Finding the Keys

In the end these things matter most:   How well did you love?  How fully did you love?   How deeply did you learn to let go?

~ The Buddha

This October 2012 daily series, “A Wilderness Hike,” started with the promise of sharing glimpses of my forthcoming book, “Getting Unstuck,” much of which was worked out during these long, clarifying excursions into the mountains and wild forests.  Today those glimpses begin!  So here goes.

Imagine we could do what we love, melting away obstacles, letting go of fear, and living happy—and now, not later.   What would happen if the world existed to fulfill our dreams and desires?  How would we feel if everything around us were a reflection of our energy and what we were creating?  And what if our purpose here were exactly to fill this role as the best way to serve the universal good?

When I conceived “Getting Unstuck,” I sat down to write a practical book.  I was watching so many people struggle, and unnecessarily.  They were looking for work.   They hated their jobs.  I saw how people were stuck in other area of their lives as well.  I listened to people’s stories about how they were stuck.  I expected to write of struggles, hard work, recovery, methodologies, and I did write about those things.  But when I stepped away from the details for an overview, I found I had written something else entirely.  In short, in every section, in every chapter, in every part of every approach, there was a consistent and persistent theme:

The Keys to Abundance are Love and Gratitude.

There it was, looking all mystical and idealistic.  But there it was—the essence of the very practical processes and analyses I had spend months recording.  Love and Gratitude.  I had long preached that it’s easier to do what you love than to settle for what you don’t.  But now I had myself discovered that this was only the surface.  To be successful, to enjoy Abundance in all areas of life, begin with Love and Gratitude.

Struggling to do what we believe we have to do just doesn’t work well.  Unfortunately, it’s also the most common approach.  We are often motivated more by avoidance of what we don’t want than by what we would prefer.  We are a reactive lot.  We prefer to coasting to climbing, and coasting only happens downhill.  So we ward off the trouble, and never get to building what we’d like.  But if we aren’t working to build our dreams, we’re working to build someone else’s dreams.  Our dreams then slowly die on the shelf—and needlessly.

So how can we move past the obstacles blocking this destiny?  And what about the fears holding us back?  What do we do about unfavorable conditions?  What’s the secret to making something so seemingly idealistic work for us?   This is a journey that first requires us to take a good look at ourselves and our habits.  If nothing changes, nothing changes.  And what changes first are not circumstances or situations, but thoughts and emotions–Happiness and Hope come first, not as a product;  waiting for either keeps people stuck.   It’s backwards.

Instead:

*We must appreciate what we have (the new possibilities at the very least).   Anything else puts the problem on the circumstances, which we can’t effectively change.
*We must work with the current situation (letting go of blaming the situation—we must change instead).  When we make peace with where we are, we see opportunities.
*We must see a vision of the future, even if only a small way down the road.   This should be compelling, enticing, irresistible, exciting, juicy, something passionately beckoning.  We have to get honest with ourselves about what we want—what we really want, the entire package.   Then even the beginning of the journey will be fun and exciting.  We’re on our way!

We can’t get what we want when we don’t know what it is.   And most people, ironically, either don’t know what it is, or aren’t being honest with themselves about it.  This is a journey that starts with self-reflection.

Ironically, self-reflection is the hardest;  being honest with ourselves is often a real challenge.  Here’s where a wilderness walk helps—the stark, clear, mirror around us slowly brings out only what’s true, leaving the projections and self-created complications behind.

Image
Peering through the clouds from Snowy Mountain
Are you interested in hearing more about Wilderness Hikes as projects evolve in the future? Let me know here, so I have a list of those interested ready to go, by clicking here (and page all the way down to click “Sign Up” at the bottom):
Join the “Wilderness Hike” list.

If you’d like to hear about my “Getting Unstuck” book as it gets closer to release, let me know by clicking here (and you’re welcome to do *both,* of course–page all the way down to click “Sign Up” at the bottom):
Join the “Getting Unstuck” list.

October 2012 is a series of daily posts about “A Wilderness Hike,” taking readers through the healing of wilderness experience and glimpses of my work at Kwan Yin Healing and of my book, “Getting Unstuck.”

