For me, the new year is always a time for reflection and planning around goals and intentions for the year. Clearly writing my January blog wasn't the first!
Challenging ourselves can bring more energy:
I wanted to do something different this year, to shake things up a bit. We're living in trying times and I believe that doing new things really does help us to live at a higher volume. Challenging ourselves can also provide more energy for the things we have to do - and choose to do for the sheer joy of it or to relax.
Shaking things up:
I'm a sucker for routine, and the pull of the familiar. My routines (like most) have been built around creating efficiency and predictability in results. Which works great - but sometimes we all need a bit of a shake up!
One of my core values is adventure:
One of my core values is adventure. I think it took a sabbatical to some degree when I had two little kids!! (Though having children at any stage of life takes courage, I didn't take them up Everest!).
So I was pondering whether being adventurous was still valid, and true for me in my late fifties.
Random challenge on a first date!
As if by magic, I was asked on a first date, early January and the options were coffee or rock climbing! ((albeit indoor))
I’m pretty much a novice but fairly athletic and strong due to teaching yoga and pilates (alongside running my executive, leadership and life coaching business in Wellington). I’d done it once before with my kids years previous and not fallen off.
So off I go. Imagine meeting someone and getting a rock climbing safety lesson all in one hit? Then having to be their literal lifeline on the end of a rope and keep them safe. Quite the experience.
I was way better at it than I'd expected! Overall a good test of my adventurous streak which is alive and well. And I really enjoyed the challenge and physicality of the activity.
My question and challenge to you in 2026:
So my question to you is, what's the oddest, most surprising or out of character thing you have done so far in 2026? What would you like to do? Or loved as a kid and would love to try again? Even just for a laugh?
My challenge to you is, add one adventurous goal to your list. Do something you’ve never done or aren’t super confident at. This is a genuine stretch for most people, and I hope you gain the blessings and the
learning as I did! I also plan to continue my rock climbing exploration.
Growth is rarely a straight line:
Growth and comfort cannot coexist, in the words of Ginny Rometty, former IBM CEO. It's never a straight line and rarely easy. But demonstrating we can do hard, new and adventurous things can help us feel alive! IMHO
If you've enjoyed reading this and are ready to shake things up, find your growth or challenge, or just find peace with the inner and outer expression of who you are, let's talk. Book yourself a free strategy session here: Https://vickyevans.com/book
Experienced double certified executive, leadership and life coach and workshop facilitator. Talk to me about clarity, direction and confidence. And a sprinkle of adventurous growth!!
Photo not me (!) credit:
Iftikhar Alam, Vecteezy