No Opportunity Wasted

By Phil Keoghan with Warren Berger

Published by Rodale

November 2004; $22.95US/$32.95CAN; 1-59486-086-6

"No Opportunity Wasted is about learning how to live while you still have the chance; about letting go of the handrails; taking off your tie (and maybe taking off a lot more, while you're at it); and swerving off that predictable road you've been following for years -- onto a strange and bumpy path that just might, with a bit of luck, get you lost. It is about taking the time to enjoy experiences you've denied yourself. But it is also about sharing experiences with other people you know. And connecting with people you don't know . . . beginning with yourself."

--Phil Keoghan

From renowned adventurer and rising television star Phil Keoghan, No Opportunity Wasted combines the self-improvement appeal of an inspirational book with the adrenaline rush of a thriller. Keoghan shares his dynamic and uplifting philosophy as he takes readers on a series of exciting journeys from the Yucatán Jungle to the depths of an underwater cave to the top of an erupting volcano. Along the way, you'll meet fascinating people living out their dreams -- including a mailman who takes a shot at pro hockey, a nun trying for a triathlon record, an 89-year-old water skier, a young surfer who won't let paralysis keep him off the board, a husband who helps his musician wife to finally shine in the spotlight, and many more.

But this is no armchair adventure book. It is an urgent call to action, inspiring and enabling you to seek out your own memorable experiences. Keoghan provides a clear, step-by-step guide to help you create a personalized "List for Life" by following 8 themes, including:

• Face Your Fear: Sometimes, swimming with the sharks -- literally -- can help us overcome the obstacles that hold us back.


• Get Lost: Whether you're going around the world or just across town, great possibilities await at every turn -- if you're willing to lose yourself in the experience.


• Test Your Limits: Regardless of your age or physical conditioning, get the most out of an experience by pushing and stretching your capabilities.


• Aim for the Heart: Often, the best way to live out your own dream is to help others to live out theirs.

Packed with practical suggestions and examples and driven by Phil Keoghan's fresh, compelling "N.O.W." philosophy, this is a book that will help us all dream more freely and live more fully.

Authors

Phil Keoghan is now in his sixth season as host of the Emmy-winning CBS prime-time series, The Amazing Race. He is also currently starring in and co-producing the new No Opportunity Wasted reality television series on the Discovery Channel, one of the most highly anticipated prime-time series launches in the history of Discovery networks. He has co-produced a number of original series including Phil Keoghan's Adventure Crazy, which was a highly rated worldwide series for the Discovery Channel and currently airs in primetime around the world. He has been profiled in People magazine and TV Guide, and has been featured repeatedly on Oprah.

Warren Berger has written for Wired magazine, Men's Journal, and the New York Times. His book Advertising Today was named one of the Best Books of 2001 by Barnes & Noble.

Excerpt

The following is an excerpt from the book No Opportunity Wasted: 8 Ways to Create a List for the Life You Want

by Phil Keoghan with Warren Berger

Published by Rodale; November 2004; $22.95US/$32.95CAN; 1-59486-086-6

Copyright © 2004 Phil Keoghan and Warren Berger

Rediscover Your Childhood: Possibilities

When it comes to childish possibilities, there are almost too many to choose from. If you're looking for some little starters -- things that are easy to do and will begin to get you in the right frame of mind -- flying a kite is an old standby. The same can be said of board games, particularly old favorites from childhood like Scrabble and Monopoly. Pictionary is great because it forces you to draw, often with hilarious results. To boost the "experience quotient" on game playing, take the games outdoors to a park and arrange an all-day high-stakes tournament; put kids in charge as referees. These are just warmups to more elaborate possibilities such as:

Play it again. This has proven to be a big theme among people writing in to the N.O.W. television series. The idea is to go back and re-play a big sports game from childhood. If you're going to do this right, you need to go all out and do a lot of pregame coordination. Assemble all the players from both teams in a Little League or high school game, even including cheerleaders if there were any. It works best with two teams that had a special rivalry: Maybe they played in the league championship, or maybe they competed in terms of last-place ineptitude (that's even more fun). And there are nonsports possibilities, too: You can restage a school play with all the same actors.

Go treasure hunting. It's every kid's fantasy to go diving for buried treasure. And it's all around. You can start on land with a metal detector, combing the beaches. But the good stuff is under the sea. Almost any scuba-diving experience brings the sensation of discovery, the feeling that you're seeing life forms and rocks that no one else gets to see. You may be lucky enough to find some pirate booty down there, but you'll increase your odds considerably if you join up with a salvage operation that specializes in shipwreck dives.

Stay up all night. I'm a big believer in "up-all-night marathons" -- seeing how far you can prolong an experience, going past the point of fatigue. We've all had that childhood thrill of staying up late and breaking the rules, even as an adult. I did it once in New York City, completing a full 28-hour stretch of tourism from dawn to dawn, with my cameraman Scott fuming the whole time (I don't know how his shoulder held up). The best part was the wee hours of the morning, when it's just you and the die-hard night creatures. By 4:00 in the morning, my eyes were bleary, but I have a hazy memory of a deserted all-night bar where someone did a dance involving cellophane.

