In 2020, Kevin Kelly wrote an article on his website titled “68 Bits of Unsolicited Advice”, which he had written for his 68th birthday. I read it, nodded with its tweet length recommendations, loved it, and shared it in my weekly newsletter. This was the second item on his list: “Being enthusiastic is worth 25 IQ points.” »
The post was widely shared, first by fans of Kevin Kelly, and I imagine later by people who had never heard of him before but found the list insightful. I knew Kevin Kelly as the founding editor of CABLEand the guy who invented the Theory of 1000 true fans in 2008, and an avid backpacker and traveler. (TLDR; a lot of people think he's a pretty wise person.)
In a scenario every online writer dreams of, an editor decided that 68 pieces of unsolicited advice would make a good book. So Kevin Kelly removed them from his website, added 150 more tips, and in May 2023, the book Great Life Advice: Wisdom I Wish I Knew Earlier was published.
My friend Mario sent me a copy of the book in April and, sure enough, I read it in a few hours. But as I read it, I began to think that many of the tips are applicable to adventure, whether it's a capital A, an expedition to a distant mountain range, or a small A, let's cycle or hike to a new place this time. weekend adventure. So I started pointing them out with Post-It notes, in order to make a list. Here are 25 of them, with some of my illustrations.
Take care of the little things. More people are defeated by light bulbs than by mountains.
Taking a break is not a sign of weakness but a sign of strength.
Vacation + disaster = adventure.
Acquiring things will rarely bring you deep satisfaction. But gaining experiences will.
If a goal doesn't have a timeline, it's a dream.
A big part of traveling is leaving things behind. The more you leave behind, the more you will move forward.
Experiments are fun and having influence is rewarding, but only having importance makes us happy. Do things that matter.
The greatest teacher is called a “doer.”
Your enjoyment of traveling is inversely proportional to the size of your luggage. This is 100% true for hiking. It’s liberating to realize how little you really need.
Always read the plaque next to the monument.
Ask anyone you admire: Their luck came during a detour from their main goal. So accept the detours. Life is not a straight line for anyone.
Looking ahead, focus on the direction rather than the destination. Stay in the right direction and you will get where you want to go.
When preparing for a long hike, old shoes of any type are superior to new shoes of any type. Don't use a long hike to break in your shoes.
For every good thing you love, ask yourself what your appropriate dose is.
Buy the most up-to-date travel guide to your hometown or region. You will learn a lot by playing tourist once a year.
Should we explore or optimize? For example, are you optimizing what you know will sell or exploring something new? Do you order a restaurant dish that you know is great (optimize) or do you try something new? Do you continue to date new people (explore) or do you try to commit to someone you met?
The ideal balance between exploring new things and maximizing those already found is ⅓. Spend ⅓ of your time exploring and ⅔ optimizing and digging deeper. As you grow, it's harder to make time for exploration because it seems unproductive, but aim for ⅓.
Hiker's rule: don't step on what you can step over; don't step over what you can step over.
To have a good trip, head toward an interest rather than a location. Travel to passions rather than destinations.
Your flaws and your strengths are two poles of the same trait. For example, there is only a tiny difference between stubbornness and perseverance or between courage and madness. The only difference is in the goal. It is stupid stubbornness and reckless folly if the goal does not matter, and relentless perseverance and courage if it does. To gain dignity from your flaws, acknowledge them and make sure you get things done that matter.
The big dirty secret is that everyone, especially celebrities, is making it up as they go along.
The main prevention against aging is to stay amazed.
You choose to be lucky by believing that any setbacks are only temporary.
Measure your wealth not by the things you can buy, but by those no money can buy.
If you're stuck in life, travel to a place you've never heard of.
When you make plans, you have to allow yourself to get lost in order to find what you didn't know you were looking for.
