When we embark on an adventure – however we define it – we leave our taken-for-granted world. In the context of the adventure, we face the challenge of making sense out of who we are, what we do and what we value. The time frame is often compacted and so our learning is intense. Sometimes we gain new insights, often we re-learn old lessons. Much like the heroes of old, the adventure is the beginning of a quest – into new places and new ways of being.
My adventure happened this September when I went on the Camino de Santiago de Compostella, a pilgrimage walk of 800 km across northern Spain. Like all of our adventures, the context has many layers. The Camino is couched in history from the early Celts who walked to the western most tip of Europe to the Christians who made pilgrimages to the tomb of St. James the Apostle. So given its long history and its present day following, I ask myself “What were they seeking? Why are we doing the pilgrimage now? What is it we are seeking?” What became obvious is that we don’t really know why it beckons. The ‘why’, the sense of purpose, grows with time and effort. It reminds me of the purpose story which leaders tell – a story which reaches back into the past and our sense of identity. As I listen to these stories I recognize that they are complex and multiple – told and retold each time with different meaning. And I recognize how unique each of our answers to these questions are.
Even before the quest can be fully identified, some lessons are clear. First, travel light. Consider what you really need. Pare down or add as your priorities become clearer. Have a contingency plan. Second, knowing yourself and others is key. As the quest goes on, there are many challenges to your values, your assumptions and how you live with yourself and others. Knowing how this process empowers you, leads you to accept yourself and others is important. Thirdly, having a vision is key to emotional health. It provides a sense of the bigger picture; it shows us how to focus, to deal with passing events, friendships, life and death. With a vision, it becomes clearer which goals are easily attainable. Clear too where dreams are – and how to hold them in the open palm of your hand. A vision challenges us to examine our assumptions, to live our potential. Finally, decisions are often born in moments of crisis or in moments of extreme difficulty. Those deeply felt decisions grow into commitment and commitment itself gives impetus to new decisions.
Adventures have the power to put us on the age-old path, the quest that is at the heart of leadership.
Copyright © Patricia Klinck – Photo credit: Julie Jenkins
patklinck.wordpress.com 