Living (and loving) the dream

Fresh off my holiday from the Maldives (and what better place to get re-inspired!), I opened the good-old Facebook to find an outpouring of fresh and inspiring energy. I’m talking about friends who are literally LIVING their dream, bit by bit, every single day. One friend has been globe-hopping for years, and is currently working for 6 months in a hostel in the Dominican Republic. Every day she “tires” us with pictures of beautiful sunsets, crystal blue water and her own self looking very tanned in a bikini. Then I have my other friend, a Buddhist and keen photographer, who has been enthusiastically pursuing his hobby of photography with an urge to contribute to society, by selling photos from his travels to charity. I recently looked on his website Zenwave, and his appeal is steadily growing, with new followers inspired by the cause daily!

Such amazing, raw, creative energy to come back to! Which is why I firmly and whole-heartedly believe that ‘success leaves clues’. Like Hansel and Gretel leaving breadcrumbs in the woods, those who achieve their inner longings, dreams and desires, leave a trail of clues to the path of their success.

Success has been defined as many things; and I will simply put it this way – it’s getting what you want. It’s looking deep inside yourself, seeing the things you want to accomplish, and moving steadfastly towards your goal. Of course, from point A to B, there are many obstacles and diversions along the way, but success really is as simple as realising that which you want. What you want can change, but the approach should never change:

IT’S YOUR LIFE. MAKE, CREATE, OF IT WHAT YOU WANT.

I’ve been reading a very interesting book recently, by Neale Donald Walsch called “Conversations with God”. The book comes in three parts, but the main premise behind it is this:

1.       Thoughts are creative.

2.       Fear attracts like energy.

3.       Love is all there is.

Very simple and powerful stuff. If you can be patient enough, to really invest in your thoughts and hold the thought you wish to act upon, you can shortly start to see some pretty big changes in your life. The kind of changes which are exactly as you want. What we constantly think about is our reality, and anyone from a sports star to an artist has had millions of thoughts they then turned into a winning game or a work of art.

Then comes the fear. We are all human, and naturally doubt our abilities. But we have to doubt, so we can trust. Once you realise where the power of fear can lead you, contrasted with where the power of trust and positive energy can, you can make better choices. All life is a choice, and the most inspirational people consistently make the choices which produce what they want. Where it is a choice between being positive or negative, working hard or working average, dreaming bigger or staying the same, we all have a choice. Inspirational and successful people make their choices work to their advantage. In fact, a truly successful person, doesn’t make any other choice than that towards continually fulfilling their dreams and desires. These people never worry about the money, time, effort they need to expend, because fulfilling their dreams is success within itself.

And lastly, love is all there is. That’s the first and the last of it actually. All dreams begin with a love for what you do, for what you want, for what you create, and upon fulfilment you receive love once again. That is why love is all there is. All big dreamers love what they do, and invest their love, into creating more love. And if the world needs anything, it’s more love.

Imagine how your world would look if you could love in love all day, every day? Be in love with your life, all day, every day? It is hard to miss the inevitable trail of happiness that all successful people leave behind. The key is not to blindly follow the same trial, but to believe that with the enthusiasm, love and your own unique talent, you can blaze a trail of your own, which can inspire others.

To my good friends, Mark and Agnieszka, you’re the ones inspiring me at the moment! Thank you for your love and dedication to fulfilling your own Personal Legends!

Copyright © Written by SoulSurfer 13 May 2013 at 3.07pm

“Listen, are you breathing just a little, and calling it a life?”

Holidays are always that amazing time for complete rest and abandon. As soon as I write this, many tropical getaways come to mind. Recently I was watching a movie with Robert Machado, where he delves into such a tropical abandon. Away from the world of competitive surfing, he can focus solely on what he loves the most. The more he distances himself from others, from civilisation, the more he believes he is finally at peace and in full focus. But ultimately he comes to the realisation that we do need others to feel in contact with our lives.

 

I’d say holidays, or some form of rest and relaxation are crucial to each and every person. An amazing quote springs to mind straight away:

“Listen, are you breathing just a little, and calling it a life?”