Get dirty! This is one of the true pleasures of being a kid: You can make a mess of yourself and enjoy doing it. You don't have to search far for "dirty" opportunities; the mud in the yard is a good starting point. But if you want to go all out, I'll suggest two of the messiest possibilities in the world. The first is La Tomatina, which has been called the ultimate food fight. It takes place each summer in Bunol, Spain. The action begins when a firecracker explodes: That's the signal for everyone to begin throwing tomatoes at one another. By the time it's over, more than 40 tons of tomatoes will have been splattered and you will, without a doubt, be seeing red. (For more information, visit the Tourist Office of Spain's Web site, www.tourspain.es.) And when it's time to wash off after La Tomatina, you can hop over to Wales to take part in a "bog snorkeling" competition, which has established itself as "the world's yuckiest race" (that is an official title, by the way).

Get back on that bike. If you think back on your childhood, you'll probably recall that some of your best experiences happened on a bicycle. If you've stopped riding a bike, you absolutely must climb back into the saddle seat, immediately. Start slow with rides around the local park to get your legs back. Then get started on planning an odyssey. A week on a bike can take you through an entire country, and you'll see it close-up, in a way you never could by car or train. One of my favorites: Bike the wine trail in Napa Valley (but make sure you drink more water than wine lest you swerve off the trail). Bike trips are also great for bonding with your kids or with old friends, or even new ones.

Take lessons -- and pay attention this time. Remember those piano lessons or ballet classes you were forced to take as a child? Go back and retake them, but this time do it with a passion. Some of the things you didn't fully appreciate as a kid take on a whole new dimension when you do them as an adult (especially since you're paying for them now). And taking adult lessons is a great way to remind yourself that it's never too late to learn. Jeff Goodby, who runs one of the world's most successful ad agencies, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, recently began taking violin lessons -- at age 52. Another acquaintance of mine took up horseback riding, something she'd tried and never mastered as a kid. If you're learning a new skill as an adult, give yourself time to have fun and make mistakes. But also give yourself a goal and maybe even a N.O.W. challenge to shoot for down the line: a public performance in front of friends and relatives, a recital, a steeple jump.

Get scared. Only children seem to appreciate what a wonderfully cathartic experience it is to scare the heck out of yourself. I'm not talking "bungee scared" here so much as "monster scared." This is another great experience to share with your kids: Turn your home-sweet-home into a house of horrors (just temporarily, mind you). If you don't know how to do that, ask the kids -- they'll have plenty of suggestions. If you don't want to mess with your own house, find the nearest haunted house that will let you spend the night. While there, swap ghost stories with your companions. If you're willing to go a long way for chills and thrills, think about spending dark nights in Dracula's castle. That's right, we mean the Count himself, also known as Vlad the Impaler. His Transylvania castle is now open to the public, and a trip there includes visits to his grave and spooky sèances (for more information, visit Quest Tours at www.romtour.com).

Get rolling. Like cycling, inline skating can take you back to childhood memories. But its advantage over cycling is that it can be a very social activity, allowing you to become part of a rolling community and special event. A lot of cities have Friday Night Skate Nights that turn this childlike activity into a kind of performing art form for the masses (the Friday night ritual in Paris draws up to 25,000 skaters). If you really want to shoot for a N.O.W. event, you can organize some type of coordinated skate performance in your community.

Get in the "Zorb." Maybe it's just me, but I think this is another great New Zealand invention that is destined to be as big as bungee. A Zorb is a giant beach ball that you climb inside; it has two layers, and trapped within the outer layer are soapsuds. In the center of it all is you, trying to stand up and walk as the ball rolls down a hill. It has been compared with being inside a tumbling clothes dryer, but that doesn't do the experience justice. All I can say is that I never feel more like a child than when I am rolling around inside the Zorb (check out www.zorb.com for more information).

I have a lot of miscellaneous childish things on my own list. I can't explain why I want to do these things, but hey -- when you're a kid, you don't have to explain. That said, I would like to:

• Putt a golf ball coast to coast across Scotland.


• Be a ball boy for a day at the U.S. Open.


• Enter and win a hot dog eating competition.


• Wear a full-body Velcro suit and throw myself against a wall.


• Spend 3 days on the Bahamian Bruise Cruise with pro wrestlers.

Reprinted from No Opportunity Wasted: 8 Ways to Create a List for the Life You Want by Phil Keoghan with Warren Berger © 2004 by Phil Keoghan and Warren Berger. Permission granted by Rodale, Inc., Emmaus, PA 18098. Available wherever books are sold or directly from the publisher by calling (800) 848-4735 or visit their website at www.rodalestore.com.

For more information, please visit Phil Keoghan's Web site, www.philkeoghan.com, or www.writtenvoices.com.