How to Live Life Like Indiana Jones
One day, while I was driving my kids to their mom’s house, my oldest son turned to me with that serious, thoughtful look only kids can pull off and said, “Hey Dad, did you know that all of us have an imaginary world?”
Curious, I asked him to explain. He went on to describe how each of his siblings had their own persona in this fantastical world: one was a Knight; another was the Grim Reaper; his younger brother was a playful puppy; and my daughter, naturally, was a fierce and majestic dragon.
Then, he hit me with a question that struck me deeper than I expected: “What’s your imaginary world, Dad? Who are you?”
I was stumped. I hadn’t ventured into imaginary worlds in years. It wasn’t until a few weeks later, after much soul-searching that it hit me: Indiana Jones.
I’ve always been drawn to the spirit of adventure — dodging danger, uncovering hidden treasures, and chasing mysteries into the unknown. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that Indiana’s story wasn’t just about finding some ancient artifact at the end of the adventure. The real value was in the journey — the puzzles, the risks, the camaraderie, and all the unexpected moments that turned out to be more important than the treasure itself.
Finding the Treasure: Randomness and Purpose
Earlier this year, my life felt like one of those crumbling temples Indy always seems to escape from — everything was falling apart. You know the feeling when the walls are closing in and the ground is giving out beneath your feet? That was me. And in the midst of that chaos, I picked up The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. It didn’t feel like a planned moment of self-discovery. It felt more like I had stumbled upon a hidden artifact — something ancient and buried, something I needed without even knowing it.
As I read through the book, I came across something that changed my perspective entirely. The Toltecs, who provided the wisdom in the book, weren’t just philosophers — they were artists. And not just artists in the typical sense, but creators of life itself. Their art wasn’t confined to the canvas; it was found in everything they touched and shaped. Life itself was their masterpiece.
That struck me hard. For so long, I had measured my worth by how well I lived up to other people’s expectations — whether it was society’s, my family’s, or even God’s. I thought that purpose was about fitting into a mold and living up to someone else’s standard. But that’s not it at all. I realized: I am a creator, and so are you. Not in the narrow sense of producing something to be admired, but in the deeper sense of shaping our own lives with our choices and experiences.
We are all artists of our own existence, and the treasure isn’t something out there waiting to be found — it’s what we create in the everyday moments.
Becoming the Seeker
Of course, Indiana Jones didn’t just stumble upon every treasure by accident. He knew about the lost artifacts, so he sought them out with deliberate focus. He didn’t wait for the adventure to come to him — he went after it, trusting his instincts and piecing together clues. That’s the other side of life’s adventure — balancing the randomness of discovery with the proactive pursuit of meaning.
Looking back on my days playing in bands, I remember times when melodies would just appear out of nowhere, as if they were being delivered to me by some unseen force. But turning those melodies into songs wasn’t something I could do on my own. It took collaboration, persistence, and a willingness to endure the messy creative process.
Some songs came together effortlessly, while others remained unfinished — stuck in a kind of limbo. Why? Often, it was because of self-doubt, fear of failure, or being too focused on whether people would like the finished product. I was so fixated on the outcome that I was missing the beauty of the journey itself. I forgot that creation — like treasure hunting — doesn’t always yield results instantly. Some ideas are stubborn. They take time. They resist us. But that struggle to bring an idea to life is what makes it so rewarding in the end.
The Mindset of Adventure
Being a creator isn’t just about what we produce. It’s about how we approach the process. Like Indiana Jones piecing together ancient clues, we, too, need to embrace the role of seeker. We have to adopt a mindset of curiosity and openness to whatever the adventure of life brings our way.
And here’s the beautiful twist: Sometimes the treasure we’re looking for isn’t what we expect. Sometimes the real reward is something entirely different — an unexpected insight, a deepened relationship, or a new way of seeing the world. The magic isn’t just in finding the treasure; it’s in how the journey shapes us along the way.
I’ve learned that the key to living this kind of adventure is to stay curious. To keep seeking. To remain open to the twists and turns that are sure to come. Because the surprises along the way often end up being more meaningful than whatever we thought we were searching for in the first place.
Embrace Your Inner Indy
So here’s the truth: We are all creators. Our lives are the ultimate adventure, and every one of us is out there, navigating our way through this wild and unpredictable world. Some days it feels like we’re dodging boulders, other days we’re putting pieces together, but in all of it, we’re becoming the people we’re meant to be.
And just like Indiana Jones, we don’t always know where the adventure will take us. But here’s what I know for sure: The treasure isn’t just at the end. It’s in the journey itself. It’s in the process of becoming, of seeking, of creating.
So let go of the pressure to have it all figured out. Don’t focus too much on the final outcome. Embrace the process, follow the clues, and trust that the adventure will lead you exactly where you need to be. Because the real magic isn’t in what you find — it’s in who you become along the way.
