Personal Development

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Envisioning the Future

When Martin Luther King, Jr. envisioned a future America where the color of his skin didn’t determine his rights as a citizen and as a human being, he couldn’t see the path between that point in history and the election of a black president. But did that stop him?

When Mahatma Gandhi envisioned a future where India was free and independent, he couldn’t see the path between that point in history and a free country with the largest democracy in the world. But did that stop him?

When Nelson Mandela envisioned a future South Africa with a multi-racial democracy, he couldn’t see the path between the 27 years he spent in prison and the day he became elected president of that country. But did that stop him? Continue reading →

Stepping into the Darkness

Himalayan Mountains, Nepal 2010

With each step, the ambient light from the house dissipated. The ground was cold and my eyes strained to see where I was going. I dared not turn around or look up, too afraid that doing so would cause a giant creature to materialize from the darkness and swallow me in one gulp.

I was nine years old and although I had long since overcome my fear of the darkness inside the house, the dark forest surrounding the yard still held me hostage.

It was holding me prisoner, preventing me from exploring those places that my siblings wouldn’t dream of going. I wanted to take that next step. I wanted to conquer darkness altogether.

One evening, without telling anyone in the house, I opened the back door and stared into the forest. The darkness was incredible. It shrouded everything in mystery, turning the daytime-yard that I was so familiar with into an unknown world of terrifying possibilities. Continue reading →

Escaping Cages

Photo: Squirrel Trapped in a Cage

The cage rattled and the creature inside gnawed and pulled at the metal bars. It was a Grey Squirrel, one of several that had chewed a nest into the side of my parents house. My dad was catching and releasing them several miles away with the hope that they would find another place to nest. The trap was designed to cage, not harm, so thankfully the creature inside wasn’t hurt.

Due to the design of the trap, tipping the cage over would cause the doors to unlock and open. The squirrel was definitely big enough to tip the cage over, but instead he paced back and forth and occasionally stopped to gnaw and pull on the metal enclosure.

That’s when I found myself wondering what a human would do if placed in the same situation. Despite there being no indication that tipping the cage over would open the doors, a human would surely try that anyway.

I realized that’s what makes us unique: When the outcome seems hopeless, we test the impossible.

Continue reading →

2011 Annual Cultivation: Year of Nurturing

Photo: Corn Fields in Balche, Nepal

I was originally going to call this post the 2011 Annual Planning, but then I realized that doesn’t make sense. How can I plan for something that I know nothing about?

Like an empty field awaiting cultivation, this year holds lots of potential but needs to be tilled and planted before it will grow.

So instead of creating a plan, I asked myself what kind of field I wanted to see at the end of the year. What kind of life do I want to be living one year from now?

By the end of 2011, I want my life to reflect the following:

Financial freedom; shifting focus to growth
A strong global network of friends; deeper connections
Travel planning based on charitable opportunities instead of available funds
Lots of hiking experience; familiar with search & rescue, first aid
Comfortable with my health and fitness level; maintenance mode

The next thing I asked myself was how can I cultivate this year in such a way that the seeds of change I plant are given the best opportunity to grow? How do I need to live my life in 2011 so that I’m more prepared for 2012?

With those questions in mind, I came up with several seeds to nurture this year: Continue reading →

2010 Annual Review: Year of Transition

Photo: Sunset at the foothills of the Western Ghats in Ujire, India

We cannot kill time here on Earth. It’s the other way around: Time kills us. And we never know when that will happen. It could be tomorrow or this time next year. For all I know, this could be my last annual review.

Last year, the Year of Realization, I recognized that I was letting time kill my sense of purpose and direction. I was ignoring what my intuition was telling me in return for social validation and the security of a familiar lifestyle.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did so. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

This was the year I threw off the bowlines. I flew away from the safe harbor that I had called home for the first 28 years of my life and I caught the trade winds of reality. I explored places that I had previously only dreamed of, witnessed extreme inequality, and discovered millions of people who needed help. Continue reading →

Personal Development

Envisioning the Future

Stepping into the Darkness

Escaping Cages

2011 Annual Cultivation: Year of Nurturing

2010 Annual Review: Year of Transition

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