- Jim Wall | The Adventure Chronicles
- Posts
- đź’ˇ The Day I Was Blinded
This story is about choosing risks that are worth taking, and why taking no risk is the greatest risk of all.
*Warning* This story includes graphic language. I use a lot of profanity because that’s how I talk when I get attacked by acid-squirting beetles.
Oh shit, it squirted me in the eye!
A what?!
A fucking beetle… fuck, it squirted fucking acid in my eye! I can’t fucking see!
…
Why you messing with beetles bro?
Dude really!? Do you have water? Where’s the nearest hospital?
I run over to my local friend, Bonnie, holding my left eye which has gone dark.
He sets down his joint, probably feeling a little more relaxed than me in that moment.
Bro we’re in the African bush, there are no hospitals.
________________________
Ok listen, I know at this point you’ve already picked your side:
Side 1) Yeah, why are you messing with acid-squirting beetles?
Side 2) Meh, probably would have gotten into the same situation.
Hear me out.
I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list
Mainstream media: just about as reliable for factual information as Netflix.
They want you to believe that South America is all narco states, Africa is all military dictatorships, and the Middle East is just a big, dangerous desert.
But misinformation can blind us just like acid can.
If I believed everything they said, I would not have visited 45 countries by now.
But I’ve always craved pushing my limits further and further with travel experiences. There’s something that really lights me up when I’m in a place with new languages, smells, sights, and customs.
When I planned my adventure to the country of Botswana, I knew off the beaten track didn’t mean unsafe.
Botswana ranks 41 out of 163 on the United Nations Global Peace Index, above the US, France, and South Korea - far above the more popular South Africa at #123.
Doesn’t that sound crazy?
People thought I was being risky going to Botswana when it was actually safer than the US.
But of course, I found a way to get into trouble regardless...
Smart risk and dumb risk
I’m in Chobe National Park in Botswana with a local friend I met, Bonnie.
He informed me that Botswana has the largest elephant population in Africa, that’s pretty cool.
We’re out exploring together when something much smaller grabbed my attention:
A beetle the size of a Ritz cracker with huge pincers.
The average person would say “hey cool” and take a photo…
But me, well, I take a more hands-on approach (which I attribute to my Montessori schooling).
Outsmarting the insect with my impressive mammalian brain, I pinched him on the sides to avoid his strong pincers.
Aha! Gotcha!
I lifted him up to take a closer look, but there was one other self-defense trick up his thoracic sleeve…
As my eyes meet his, just a foot apart, there was a sudden ***PSSSK***
Liquid fired from some gland directly into my left eye, instantly it began burning like fire.
My eyesight went dark.
Nicknames are born from great stories
So, are you still on Team Why on Earth Did you Grab the Beetle?
Probably.
I actually hope so.
Here’s what I learned from this:
Going to Botswana → smart risk
Grabbing acid-squirting beetle in Botswana → dumb risk
If I listened to the media and other people, I wouldn’t have this story to tell you.
I learned that I need to assess risk myself, with data, facts, and information from people who have already done the thing I want to do.
It sounds so simple, but it’s easy to get caught up in groupthink when we’re surrounded by it.
My vision luckily came back after 10 minutes. Whew.
The Bottom Line
The key to living an extraordinary life is not to avoid risk, but to learn to assess and select risk.
Those risk choices are where your success, new friendships, greater confidence, and ridiculous stories will come from.
Probably don’t grab beetles, but find something that puts you on your toes. That’s living!
My challenge for you this week is to:
Select an area of your life where you want more adventure/growth
Choose a calculated risk you can take to push beyond the status quo
Schedule it and go for it!
"That’s what life is about: about daring greatly, about being in the arena."
Taking calculated risks is the closest we can get to an actual growth hack.
What’s a big risk you took and what was the payoff?
— Jim Wall (@thejimwall)
4:18 PM • Mar 2, 2023
If you’re craving more adventure in your own life, be it related to health, career, or relationships, there’s no better time than now to embark. Grab a time to chat —> here.
Famous traveler Rick Steves spent ⅓ of his adult life living out of a suitcase. A great quote from the video, “There are so many misunderstandings between people, and when we travel we sort them out.” Link —> here.
Last week I gave an exercise for becoming more influential, which involved picking the top 3 words that best describe you. Thank you Luis A. for sharing yours: Extroverted, Fitness, and Solidarity
If you want a shoutout in next week’s issue, share a story or a daring risk you’ve taken that added adventure to your life! Just reply or, better post, on the Twitter link above.
That’s all for now my fellow adventurer.
👉 If you know someone who would love perspective and stories like these, please forward this email or share this link with them to check out past issues: https://jimwall.beehiiv.com/
You’ll also be helping to grow this community of people who believe that life is the greatest adventure.
📢 In next week’s issue I’ll share a tool I use to make big life decisions easy, and how I ended up becoming a beach bum for a year.
Keeping living your Great Adventure.
Jim “Bug Man” Wall