Your Infinite Adventure
On the 22nd of August, in 2022, my essay — “Your Adventure Begins Now” — was published.
You can find an expanded version of that essay right below.
My hope is that you enjoy this expanded version and that you enjoy playing with the systems outlined within it.
The Power Of Adventure
The term “adventure” means: an unusual and exciting, typically hazardous, experience or activity.
For the most part, that definition is accurate.
Or, at least, it’s accurate, relative to the content of this vision.
What is less accurate, relative to the content of this vision, is the emphasis on “hazardous”.
You can use the three systems outlined in this vision to find and enjoy hazardous adventures.
But, you don’t have to.
Rather, you can go on simple, far more relaxed, adventures.
Simple, and relaxed, adventures, quests, journeys, experiments; and so on and so forth, endlessly and infinitely; ad infinitum.
Or, adventures, quests and journeys — ad infinitum — that are exciting, life-changing, and transcendent; ad infinitum.
Just for simplicity’s sake, though, let’s use the term “adventure,”.
The possibilities, variations, themes — ad infinitum — within, and allowed by, these systems is, naturally, infinite.
You can use the three systems outlined in this vision to find adventures that bring you a wealth of benefits.
Some of these benefits include:
- A wealth of moments worth remembering.
- A far more pliable, active mind.
- A mind that is more open to new, transformative ideas.
- A plethora of new friendships.
- A richer, far more abundant, life.
And so on and so forth, endlessly and infinitely; ad infinitum.
Or, at least, the above is my perspective.
The fruit of adventure is as follows: a way of living that allows you to embrace, and experience, the unending gifts and blessings of our universe.
Our vast, unending, magnificent universe.
Our goal, as human beings, is to embrace the unending beauty that exists all around us.
You can use the three systems outlined below to do so, while also growing beyond your assumed limits and, in turn, living the life you truly yearn to live.
Right before we dive in, though, know this: there are an infinite number of systems, methods, tools — ad infinitum — you can use to discover, find, and create — ad infinitum — new adventures.
Come to think of it, developing new systems is a fun, and quite interesting, adventure.
The three clarified in this vision are just three of my favorites.
Your Interests & Your Passions
Right now, within this moment, there exists an infinite number of adventures.
And, even more than that, there are, within this moment, an infinite number of journeys, explorations, quests, experiments, paths; and so on and so forth, endlessly and infinitely; ad infinitum.
Every single one of these adventures — among infinite others, of course — is available to you.
Many of these adventures resonate with you.
Many of these adventures offer possibilities that excite you.
Many of these adventures align with your deepest interests.
Many of these adventures align with your richest passions.
But, there’s a problem.
You see, there are, as mentioned, an infinite number of adventures available to you.
To find the adventures that resonate with you, you must create a structure; the absence of structure precedes the absence of form.
And, to create a structure, you must introduce some limits.
Simple, clear limits that allow the most compelling adventures to arise with ease.
For you to set these limits, you must consider your interests and your passions.
Or, really, anything; this process is infinitely flexible, but, for simplicity’s sake, we’re sticking to interests and passions.
Just for clarity’s sake, an “interest”, within this context, is defined as: a subject about which one is concerned or enthusiastic.
A passion, within this context, is defined as: an object of someone’s love, liking, or desire.
Given those definitions, take a moment to record ten of your interests.
Your interests can be anything.
Some of my interests include:
- Libraries
- Books
- Games
- Film
- Play
- New Thought Spirituality
- Other Worlds/Other Universes
- Creativity
- Botany
- International Cities/Big Cities
And, well, there are quite a few others.
Right after you record ten of your interests, take a moment to record ten of your passions.
Some of my passions include:
- Going on long walks.
- Trying out new “creativity methods.”
- Writing strange, otherworldly stories.
- Outlining new, unique fictional worlds.
- Taking notes on books and films.
- Producing essays that outline methods/tools.
- Visiting new places.
- Reading books.
- Playing with sound/music samples.
