I just got back from a little road trip a weekend ago. But perhaps “little” isn’t exactly the right word here. It started out, innocently enough, as a visit to Yellowstone. 18 hour drive, cross 4 states, no big deal. It gradually developed, however, into an excursion covering 3 National Parks, 2 major cities and more than 3000 miles of American asphalt. And my goodness, the things I saw and did. But I’m not going to give you a running commentary of my trip. This isn’t the Travel Channel. No, I’m going to be talking about the spirit of adventure…

It’s something we all experience in some measure or other during our time here, and more often than not, on a personal level. It took a leap of faith to be able to uproot ourselves from comfortable, familiar Singapore and make the commitment to come live here for a year in the first place. But even while here, rather than settling down into a routine, we find ourselves constantly trying out new things. Things we wouldn’t normally be able to do back home. Snowboarding, skydiving, high-rolling in Vegas, nerve-wracking presentations in Stanford, you name it. Adventure’s the name of the game. 

And what a fitting topic for Silicon Valley, USA. For it was in the same spirit that the Americas were discovered, the West was won, and Google was founded. A profound sense of excitement ran common through all these, and in my time here often have I seen demonstrated the same boldness and willingness to try that has become the hallmark of the Bay Area culture. The air is constantly thick with that sense of adventure, and there’s always a buzz going round. People starting companies, investing in companies, buying other companies…never a dull moment.

I mean, you have to admit that it takes a sizeable amount of chutzpah to say “You know what; I think I’ll quit my stable, bill-paying, 9-to-5 job, and start a company of my own. I could be bankrupt by next Christmas, but hey, at least I’ll have memories!” And then be adventurous enough to do it.  

Entrepreneurs are the latter-day Indiana Joneses among us. They are (largely) fearless, gung-ho, daring to try anything and to risk all they have over little more than an idea. Some find their Holy Grail along the way. So many more fail. But hardly any stop trying. Colonel Sanders approached more than 1000 restaurants with his recipe for fried chicken before one finally agreed to give his idea a try. The rest is history.

What inspires these people? What drives them to give up that security and stability in their lives to pursue these ideals? Surely not the money. Many of these individuals are hot-shot CEOs and Vice-Presidents, with pay scales that would be obscene to most of us. I’d like to think it’s the passion in their veins, the thirst to always lead the pack in seeking the unexplored. And I am vindicated whenever I talk to an entrepreneur, and I see the sparkle in their eyes, and hear the passion in their voice when they discuss their latest venture. These people are excitement junkies. They crave adventure. 

What about the rest of us then? How many of us walk the safe, beaten path, afraid to tread where few have been? How many of us could do with some adventure in our lives? I’m proud to say that those of us who come here are living it right now. Since I came, I’ve taken every opportunity to do stuff I’ve never had the chance to before. And I think I’m better for it.

But what about you, dear reader? What’s your adventure? It doesn’t have to be an earth-shattering effort. Whatever it may be to you, I promise you it will be vastly more fulfilling than if you simply chose not to do anything at all. Take inspiration from the Silicon Valley story. Dare to do something different. Feel free to explore the unknown. You may even discover something about yourself along the way. What an adventure that would be.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 4th, 2006 at 7:52 am and is filed under Musings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.