Finding Adventure
G.K. Chesterton famously said that “An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered.” And though it is only one of many witty and profound things that he wrote, this one idea probably best encapsulates his whole career.
In this series, we have considered some of the many factors that contribute to building a successful and long-lasting career. We have discussed motivation, discipline, planning for the future, building endurance to push through the moments of discomfort, and bringing your work into the context of community. But of all of our posts on the subject, this may be the most important.
Seeing Inconvenience
If you are like me, you spend much of your time seeing only inconveniences. From the moment that we wake up to the final minutes of our day, we are plagued with feelings of discontentment. We struggle to get out of bed and, once we do manage to stumble to our feet, we find it almost impossible to actually get to work. Throughout the day, we can’t seem to stay focused. The alure of our phones is constantly pulling us away, and we can never seem to find the inspiration to pursue our goals with any consistency. After a long day of half-hearted work which lasts long into the night, we jump into bed and scroll on our phones until exhaustion.
This experience, while slightly exaggerated, is almost universal among people looking to make progress in their career. It can feel like a daily battle, and it often is a losing one.
This way of thinking might be summarized as seeing life as one great big inconvenience. Even when we have aspirations to make something of our lives, we think of the process to getting there as something to simply suffer through.
But there is a better way.
Recognizing the Adventure
The process of growing in any area, whether in the realm of character, fitness, or career, is filled with many challenges. The goal is not to lie to ourselves. Rather, we should begin to reframe how we think about the challenges that life throws at us. And Chesterton’s proverb helps us to start that reframing: we must learn to see life as an adventure.
When we look at life as an adventure, we begin to see that all along, the problem was not with the work or the challenges, but with us. Suddenly, the goal of waking up early to get straight to work on the task at hand is no longer as much of a drudgery or an inconvenience. Instead, it is an opportunity to make progress in a journey or quest. It means that we are one step closer towards slaying the dragon, whatever that might be.
The challenges will not become easier overnight. But by diligently choosing to see your work as an adventure, you can begin to remove some of the resistance that stops you from making the vital progress that you know you need to make. And if you can use this and the other strategies mentioned in this series, you will be well on your way towards building a profitable, long-lasting, and fulfilling career.
So find the strength to take responsibility for your present and your future, and do this daily. Learn to think of your failures as opportunities to grow rather than impediments to your success. Plan for your future and determine what actionable steps you can take and what habits you can solidify that will help you to make progress on your goals. Find others to accompany you on your journey, and stick with them closely. Finally, and most importantly, learn to see your life and its challenges as an adventure.
And go all in.
