Five problems and solutions

In this second exercise, Josh has challenged me to come up with five problems that affect my area of interest. Not just the problem, but a person it affects and how it makes them feel. This is very similar to the Desired End State language that Larry Yatch has taught me, and coming at it from an interesting angle in terms of a negative that I want to address with the strategies and solutions the follow on exercises will be honing. Here goes!

1. The lack of adventure in the lives of men in their late 20s to early 30s who are married, have children, and are employed professionally leads them to feel stagnant, empty, and stuck in life (I’ve been there before and know this well!).
   1. Solution: Tell my story of a life full of adventure, the stories of other men like me, and inspire men to come along with us through a video and audio podcast series.
2. The lack of casual adventure in the lives of men leads them to feel that adventure is too hard, too expensive, and unattainable.
   1. Solution: provide a short, video-based course with challenges to get guys into some casual adventures (is this cheating if I’ve already done it?)
3. Men in their 30s lack true male camaraderie in their lives and that leads them to feel isolated and trapped.
   1. Solution: create a template for creating local groups for men to get out into adventure together (similar to GORUCK Ruck Clubs)
4. Men in their 20s and 30s lack crucial adventures that connect them to the growth of their character, and so they feel like they’re not sure if they really are a man yet and feel uninitiated.
   1. Solution: quarterly, multi-day retreats with men into the wilderness. Equip leaders to lead their own retreats so I don’t get burnt out!
5. Men lack epic adventures in their lives and so they feel disconnected from their emotions and like they don’t have stories worth sharing or lives worth telling about.
   1. Solution: yearly, epic adventures together with small groups of men. Think overlanding in the Australian Outback, bushwhacking through the jungles of Brazil, etc.

I’d love to know what you guys think about these problem/solution pairs! Are these problems ones you’ve seen in your life, your family, or with your friends? Would these solutions address those?

Reflections

When I was talking over these problems with a friend at lunch yesterday, a guy was sitting next to us at the picnic table we were eating at. He leaned over and said, “I couldn’t help but noticing, but are you guys talking about adventure? I need more of that!!” He went on to tell us how he’s got three young kids, and his brother is married (no kids yet) and they’ve noticed that they just get into the same routine every day. Get up, get ready for work, get the kids ready, go to work, come home, eat dinner, play with the kids/watch TV, go to bed. Repeat. The adventure was gone from their lives! He mentioned they had started regularly going out for beers together as an “adventure” and I suggested they try something that fit the adventure distinction that Larry Yatch and I put together: an experience where you learn through persevering into the unknown, finding fulfillment. He really liked that idea and got so excited talking about the different things they could try to inject adventure into their everyday. This is why I do what I do, and I’m so excited to share it with all of you!

If you’re in the mode of Problem #2, I do have a solution worked up already for you, so check out the course I’ve developed! Click the button to sign up! Sign up!