Dormant Forces

“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours” – Henry David Thoreau

As a domesticated human, I have the ingrained habit and tendency to look at the negative in any situation from time to time. One of the things that should be avoided at all costs. When making a decision, I think mostly about what could go wrong. If setting out on a journey or following a big inspiration, I tend to think about all the work involved or the struggle in it. Thank God these things don’t stop me, because the reality is, I always have help.

Ask any wanderer of the earth and they will tell you that while the sites are gorgeous, nature is breathtaking, and the time alone is exactly what the soul needed to find peace, quite possibly the best part of the journey is the people you meet along the way. The people who aid you on each leg, the ones that help you find your path when lost, and those who share their culture. Because this is what ultimately reminds you of all that is good in the world; these are what the most impactful memories are made of. When you travel long enough, you start to believe that the right people will show up exactly when they are supposed to.

These people represent the dormant forces that were there the whole time but didn’t come alive to assist you until they were needed. That is, until you were already that far along the path.  

It is the same with your heart’s calling or your soul’s purpose. When you set out on your adventure you won’t see the lessons and treasures until you are ready for them. 

Let me share a story. While halfway around the world on a venture to start a business, a friend and I decided to go to the beach. It was a nice time but in the long run, it was forgettable. What wasn’t forgettable was the fact that my friend lost his phone either at the beach or on the way back; it had fallen out of his pocket. At the time it was a huge setback because to replace what was lost would be impossible while in that part of the world. We called the phone, and someone had it, but not someone who wanted to part with their new found spoils. So we tracked it back to the beach we were at, a little farther north. Then we set out to go find it and whomever had it. 

When we got to the spot there was a tiny restaurant bar on the beach, a little shack with a nice big patio and amazing view. We spoke to the owner and the only other patron with no luck. We called the phone, but it didn’t ring. It was a wild goose chase at this point. So we decided to regroup and grab a drink while we were there. During our second round of drinks, a fellow traveler came up to us and asked for a light for his cigarette, which my friend obliged. A natural conversation ensued, and the typical questions were asked- “Where are you from? What brings you here? How long are you traveling?” and the like. When he told us his profession, it blew our minds. He was exactly the type of person we were looking for with the business we had been building.

That traveler ended up becoming the head of marketing at my company. We not only became close friends, but I later visited him in his home country and even met his family. He made such an impact in my life and business, that even though we don’t work side by side any more, to this day I still not only keep in touch with him, but have kept his signature forever imprinted on our company branding.

I tell that story because you never know what things are going to transpire to make sure you will be in the place you need to be to further the calling of your heart. We never ended up getting the phone back on the beach that day, but we gained so much more- something worth a thousand phones. And when you count the lesson in it, the return is infinite.

The saying goes that “God works in mysterious ways.” Whoever coined that phrase was attempting to communicate that we really have no idea what is going to happen in life, but that all of it is good if we choose to see it that way. That all of it is happening for you, not to you. 

It also means to shut up and enjoy the ride. To keep your eyes and mind open for your heart’s calling to show up, because it will not be the way you think it will. If everything happened the way you thought it was going to happen, life would be extremely boring. It would also leave out the things you didn’t realize you needed to think about. How can you possibly know all you need to become to face what is coming? How could you know every skill you will need? How could you know every experience you will need to draw from? 

When you follow the excitement of the heart and do things not based on any outcome, but for the love of doing them, then you will be led to an existence where everything is there to serve you. Your only job is to do what your highest calling is in that moment, because that is what the Universe wants from you. At that point you can ask the question “how may I serve?” and the answer that comes from within will put a smile on your face and a lightness in your step. It will be a joy to get lost in. And while immersed in this flow space, everything will be orchestrated around you to take you to the next excitement and the next, until you finally look up and find yourself in the world you always wanted to be in. The world where you are not controlling anything, but everything is under control. Where nothing gets done but nothing is left undone.

Today is the day and now is the time to let go of anything distracting you from that calling from within. Take the tiniest baby step right now in the direction of your heart, and know that with every step there will be help along the way. Just like whatever called you to read this and finish it.

Different Wave Same Ocean. Good Journey My Friend