- Developing new methods for being creative; going on adventures; living a good life.
And, of course, there are many others.
Our First System
Right before you begin this system, take a look at the two lists you produced earlier.
Select three interests you want to explore further.
Right after selecting those interests, come up with some adventures you can go on, related to that interest.
Just as an example, my interest in libraries can give rise to these adventures:
- Visiting the Library of Congress.
- Going into Downtown Portland and visiting the “Central Library.”
- Learning about the history of libraries.
- Building a “Little Free Library.”
- Slowly, but surely, expanding my book collection.
- Reading about the biggest libraries in the world.
- Learning about the most important libraries.
- Going to an event or group hosted by a local library.
- Learning how I, or someone else, can start a big, significant library
- Writing a story/creating a world that explores the notion of an “infinite library.”
- Coming up with alternate forms of library organization/management.
- Outlining ways in which modern libraries can improve/grow.
- Developing a list of the libraries that I would like to visit, at some point in my life.
- Coming up with a plan that allows me to visit those libraries.
- Going to garage sales, and other events/places, to expand my book collection.
- Thinking about the unending possibilities, paths and potentials — ad infinitum — a library offers.
- Coming up with ways in which these possibilities can be expanded upon or, even, explored.
- Outlining other spaces and places that engender infinite possibilities, paths, and potentials; ad infinitum.
- Stretching our minds to think of the ways in which any space can engender/create such things.
- Enjoying some of those possibilities.
- Imagining my “dream/fantasy library” and outlining what I would like to put in it.
- Visiting the “Siem Reap University” library.
- Developing a plan that will allow me to make, and enjoy, this fantasy library.
- Imagining what libraries might look like/exist as, 50 or 100 years in the future.
- Doing the same thing, but 500 years in the future. Or, even, 1000 years; and so on and so forth.
- Visiting the first library in the world — or, one of the first, if it doesn’t exist.
- Thinking/learning about the ways in which information, as a concept, has changed throughout history.
And so on and so forth, endlessly and infinitely; ad infinitum.
The possibilities are infinite.
Some of these possibilities are simple and easy.
Some of these possibilities are a little bigger, a little more bold, and slightly more challenging.
No matter what, though, these are adventures.
And, as such, they possess the power to enchant and expand your very sense of self and being, while also allowing you to engage with the unending gifts of this world.
Right after you come up with ten adventures pertaining to those three interests, go to your “Passions” list and select three passions you want to explore further.
And, then, come up with some adventures for each one of those passions.
Just as an example, my passion for creating fictional worlds can give rise to these adventures:
- Reading “Game Guides” for Tabletop RPG worlds.
- Going into Downtown Portland for architectural inspiration.
- Visiting hiking trails for aesthetic inspiration.
- Diving into a new subject — solar energy, for example — for inspiration.”
- Learning about the history of world building or “paracosm construction.”
- Playing games to interact with other fictional worlds.
- Reading new books that explore a unique fictional world.
- Taking photos in new places to use as inspiration.
- Experimenting with different styles of writing to create these worlds in new ways.
- Going on a guided visualization/freeform visualization for new ideas.
- Opening up a random book to a random word, and constructing a world from/around that word.
- Developing systems that allow us to create unique fictional worlds with greater ease.
- Making a game that lets you create new, unique worlds in five minutes or less.
- Playing that game with my friends and seeing what happens when we do so.
- Creating a group — online or otherwise — for people who invent fictional worlds.
And so on and so forth, endlessly and infinitely; ad infinitum.
Some of the adventures outlined above are questionable. But, they are adventures, as they are relatively unfamiliar to me, offer their own set of possibilities, and will expand my understanding.
Our Second System
Our second system is not too unlike the first system.
But, there is one notable difference.
Rather than simply asking “What adventures lie within…” something that interests you or that you are passionate about, you pair this question with a random input.
A random input that you can obtain from an infinitude of sources.
Just as an example, you can think about the adventures that lie within, say, books.
