Who This Is For (and Who It Is Not)
This page is for you if you say adventure is important to you, but something doesn't quite fit. You've accepted a safe job when you imagined yourself traveling. You've stayed in a steady relationship when part of you wanted to explore. You're not sure whether you're being prudent or betraying something essential about yourself. You came here because the disconnect is making you question what you actually believe you should be doing with your life.
It is not for you if you already know that adventure doesn't matter much to you. If you're genuinely content with routine, predictability, and deepening roots, you don't need to prove this to yourself. You also don't need this page if you're already living the adventurous life you want and your choices are aligned with that value. You know who you are.
This is specifically for people caught in the middle—people whose stated values and lived choices are out of sync, and who suspect the problem might be that adventure isn't actually as central to them as they thought, or conversely, that it matters more than they've been willing to admit. That gap between what you think you should want and what you actually do want is worth understanding.
What You Will Discover
Shalom Schwartz's research on basic human values, tested across 80+ countries, shows that values exist in a circular structure. Adventure is adjacent to values like self-direction and stimulation, but it sits opposite to security and conformity. This matters because people who prioritize adventure often downplay or dismiss security in a way that creates friction—they feel guilty for wanting both. Once you map where adventure actually sits in your personal hierarchy, you stop having to choose between defending it and ignoring it. You see it clearly, alongside everything else that matters to you.
The second shift is concrete: you learn whether the pull toward adventure is a genuine core value driving important decisions, or whether it's something you've picked up from your environment, your age group, or a story you tell about who you should be. That distinction changes everything. If it's core, you start building a life that accommodates it even within constraints you're unwilling or unable to leave. If it's not core, you stop feeling like you're failing at something that never mattered to you in the first place.
Common Reasons People Wait
The first reason is that you're afraid the answer will obligate you. If you admit adventure is truly central to you, you worry you'll have to justify why you're not doing it more, or you'll feel forced to make a dramatic change. This is backwards. Knowing your actual values gives you permission to make choices based on what matters, not on what you think you're supposed to want. If adventure ranks high for you, you can work with that fact. You can travel within your job, seek novelty in relationships, or save for a sabbatical. You don't have to blow up your life to honor what matters. You just have to stop ignoring it.
The second reason is the opposite fear: that you'll discover adventure doesn't matter as much as you thought, and you'll feel like you're disappointing some version of yourself. That's real, but worth sitting with. Many people hold a self-image that doesn't match their actual priorities. Once you see that disconnect, you can let that image go and stop performing adventurousness you don't actually want. That's not failure. That's clarity.
The third reason is simpler: you're not sure it matters whether you know this about yourself. You think you should just accept your life as it is and stop questioning. But people function better when their choices align with what they actually care about. That alignment isn't a luxury. It's the difference between living deliberately and drifting. If adventure is core to you and you're living small, you'll feel the tension. If adventure isn't core and you're trying to force it, you'll feel the same tension. The only way out is to know which one is true.
The My Values core values assessment will surface your values, rank them, and show you where your life is and is not aligned with what matters most to you.
Is adventure a value or just a personality trait?
In Schwartz's framework, adventure is part of the value called stimulation or self-direction, not a standalone value. It's how you weight that value relative to others like security, family, or achievement. You can be naturally energetic and adventurous as a personality trait without actually prioritizing adventure in your life decisions. The question is not whether you like novelty, but whether pursuing it is something you're willing to organize your choices around.
Can adventure be a core value if I have responsibilities like kids or a mortgage?
Yes. Schwartz's research shows values exist in tension with each other, not in isolation. You can prioritize both security and adventure, though you'll make different trade-offs than someone who prioritizes only one. You might take calculated risks, plan adventures within constraints, or seek novelty in bounded ways. The point is knowing it matters to you, not denying it or pretending you don't care.
What if I discover adventure isn't actually one of my core values?
Most people find that a relief. You stop feeling guilty for not being the person you thought you should be. You can focus your energy on the values that actually shape your choices—maybe it's community, achievement, security, or legacy. Living by your actual values, not imagined ones, is more satisfying and more sustainable than performing a life you don't authentically want.
How do I know if I'm confusing adventure with avoidance?
Adventure as a value means you choose novelty and stimulation because they matter to you and help you feel alive. Avoidance is running from something difficult—a relationship, a conversation, responsibility. Notice the difference: does adventure pull you toward something, or push you away from something? The My Values assessment helps you see this distinction by ranking adventure alongside other values and showing you where your life is aligned with it.