Madera Canyon |
"When do you feel like the most honest, empowered version of yourself?
Who are you with?
What are you doing?
Get honest about what you really love."
-Allie Michelle
Nailing down what we want out of our existence requires identifying what we truly love. Likewise, meaningful self exploration tends to build off a foundation of clarifying what we value most. Not what we should/could/would hold in high esteem, but what authentically matters most in the quiet depths of our heart; That which inspires us to live harder.
It is so incredibly easy to lose sight of our goals and passions amidst the chaos of a thousand other voices and opinions. Yet, the stranger and more specific your interest, the greater the chance that your feelings for it are not random but rather a supreme calling. Be willing to hear your inner self (or inner child as it were) when it responds in kind to stimulation. Please don't stifle this away because its not cool or profitable or "you" as you have come to present yourself. Bring your hidden intrigue and talent out into the light while you can. We are so incredibly limited in our time here.
In The Artist's Way, Julia Cameron asks the reader to acknowledge twenty things they love time and time again throughout the twelve weeks. These are personal "touchstones" that you can turn to in times of negativity, grief, and creative block. Many things will bear repeating as you run out of ideas or as you hone in on what continues to pop up first when you run on stream of consciousness energy.
It is my deep belief that earnestness is not weak or overbearing. Honesty and clarity are more powerful than rage and resentment. And in the end, authenticity trumps everything.
Fight the urge to be complacent. Instead of crawling back into your burrow of comfort and anonymity, take risk to ask for what you want and show the universe that you are ready and willing by owning it. Take rare, grand, bound-for-glory steps forward into the lime light of your deepest desires. The only life worth living resides there, and the only real currency is time.
We all have known, loved, and maybe even been a person who lives life as a mirage. Perhaps they change their values and goals with the season, or at the whim of judgement from family, friends, or partners. You know, the kind of person who professes grand plans and passions that make them sound incredibly interesting but rarely make any real stride towards actualizing them. At some point the idealism of potential wears off and we begin to ask: what is real? What is concrete, reliable? I don't want the influence or admiration of people who say one thing and do another. Don't get me wrong: people stuck in this loop of confused self image don't need pity or judgement, they need a personal awakening. The best way to get to this result is to drop the mirage and begin living life unapologetically. If you want something so bad, then do it....work towards it....take the first step. Please stop talking about it before you become the boy who cried wolf.
I dream of writing evocative and inspirational works that comfort people and grant me some level of permanence after death. I recognize that before an Odyssey can be scribed, a lot of life needs to be lived. So I focus on living my life to beat of my own drum: following my drives and instincts, saying yes whenever I am even slightly compelled to do so, worrying little about money and a lot about meaning, checking my own pulse often to see what I feel/want; All so I can live a life worth writing about it.
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The following photos are a few highlights from my trip to Arizona to see my Dad and friends! We stayed in his RV in Madera Canyon, outside Tucson, which is just about the greenest part of Arizona you could imagine. High elevation makes for beautiful forest-desert views. We even saw some aspen trees around 8000ft up! The Santa Rita Mountains were beautiful and though we did not summit Mt. Wrightson (sorry Mark!) we did some great hikes and walks in the area, along with a cavern tour and multiple mission visits! (All in the midst of crazy wind storms I might add!) More on that trip to come...Love you Dad!