What do I believe the key to happiness, success and everything else is? Consistent adventures alone, with your loved ones and even with strangers. Exploring keeps you young, it keeps you on your toes and it keeps you learning. We all ought to put this on the top of our list of resolutions for 2016. For relationships though, I truly believe that finding adventure together is essential to staying together. Here's the top 3 reasons why:
1. You will always discover new things about each other and your relationship.
One of the biggest reasons that relationships end is because people get bored with each other or the relationship itself. You may be sitting there asking yourself how you can make sure it doesn't get boring and I have one word to solve all your problems....adventure. Go out into the world or your backyard and try something new together. Maybe it's only new to you, let your partner show you this little piece of their world or vice versa. Maybe it's new to both of you and you can learn and experience something for the first time together. You may learn that your partner is horrible at rock climbing or could stare at a piece of art for hours. Either way, you are guaranteed to learn something about each other and the way that you will interact in an abnormal situation because as anyone who has ever been in a relationship will tell you, abnormal situations come up a lot.
2. All the little issues that come up during adventures will make figuring out bigger problems easier.
Going on an adventure usually means taking some risk or at least being prepared for the fact that some things or more likely nothing will go according to plan. Whether you're hiking and run into a bear (extreme I know) or get pick pocketed and lose all your money in Italy, there will probably be some potential stressors to the trip. Getting through these together will not only make you stronger but in the long-term view of things, these will really be no big deal. What it does do in the long-term is teach you how to handle stress and difficulties together. It will show you how your partner reacts to stress and if you two work well together under pressure. It will show you whether or not this is a person you want to take on the bigger "adventures", so to speak, that life will hand you.
3. You will make memories that will last a lifetime.
Most importantly, you will cherish your time on these adventures. Are you going to remember all those hours spent "Netflix and Chilling" in 5, 10 or 15 years? No probably (hopefully) not. You are going to remember that night you decided to try that new restaurant and ended up leaving after the first bite because your bosses recommendation was so very wrong. You will remember that time you bought train tickets last minute to go to New York City for the weekend. You are going to remember the adventures, the unique and when you go on through your relationship, you will be able to bring these memories up in the future through the good and the bad.
Adventure doesn't necessarily mean buying thousand dollar plane tickets to travel the world, although it certainly could. What adventure truly means is merely trying new things and pushing yourself and your partner out of their comfort zone. There is nothing better than a relationship where you can not only have fun but also help each other grow. Adventuring is the perfect outlet to do so. So grab Bae and make 2016 an adventure for the books with them by your side.