You can read the series from the start via the links here:

Oct. 1:    A Wilderness Hike
Oct. 2:   The Sixth Hour
Oct. 3:   Snowy Mountain
Oct. 4:   Letting Go of Baggage–the Wilderness Way
Oct. 5:   “Bear” the Thought
Oct. 6:   Mountain.  Buddha.  Impermanence.
Oct. 7:   The Rewards of Rain
Oct. 8:   Finding the Keys
Oct. 9:   “I’d love to, but times are bad.”
Oct. 10:  Attracting the Law of Attraction
Oct. 11:  We are not our thoughts
Oct. 12:  Honesty, Forgiveness, Healing
Oct. 13:  Getting Unstuck:  Feeling Overwhelmed
Oct. 14:  Money is remarkably easy to come by, if that’s all you want.
Oct. 15:  To be Time Rich, Learn to Be
Oct. 16:  Changing Thoughts for Changing Work
Oct. 17:  Finding and Sharing your Gifts
Oct. 18:  Do you want to be the boss?  Be sure you want to run the show.
Oct. 19:  Finding jobs within jobs
Oct. 20: Bright Mountain Dream
Oct. 21: Escape the Wilderness of Addictions
Oct. 22: The Importance of Spiritual Direction
Oct. 23: In Search of Enlightenment
Oct. 24: Relationship Thoughts from the Wilderness
Oct. 25: We learn in realtionships
Oct. 26: Chrysalis
Oct. 27: Self-Healing, part 1
Oct. 28: Self-Healing, part 2:  Time for a new perspective
Oct. 29: Dix Mountain
Oct. 30: The Mist-Filled Path
Oct. 31: From Wilderness to Wondrousness

Enjoy!

31 thoughts on “Finding the Keys

  1. Thank you again Tim for a most inspiring blog and message!
    After a month on the Abundance Quest from the Shift Network I had this realization a few days ago from my heart, I could really feel it – that due to all the gratitude journalling this amazing love started to fill my whole being. I decided there and then to look at everything and everyone around me through the eyes of love – not easy and it works maybe 5 % of the day, but that already makes a huge difference, just that the intent is there.
    And the amount of abundace is amazing!

    Love and gratitude from me and my huskies!

    • In a later section of the book, I discuss the power of doing something even small consistently day by day, without exception. As you say, it already makes a difference. Do this as a daily practice and over time it will build beyond what you can imagine. I have experienced this myself, and have seen it in others. Enjoy! And thank you so much for the love and gratitude!

  2. Pingback: Getting Unstuck: Feeling Overwhelmed | A Healer's Cafe

  3. Pingback: Money is remarkable easy to come by, if that’s all you want. | A Healer's Cafe

  4. Pingback: To be Time Rich, Learn to Be | A Healer's Cafe

  5. Pingback: Changing thoughts for changing work | A Healer's Cafe

  6. Pingback: Finding and Sharing your Gifts | A Healer's Cafe

  7. Pingback: Do you want to be the boss? Be sure you want to run the show. | A Healer's Cafe

  8. Pingback: Finding jobs within jobs | A Healer's Cafe

  9. Pingback: Bright Mountain Dream | A Healer's Cafe

  10. Pingback: Escape the Wilderness of Addictions | A Healer's Cafe

  11. Pingback: The Importance of Spiritual Direction | A Healer's Cafe

  12. Pingback: In Search of Enlightenment | A Healer's Cafe

  13. Pingback: Relationship Thoughts from the Wilderness | A Healer's Cafe

  14. Pingback: We learn in relationships | A Healer's Cafe

  15. Pingback: Chrysalis | A Healer's Cafe

  16. Pingback: Self-Healing, part 1 | A Healer's Cafe

  17. Pingback: Self-Healing, part 2: Time for a new perspective | A Healer's Cafe

  18. Pingback: Dix Mountain | A Healer's Cafe

  19. Pingback: A Wilderness Hike | A Healer's Cafe

  20. Pingback: The Mist-Filled Path | A Healer's Cafe

  21. Pingback: From Wilderness to Wondrousness | A Healer's Cafe

  22. Pingback: The Sixth Hour | A Healer's Cafe

  23. Pingback: Snowy Mountain | A Healer's Cafe

  24. Pingback: “Bear” the thought | A Healer's Cafe

  25. Pingback: Letting go of baggage — the wilderness way | A Healer's Cafe

  26. Pingback: Mountain. Buddha. Impermanence. | A Healer's Cafe

  27. Pingback: The Rewards of Rain | A Healer's Cafe

  28. Pingback: “I’d love to, but times are bad.” | A Healer's Cafe

  29. Pingback: We are not our thoughts | A Healer's Cafe

  30. Pingback: Honesty, Forgiveness, Healing | A Healer's Cafe

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