Find Your Daring Adventure

On April 17, 2016, Martin Frey became the first person in the world to climb the Seven Summits – the highest peaks on each continent – and sail the Seven Seas.

When Martin and his wife Kym joined me on the Disrupt Yourself podcast, I was struck by Kym’s daring adventure—while maybe not one that will be found in the record books, but an adventure that is perhaps a bit more relatable to the average person.?

Through Martin’s quest to reach the Seven Summits and sail the Seven Seas, Kym found she had become an “accidental adventurer.” She ended up on adventures by association — and she was happy to participate even though it wasn’t something on her bucket list.?

After completing the Seven Summits, the ocean began calling to Martin—he had learned to sail in his youth and was now interested in taking on the Seven Seas. He and Kym had wanted to find something they could do as a family with their severely disabled daughter Lily while also fulfilling Martin’s desire for challenging adventures.?

With a weeklong sailing course under her belt, Kym found herself on a nine-month “cruise” of the South Pacific.

All of this despite having a real fear of water.?

Kym had lost two brothers, one to a drowning accident, so her sense of adventure on the water was, understandably, very limited.

So, she took it slow. She started trusting in Martin’s sailing expertise, and her paradigm began to be reshaped— the water began to feel safe and fun.?

Her growth process culminated in her swimming with a whale, breaching right next to her.?

She had a great time, and the adventure transformed her entire experience with water.

Martin shared, “It’s really amazing to witness the transformation that adventure brings into our lives.”?

He expanded on this notion saying, “It’s too bad that so many people are focused on entertainment rather than adventure. An adventure has that growth experience—there’s risk, there is uncertainty. There are all these things that expand our sense of self that entertainment simply doesn’t provide.”

And growth requires risks. One of the Seven Accelerants of GrowthTM—the seven attitudes or behaviors that can speed growth along—is to take the right risks. The key is learning to identify and take the right risks, not reckless ones, to move you along your personal growth journey.

Because adventure—risk—doesn’t have to be climbing a mountain or sailing across the ocean. And it won’t be for most of us.?

Kym shared, “We realize that there are invisible mountains. It doesn't have to be an actual mountain you need to conquer. Or an invisible ocean that you need to cross… the idea of disrupting yourself, taking yourself on an adventure, and trying to get over those invisible mountains, it's a tough job, but you can do it.”

Today, Martin and Kym run the Seven Summits Seven Seas Foundation, a nonprofit for adults and young adults that focuses on helping others to conquer “invisible mountains” like overcoming emotional challenges and goals, finding a safe harbor, and laying out a pathway for their life.?

As we enter into the seventh month of the year, consider—what are your seven summits and seven seas?

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