week, after being caught in traffic and discovering smoke coming from the oven and people just glued to netflix “we wondered what that burning smell was”, then you’d get a different answer to the one I’d give you after a long walk or swim. Even if the mini adventure doesn’t go to plan (many of them dont) I return home with a refreshed outlook on life.
Hold in mind that whatever it is you want to do, just start really small. This recommendation is not my idea, it originates in classic philosophy and stretches all the way to the most recent behavioural science. Our brain is hardwired to find solutions to threats. It has not evolved to just ‘be happy’, it has evolved to get the greatest depth of fulfilment from surviving difficult events and coming through challenging situations. If your aim is to be happy, it’s likely you will be disappointed. If your aim is to go towards things that fill you with a sense of purpose, you will suffer a little (maybe a lot) on the way, but ultimately you will reach a point where you feel a deeper sense of meaning, find it easier to get perspective and feel more grateful. You dont need the whole solution, all you need is a next step. Choose one thing and start really small. What tiny action could you take today to bring you one step closer towards something that fills you with a sense of purpose?