Life without holidays, becomes such a drudgery, a conglomerate of similar days, moods, feelings and therefore outcomes. I believe we always need to be refreshed and refocused to go after our goals and dreams. This is what living, and not merely breathing is about. It’s easy to simply exist, to fall into the monotony of life, to see each day in the same shade, and believe that repeating the same thing over and over gets us somewhere else in life. But it’s harder (and more rewarding) to push beyond the boundaries of pure existence, check our current state against that of our dreams, and aim to make that connection to get there. Every day, in every way.

Obviously to feel a dream is worth doing, you need to be inspired. But inspiration is like a bird in the hand, it flies away too quickly. If you pursue it too fervently, it simply escapes you. But if you take the time to attract it, make room for it in your life, it appears very quickly to aid and guide you. Holidays, allow you to feel wonder, awe, amazement – all feelings which attract inspiration. Holidays are almost a moment taken out of time and existence, when only inspiration and love conquer. However holidays, like birds and inspiration, fly away too quickly too. Inspiration is just the spark that provides the flame for the realisation of dreams.

Daily attention to dreams and goals, continually taking time to be inspired, keeps the flame alive. Paulo Coelho says:

“One day you will wake up, and there won’t be any more time to do the things you’ve always wanted. Do it now.”

We need to put a sense of urgency on our dreams. If you are not living YOUR life, than who is? If you are not taking that holiday you always wanted, than who is? If you could be a better person for yourself and others, than what is stopping you?

Everyone needs to take time out to find their own “tropical getaway”, from which they can emerge refreshed and revitalised towards life. We are not merely breathing, we are living a dream of our own… It’s always time to get reconnected and inspired.

Do it now.

SoulSurfer © 12th September 2012 at 3.56pm. Photo by Patricia Pahl. 

On your own wave of inspiration

Sometimes it’s nice to have a mentor. Someone who guides you, who inspires you, someone by whom you can grow and develop your strengths and dreams. The feeling is amazing; here you are on the brink of a new life, new successes, new horizons and opportunities, and you have someone to look back on and turn to for comfort in feelings of doubt or frustration. Just the sheer knowledge of looking back and knowing your mentor is there, is enough to propel you into a space of endless creativity and passion for your craft.

And you can get addicted. A mentor is like a crutch when you have a broken leg; it is there to help you walk, but not make you walk. As your talent grows and blossoms, it’s so easy to attribute everything to the source where it began. It’s so easy to believe that the spark that lit the fire, is the fire to begin with. And then when your mentor attempts to move out of your shadow and set you on your own path, it’s so easy to cling to them and believe that you are following their path. Suddenly the inspiration drops, and can only be ignited by that reassuring presence of your mentor.

And this state of dependency can last a long time. It’s amazing to meet people who really ignite something amazing, wonderful and hidden in you, and propel you to unbelievable heights and experiences. All of a sudden you discover new dimensions within yourself, a new energy, a new way of doing and seeing things. It can be intoxicating, addictive, exciting, fresh.

But success goes after talent, and not before it. Inspiration is the magical ingredient that links the two together. And it can be shocking when you’re source of inspiration and reassurance is no longer there to guide you forward. Now you are your own guide, and fuelled by your own successes, you are the driving force moving yourself forward.

One of the most amazing moments is when you discover that you have developed over time your own talent, success and inspiration. That you started off inspired by a foreign concept, and then become one with it and embodied it. At that moment, you get creative power to steer your own ship, so to speak. Or your own surfboard. Someone may have given you the spark, the inspiration, but it was because they believed in your talent and success before you did.

And now it’s your turn to do the same.

Written by SoulSurfer © 12 December 2011 at 9.55pm

A commitment to being better...but not 'the best'

It is commitment that makes us appreciate how important our dreams are. We must stay committed to our dreams, even when we believe we know how to do what we love perfectly. When you believe you are good at what you love to do and not ‘the best’, you allow change and improvement to occur. You must stay in the flow of always believing that you are moving towards your goal, but never attaining it. When you attain a goal, or believe you are the best you can be, you can become complacent and bored. Inspiration gets stifled, and ego comes into play.

The only way to keep creativity and inspiration flowing in life is to be committed to being better and improving Self, but never attaining ‘the best’. ‘The best’ does not exist, because there can always be better. This is how life has evolved, because someone has found a better, faster, quicker way of doing things.

