Brock { Abroad }

As I reflect on my experience, I recognize that while Spain first taught me to enjoy life, it has now also reinforced in me the need for balance in order to live a truly fulfilling life. It’s no surprise this lesson comes from a country that clocks in some of the highest hours of labor in all of Europe, yet still makes time for a daily siesta! I’ve stopped hiking, but I am still “on the trail.” I believe that the pilgrimage never really ends as I look at the trail ahead; a path of self-growth on all levels with an opportunity to plant some seeds for the future. Here’s my process of beginning my path as a progressive pilgrim. Give it a try with me, if you want.

When I was first here in Rotterdam, some questions began springing up inside of me. You see, it all started reading about these things called goals. I’d had some long term ones written in the back of my notebook, but had never given it much thought beyond that. So, I decided I’d write another list of goals for my travels. I realized I’d never actually given a tremendous amount of thought as to what I wanted out of this journey. I then realized that a lot of people don’t really take the time to plan what they really want to get out of life.

I started writing, but it just looked like another to-do list of crazy dreams. I could see the goal, but how could I get myself there?
I decided I’d start from the beginning, I’d look at the “big picture.” I simply asked myself:

Who am I?

It seemed as good a place as any to start, but how could I really answer it? I realized that there would be no better way to figure out who I was than by writing “my story.”

Interesting, I thought… I could now see the big picture, but now what?…

It was then that I turned to a book I’d been given by a family friend called Strengthsfinder. It was a book which included software that would analyze your strengths and explain a further a plan of action to make these strengths work to your advantage. Mine were:

Input- I crave to know more
Connectedness- Have faith in the links between all things.
Individualization- Intrigued w/ the unique qualities of each person and have a gift for figuring out how people who are different can work together productively.
Responsibility- Take psychological ownership in what they say they will do, committed to honesty and loyalty
Positivity- Contagious enthusiasm, upbeat, can get others excited

If you want a real personal consultation on your strengths and talents,  ask your  mom, dad, brother, girlfriend, anyone!( who knows you best and wants the best for you.) After reading that, I began to develop even more confidence in myself and went to a website I greatly admire called The Art of Nonconformity. You can also find it in the sidebar on my homepage. What Chris, the site’s author, suggests is doing an annual review. Ok, I thought I’d give it a try. If you’re familiar with my story, you’ll know that I’ve spent several months in motion. There was a lot of material to sift through. The first question was:

What went well this year?
Well, I traveled to my first developing country, volunteered and wrote for the health organization’s website. I attended an inaugural ball for President Obama and watched him get sworn in amongst millions of others. I lived in my first apartment outside of school in an art squat in Montreal. I learned how to bartend, worked hard, and learned to love where I came from. I became best friends with my mom.

Then, ask yourself:

What did not go well this year?
Starting with my biggest failure, I did not reach a goal of sending qualified nurses and doctors to the clinic I volunteered at. Although I enjoyed my time in Montreal, I don’t think I thought clearly enough in all the alternative options available at the time. I wasn’t focused on where I was headed and lost important family members because of a bed decision I’d made. I had lost clarity and focus before returning home to work towards something.

Well, that was sort of a downer but realized that things started looking up for me as I returned to working on something I could visualize. However, once past the visualization stage, you began to tense up as I felt the inevitable fear of failure creep in. Build back your confidence! You should…

…Write a list of 20 things you’ve done! It was really fun and if you’re following along, you really need to try it. As a matter of fact, if you really want to begin to see any sort of path form out of this, you should really do all of these exercises. Really, it helps!

Next, try thinking of six people who changed your life (for the better). What is it about them that inspires you? What qualities do you admire in them? What qualities do you have in common? How do you wish you could be more like this person? What did they teach you? What did you teach them? Looking at this, maybe you’ll also want to include people that negatively affected your life if you feel they taught you an important lesson. However, the person most likely ended up making your life better once they were no longer a part of it.

I was feeling better at what I’d accomplished, and now that I could really see my story on paper, I thought back on a lesson the camino had taught me about momentum. It was a lot harder to get up and get moving again once I stopped, but once I just started and kept a steady pace, I could go strong for hours! You don’t want to stop for too many breaks, but if you’re feeling tired, listen to your body! It’s all about finding that balance between too much and too little.

Like a fish fighting the current of water, you never want to end up just flowing downstream; for that is a dead fish. However, if you constantly continue to struggle with the current, you will also just end up downstream with the rest of them.

The secret lies in knowing where that middle point is and master swimming swifter and smarter; and that takes work.

Related posts:

1. b.pilgrim{process}
2. My “Mastermind Group”
3. 21st Century Leadership; styles
4. on energy and ‘doing’
5. Apples&Chocolate