My family loves going on walks. Every day we load the stroller with snacks and toys and take to the trails around our house. But my kids are getting to an age where they want to walk themselves: sitting down as passive participants no longer cuts it. My daughter loves the animals and my son is a wild man at heart. She chases birds and squirrels while he stomps in puddles and shouts at trees. They love our family walks because of the adventure. I can see excitement in their eyes. Each park is unexplored territory and, like Lewis and Clark, the two bravely plot a course from stump to slide. There is a meaningful discovery process taking place in their lives and I have noticed a few characteristics of a good family adventure.

Good adventures include a discovery of something new.

Good adventures are not easy.

Good adventures do not follow a charted course.

These qualities help define adventure for my kids in a park. They also help define adventure for my own experience in leadership. The best insights are often discovered as a result of some adventure. This may be the reading of a different type of book, attendance at a new luncheon, or visiting a church from a different tradition. Some of my greatest ahha moments have taken place when I venture off of the beaten trails of my life. Good adventures are challenging, you have to earn them. Ideas that come easily are not that interesting. The lessons that you have fought for or suffered through often have the greatest impact in our lives. Good adventures do not follow a charted course. They are intuitive and unpredictable because they lead you to places that you do not know. Adding to your pool of knowledge demands this type of exploration and makes you a more interesting person.

Go on an adventure, discover something new. Your perspective on things will deepen and the world you live in will become less flat as a result.