Live your dream. I have traveled the world, forging my path through an unconventional career and alternative studies, and I have explored the inner realms of human experience and consciousness. I believe you must learn to trust, and not let anything hold you back from the ultimate experience here on planet Earth. Get the most with these 10 tips on squeezing the maximum juice out of life.
1. Be yourself.
I know, you’ve heard it a million times, but this is the foundation of making the most out of life. You are unique. There is no one like you. You cannot live comparing yourself to others or to a mainstream ideal. Be you and give the world the gift of your particular expression, views, and creativity.
2. Be a spiritual cosmonaut.
Most of experience and reality is defined by the lens we perceive with. Change your inner world and you have changed your universe. It makes a life-changing difference to explore the inner territory of your consciousness. It’s not for the squeamish–especially at the boundaries–but the payoff is tremendous. Bring a lifejacket, some granola, and ask a shaman for directions.
3. Find the Unity.
We are a speck connected to others and part of a great matrix. The experience of oneness is one of the ultimate toys in existence. Through unity you learn how selflessness relates to happiness, nd how living for others reveals to us who we are.
4. Fear little.
What is there to worry about? Pain? Yes. Suffering? Yes. Money? No! Where you’re going to live? No! Your job? No! We worry about too much for no good reason. With a strong mind and insight into the nature of reality, you will be okay. Depending on where you live, chances are you’ll be able to find a place to stay and a place to eat if you have neither. Not living your dream is costly. Living without fear is priceless.
5. Look for positive relationships.
Relationships can enhance our lives or detract from them. We don’t have time for bad ones; ones that make us tired, less confident, or put constraints on our true selves. Want to hear a secret? Don’t be too quick to ditch a current relationship that needs work. We often re-create the same issues in future relationships. Instead, try to make it a positive, uplifting relationship first. If that doesn’t work, then reconsider it.
6. Find people like you.
Having a sense of community is a great source of support for your crazy ideas and ways of living life. Whatever you’re into, there are others out there like you. Sometimes family members and friends just don’t get us. Create or join a new family of like-minded folks and feel the relief of finally being understood.
7. Learn what you want, not just what schools offer.
Mainstream schools offer a certain way of learning, a certain method for assessing knowledge, and offer programs along a range of subjects that may not include what you are most interested in. My biggest complaint with many formal learning environments is that they often diminish the natural curiosity and excitement to learn we have as children. Think about what you most want to learn about, and go find learning opportunities in that area. For me, it was traveling to native villages and tapping counterculture hubs of wisdom. Don’t be afraid to take a non-traditional route to your future self and work.
8. Find incredible mentors.
Mentors can make the difference between doing something amazing and doing nothing at all. Get in other people’s jet stream, and let them open new doors for you to explore. In the same way that the top 10% of professionals in many fields provide a vastly different service than the other 90%, a mentor of great talent may have more impact than an average mentor. Seek out the best and brightest that will let you hang around. Seek out unusual, incredible minds and connect yourself to them. You will learn, for sure, but other roads may also open up as a result.
9. Hit the underground.
One of the most interesting aspects of society in any locale is the collection of elements that are hidden from the mainstream. There is knowledge, wisdom, and unique experiences in these elements, and your awareness of them separates you from most others. These are parts that society has split itself off from and is uncomfortable with. By re-integrating such elements into your own experience, you have greater access to the full human experience and may find hidden doors to future success.
The counterculture often exploits areas of study before they become mainstream. You can get in on new trends, cutting edge information, and access communities of thinkers while they are still small and unknown. You can learn alternative lifestyles that can take your life to the next level, as well as alternative economies and places to live that fit a wide-range of lifestyle dreams. Always be cautious when traveling the underground, as it’s like the Wild West: no rules, no chaperones.
10. Question yourself often.
You don’t know what you don’t know, but you may think you know a lot. I’m often around people of great intellect, experience, and cultural awareness, yet we’re blinded by assumptions about our own knowledge. Be humble. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Try to learn from everyone you meet. And remember, there is so much you don’t know and are unaware of, and so many ways your reality and perception can change as blind spots are worn away. Listen carefully, get in therapy, be challenged. Our mind only realizes our ignorance when a new part wakes up.
This planet offers unending opportunities for living the life you’ve dreamed of. The biggest limitation is our own mind. Look around, and realize that if mainstream society does not offer an answer, then surely another realm of society does, including inside of yourself! Keep looking, asking, and seeking with intent, purpose and strength. You’ll find your home soon. Now go out and get life!
Featured photo credit: Tourist on the road/Sergii Kolesnyk) via 123rf.com