Life flows when we don’t think with ego, but with love and inspiration; continually looking for new sources, ideas and insights. Personally, I am committed to believing I am always in the process of being a better surfer. I believe I am a good surfer, but not the best. For there will always be waves that make me better, but none that will make me the best.

Copyright © SoulSurfer 21 November 2011 at 8.44am

The magic moment

I had to repost this wonderful blog entry by Paulo Coelho, as it really is the essence of appreciating life...

“You have to take risks”- he said.

“We will only understand the miracle of life fully when we allow the unexpected to happen.

“Every day, God gives us the sun–and also one moment in which we have the ability to change everything that makes us unhappy.
“Every day, we try to pretend that we haven’t perceived that moment, that it doesn’t exist–that today is the same as yesterday and will be the same as tomorrow.

But if people really pay attention to their everyday lives, they will discover that magic moment.

It may arrive in the instant when we are doing something mundane, like putting our front-door key in the lock.

It may lie hidden in the quiet that follows the lunch hour or in the thousand and one things that all seem the same to us.

But that moment exists–a moment when all the power of the stars becomes a part of us and enables us to perform miracles.”

Courtesy of Paulo Coelho http://paulocoelhoblog.com/2011/11/07/the-magic-moment-2/

Steve Jobs – following his Personal Legend

I have never been one to admire the rich and powerful; although their success is undeniable, I question the means and motives for it. Where money is concerned, the motives are clear and the means well, always highly contentious and questionable.

The passing of Steve Jobs, founder of Apple, made me appreciate the great loss of a man who followed his passion and Personal Legend. It takes only a Google search of ‘Steve Jobs quotes’, to see that Steve’s passion for innovation and ingenuity permeated through his mind, body and soul. I had no idea how much.

Firstly, let me explain Paulo Coelho’s concept of the ‘Personal Legend’. It first appeared in his international bestseller “The Alchemist”. Paulo describes it as:

“It’s [your Personal Legend] what you have always wanted to accomplish. Everyone, when they are young, knows what their Personal Legend is. At that point in their lives, everything is clear and everything is possible. They are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives…..”

After reading some of Jobs’ many quotes, it dawned on me that this incredible man lived out his Personal Legend every day. Some have described his enthusiasm and tireless energy for life as Zen-like, and I do agree. Below I present some of Steve’s quotes on life, which I believe exactly personify the image of living out the Personal Legend which Coelho portrayed in his prose:

His faith…

"You have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something -- your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever," he said. "This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life."

His perseverance…

"I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over. I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me," he said.

His reflections on setbacks…

“Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith."

His life credo…

"You've got to find what you love," he said. "That is as true for your work as it is for your lovers."
On the search of what you love…

"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking."

On everyday happiness and fulfillment…

"For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: 'If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?' And whenever the answer has been 'No' for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something."

On his motivation…

"Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."

One man. One Personal Legend fulfilled. I hope this can motivate and encourage everyone to live out their own Personal Legends. We all have a unique one, and the choice is truly ours to pursue it or let it pass.
Copyright © SoulSurfer 8 October 2011 at 9.29pm

Be open, but do things when the time is right for you…

I was speaking to my friend on the weekend, when she said something that really struck me and has reverberated the whole weekend. Well it was two separate things, that when combined, have just produced this amazing revelation within myself.

This friend has the amazing ability to tell me exactly what I need to hear, when I need to hear it. It may not even seem like a direct response to my question, but it is what needs to be said at the time.

So the first thing she told me to do was to “Be more open…”. Now there are many definitions of open, from accepting heavily tattooed people, to embracing different religions, to trying unusual cuisine to just thinking outside the box. But the “open” my friend was talking about, was having an open heart. Not just regarding the opposite sex, but to others in general. Anyone who knows me will know I accept with openness all the things mentioned above, in fact I thrive on being “open” to them. But she made me question “am I really open to others”? In her definition, being open to others is just letting people enter your life, and responding to them in a way that is congruent with who you are. Not pretending to be anyone else, not putting up barriers, not playing games. Just embracing the experience of interacting with another person, but not letting the experience define you.

