The Book to Read When We Can Go Out Again

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The subtitle for this book is \”Discover the Science of Adventure\”. There is no real science in this book but Jon Levy does share his pattern of consistently having \”EPIC\” nights out and adventures with his friends.

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When I read this book, I was at boarding school so it did not have any direct application to my life at the time. I was probably reading this book in excitement for college. Looking through my notes and the book now, there are definitely some good takeaways and stories but the \”EPIC\” framework(which I\’ll outline in the notes) the book is structured around does seem a little cheesy.  I looked at the Amazon reviews for this book and some of them are no bueno.Here are some direct quotes.

\”The entire book is built off of the author\’s stories of drunken nights out with friends. None of them are particularly unique and some of them are downright boring.\”

\”We all have the one friend who we feel sorry for as they think their \”fish stories\” of their experiences make them worth of admiration. That one friend who just tries far too hard, lies about life, whom we wish they would just be themselves without the ongoing BS. This poorly written book, masked in a creative design, tries desperately for us to like it but leaves you with a feeling of disappointment and possibly wanting a shower. \”

\”A Disgrace to the English Language… It\’s extremely repetitive and lacks any meaningful substance. There\’s more to life than the bottom of a beer bottle. If you have a triple digit IQ, avoid this book at all costs.\”I thought these were funny because of how dramatic they were but 61% of people gave it 5 stars. Like any book, it really just depends on the person. You can still learn a lot from the book and if it\’s at your local library or bookstore, it\’s at least worth a skim-through. You can also take a look at my notes for the book here.

Adventures—exciting and remarkable, possess adversity and risk, bring about personal growth for everyone involved

The 2 AM Principle: Nothing good happens after 2 AM, except for the most E.P.I.C. experience of your life.

1.) Establish

  • Team

    • diversity of personalities and skills

    • balanced gender ratio

    • limit group size

    • get them to identify with a specific trait

      • toast to people for being adventurous, open, fun, seizing the day

      • you will be a welcome interruption to strangers

      • Location

        • routine is the enemy of excitement, our brains respond differently to new environments, go somewhere new

        • check out events that are completely foreign to you

        • keep a list of interesting places

        • leave expectations at the door

        • new environments are social playgrounds where you can discover facets of who you are in new ways

        • Mission

          • every great adventure has an underlying goal

          • goals should be specific and somewhat challenging

          • not dependent on success, pursuit of the goal is fun

          • Constraints

            • ties well with the mission

            • people, limit who you talk to

            • Location, restrict where

            • Financial, cap money you spend during adventure

            • Time, restrict within time limit

            • Conversation, only talk about certain things, can\’t say name

2.) Push Boundaries

  • Social

    • unwritten rules defining \”normal\” behavior

    • breaking them can be exhilarating, but there\’s a threshold some could be dangerous

    • Emotional

      • if it scares you and it won\’t hurt you or someone else, its probably worth doing

      • good to have optimal anxiety

      • Physical

        • limits of body and environment

3.) Increase

  • Challenge

    • dare, games, bets

    • Suprise

      • going somewhere unexpected

      • Amusement

        • know good stories

        • be well read

        • know music

        • think karaoke

        • Intrigue

          • make people curious by creating gap in perceived information and possessed information

          • demonstrate unique skills or abilities

          • offer intriguing opportunities

          • dress well for intrigue

4.) Continue

  • Integrate travel as part of adventure

    1. End with style

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