He’s sitting in his back yard in a lawn chair. Drinking beer. Bored with his job as a truck driver. Frustrated in his dream of becoming an Air Force pilot because of his poor eyesight.
So he decides to do something about it. He gets helium tanks and forty-two weather balloons. He fills up the balloons and attaches them to his lawn chair. He packs a pellet pistol, a parachute, a CB radio, and some sandwiches and beer. He dubs the craft “Inspiration I,” straps himself into the chair, and cuts the moorings loose.
He rises into the air. Fast. He’d expected to level off at 30 feet, but he rises 1,000 feet per minute and doesn’t level off until he hits 16,000 feet. His plan was to use the pellet gun to shoot balloons to control his descent, but now he’s too afraid.
He starts drifting into the flight path of incoming planes to Los Angeles International Airport. Worried, he uses his CB radio to transmit a mayday call. Operators at the airport receive his call and maintain contact with him.
He continues drifting. Eventually, he shoots out several balloons. He begins descending slowly. Ninety minutes after liftoff he lands on the ground, where he is met by police officers.
When a reporter asks him why he’d done something so stupid, Larry Walters replies, “A man can’t just sit around.”
It’s a true story. It happened on July 2, 1982. And what he said is true as well. I don’t recommend that you fill balloons and fly in a lawn chair, but I do recommend that you fill your life with adventure.
Principle: Wealth Isn’t About Comfort or Security; It’s About Challenge and Adventure
In a survey of North American youth performed by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse in 2003, 91% of respondents reported that they regularly experience boredom.
How is it possible that so many people are bored in the wealthiest nation in the world with so much opportunity? One answer is found in other research, which shows that boredom is accompanied by a lack of challenge and meaning. All too often, people pursue wealth simply because they want more comfort and security. And when they become wealthy and life is easy, they lose their zest for life.
5 Day Weekenders have a completely different orientation to wealth. They don’t cave in to comfort; they crave adventure and experiential living—whatever that means to them personally. They suck the marrow out of life. The process of becoming wealthy is a grand adventure for them, and they use their wealth to fuel more adventures. There is a science to generating money but there is definitely an art to real fulfillment in life. Success without fulfillment is the ultimate failure. 5 Day Weekenders never rest on their laurels, but rather continue pushing the boundaries of achievement throughout their lives. They don’t want to be the richest person in the graveyard.
“A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for,” said J. A. Shedd, a major 19th- and 20th-century philanthropist (and president of the department store Marshal Field).
In my next post, I will look at how you can create adventure with seven ways you can use to fight boredom.
In the meantime, I’d love to hear your thoughts on adventure in your own life. Do you get bored? How do you prevent it? How do you create your own adventure? Thank you for sharing.
Secure your copy of the “5 Day Weekend” book. 5 Day Weekend: Freedom to Make Your Life and Work Rich with Purpose [Nik Halik & Garrett Gunderson]
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