"Congratulations - you've won the National Lottery!" That's not an adventure; that's an event. But it's an event that unleashes opportunities for some amazing adventures. I have regularly met people who have told me finance is boring. I can't relate to this viewpoint. For me, finance is truly exciting; not because money itself is exciting, but because it opens up opportunities for exciting experiences. Earning money and having adventures are intrinsically linked

For me, adventure is what I live for. I remember once staying in a hotel in Puno on Lake Titicaca and an entry caught my eye in the guest book. It was a quotation from St Augustine - "The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page." That summarises my whole approach to life. When I was in the throes of setting up my financial consultancy many years ago, I sat down with my wife to ensure she was supportive of the idea. What were we going to gain through me running my own business? Oddly enough, the objective we agreed was never financial. If I was going to set up my own business, I wanted to achieve something I couldn't possibly attain by working for somebody else. I wanted to be in a position where we could take twelve weeks holiday a year in the not too distant future. That would provide ample opportunities for us to explore this exciting world we live in. Within two years we had achieved our goal. All we then had to do is decide how to fill the time.

The great thing about adventure is it consumes you. The day to day trivia that fills our lives becomes insignificant; worries disappear; it is the ultimate emotional detox. And that's why our family holidays have always been built around adventure. Whether it's rock climbing in the Italian Dolomites, wending our way in dugout canoes through rapids to see Angel Falls drop one full kilometre into the Venezuelan jungle, or climbing a live volcano in Indonesia to watch the sun rise over the Indian Ocean, these are all adventures that have created memories that will stay with my wife and children forever.

Unfortunately, most adventures have a price tag attached to them; and that's where finance comes in. If you want to have adventures, in most cases you're going to need money to pay for them. Indeed, going out to work is the first stage of your adventure.

THE MESSAGE

Don't begrudge the weekly grind; commuting and working. These are the days that can make adventures happen. My view - every day is part of a bigger adventure!