I think we live in a world where we care too much about what insignificant people in our lives think about us. ‘Insignificant’ here meaning, people who by no means are close to us, or truly know who we are, but who are a part of our daily lives. It may be a superior whom you have to deal with on a day-to-day basis, a neighbour who gives you disapproving looks when you take out the garbage in your pajamas, or an occasional friend who puts you down in indirect ways. We by no means like these people, and yet we care about what they think…

Being “open” is first embracing who you are and then telling the world “this is who I am; take it or leave it”. When you have the openness to express that attitude, without aggression or arrogance, you begin to attract the very people who can respect who you are and your boundaries. You forget about trying to impress others, and start to impress yourself with your newfound confidence. It becomes a very positive snowball effect from there on out…

The second thing she said was “Be more open…but don’t do things against yourself”. Imagine having 20 seconds to prepare a speech and having this gut feeling that you just can’t wing it. It ends up coming out wonky and lacks energy or confidence.

As much as we sometimes want to do something, and we psyche ourselves up, sometimes that inner drive is just missing. I realised this over the weekend, when everyone was spurring me into action, yet all I felt apt to do was retreat. I had been thinking and analyzing things too much, to the point where I felt dizzy and confused and unable to physically do anything. I was on the brink of “just going for it”, but decided against, as I really wanted to put my whole heart into it. It was the right decision, as I immediately felt relieved, and felt I could think clearly without all the clutter.

I think these two concepts really work together. You can only be open to others and open to opportunities, when you are not forcing yourself into a specific direction. When you take out the ‘shoulds’ and ‘musts’, take a step back and first reconnect with yourself. I think each individual is their own best compass, and it is better to get behind something wholeheartedly and with enthusiasm when the time is right, rather than to just wing it and hope for the best. You are the own potter of your life, and you will produce your best art when you are inspired to do so.

Where passion goes, dreams follow.

Written by: Copyright © SoulSurfer 11^th July 2011 at 7.28pm

HOW SERIOUS ARE WE ABOUT OUR DREAMS?

 

A very powerful question asks “What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?”

As I ponder this question in all of its magnitude and opportunity, I immediately am hit with another more reality-based question: “How serious are we about our dreams?”

It seems the word ‘dream’ in today’s world has been replaced with less trivial terms such as goal, ambition, aspiration. But really, as we grow up do we lose sight of our dreams? Are dreams only confined to the realm of children and the young at heart (or slightly kooky)?

Paulo Coelho in his book “The Pilgrimage” describes unfulfilled dreams as ones that initially bring peace from the combativeness of life, but ones which eventually rot within us and infect our whole being. Dreams ignored leave a life unfulfilled.

In order to fulfill our dreams, we must reconnect with them and define them. To some it is an easy task; the dreams have been there, simply repressed by the monotony of life. For others a journey of self-awakening must occur; arousing our strengths and articulating them into solid concepts.

But even after this period of revelation and epiphany, many people go back to the daily chores of life and make no commitment to their dreams. It’s amazing how the most important and potentially life-changing ideas of a person’s life, fall prey to the banal existence they have become accustomed to. We know there is more in life, we know there is a life more exciting and fulfilled, but we lack the strength, conviction and commitment to see our own dreams through. Our own dreams…

Maybe it is because ‘dreams’ are overrated. Maybe they seem like a Disney movie. Maybe they are harder to define and then propel into action than a company project. But they are our projects, our life’s project, and the only people who live with the reality of our unfulfilled dreams are we ourselves.

It’s time to get serious about our dreams. It’s time to commit to making them a reality. It’s time to invest time, money, ideas and resources into the best commodity; your own life. It’s time to grow and believe and become a better person, step by step, dream by dream.

It’s time to be the person who lost 50 pounds on the infomercial.

It’s time to be the next person to climb Mount Everest.

It’s time to leave the job you hate, because there is something more productive and fulfilling you could be doing with your time.

It’s time to be serious about your life and dreams, because you only have one and no one else will live it for you.

Copyright © 13 June 2011 at 9.13pm SoulSurfer

http://paulocoelhoblog.com/2011/02/20/character-of-the-week-petrus