And, you can open your journal — if you have one, of course; this is just an example from my life — and find a passage regarding lists and list-making.
You can develop adventures that combine books and lists.
Some of the adventures that come to me, as a result of this act, are as follows:
- Developing a list of my favorite books.
- Reading the “favorite book” lists of people that I admire.
- Creating a list of the books that most inspired me.
- Making a list of the books that changed my life.
- Writing a book of lists that center on something that interests me.
- Reading about the history of lists.
- Learning about famous lists.
- Considering the different possibilities of lists/list-making.
- Making a set of 33 themes or topics — ad infinitum — to define a “book list.”
- Doing the same thing for films, paintings, games, stories; and so on and so forth.
- Thinking about why the books that changed my life were able to do that.
- Clarifying why the books that inspired me did, in fact, inspire me.
- Creating my own book club; or, even, joining one.
- Developing a list of books that I would like to write, even if I don’t know how to.
- Coming up with a few ideas as to how I could write those books.
- Making a list of the books that, someday, I would love to read.
- Doing the same thing for other mediums, such as films and games.
- Coming up with a list of things that I would love to do, someday, even if it’s unclear how/when.
- Making a list of books that, if you read them and applied their ideas, would change your life.
- Reading one of those books and actually applying its ideas.
- Outlining a list of books that do not exist, but, if they did, would really inspire you as you read them.
- Making a list of books that, if their ideas are applied, allow you to do and create — ad infinitum — anything.
- Creating a list of books that do, in fact, inspire you anytime you read them.
- Asking your friends what books have inspired, or resonated with — among other possibilities — them.
- Visiting the places in which your favorite, or most inspiring — and so on and so forth — books were written.
And so on and so forth, endlessly and infinitely; ad infinitum.
Some of these ideas aren’t very good. And, yes, this method is a little messy.
Even so, though, this method is effective; you will find a vast wealth of adventures, quests, journeys, experiments — ad infinitum — if you choose to apply it.
Outside of the above, you can spruce up this system — and the other one, of course — with new parameters, variables, functions; ad infinitum.
Just as an example, you can select a particular act you wish to enjoy — “walking,” for example — and, then, use that to come up with adventures related to walking, books, and lists.
Some of the adventures you find may be odd. But, if you use this system, you will find something good.
Something really, really good.
That is my promise, to you, dear reader.
Our Third System
To use this system, you must select one of your passions or interests.
Right after you do so, give yourself a few minutes to think of the associations, connections, links — ad infinitum — within that particular passion or interest.
Just as an example, libraries are one of my passions. And, right within this passion, you can find:
- Architecture.
- Information.
- Reading.
- Systems Of Organization.
- Books.
- Interior Design.
- Computers.
- Information Storage.
- Paper.
And so on and so forth, endlessly and infinitely; ad infinitum.
Right after you make your list, you can select one of the things on that list, and use it to inspire a vast wealth of new adventures, quests, journeys, experiments; and so on and so forth, endlessly and infinitely; ad infinitum.
Just as an example, you can take “libraries” and, then, dive into “library architecture.”
Right after you do so, you can come up with the following adventures:
- Learning about the different architectural styles that libraries use.
- Visiting libraries with unique architecture.
- Reading about the most architecturally striking libraries.
- Going to the library and finding books on architecture.
- Thinking about the types of architectural styles you would like to see in a library.
- Reading about different libraries of architecture books.
- Learning about how libraries are built.
And so on and so forth, endlessly and infinitely; ad infinitum.
You can select one of these adventures and, then, begin it. And, in doing so, you will live in a richer, far more abundant, world than that which you have previously been living in.
Conclusion
Our universe is infinitely rich, and abundant, with adventure.
Adventure. Exploration. Play. Creativity.
And so on and so forth, endlessly and infinitely; ad infinitum.
My hope is that you employ the systems outlined within this essay.
Even more than that, though, my hope is that, in employing these systems, you live a truly rich, abundant life.