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“You can’t succeed in life without a degree” I read this today on Instagram and I thought to myself that whoever wrote it had a lot to “learn”. Then I found the above quote and thought how much the universe provides. Education can be found everywhere it is a lifelong adventure journey of discovery and investigation. To truly be “educated” it is essential to start to seek out and acknowledge teachers and learning experiences. To be able to do this you need to train your mind.
 
Think about the people you meet and the conversations you have. What are you taking away from those conversation? Are you actively asking questions and exploring their opinions and ideas? Are you even open to other people’s thoughts, opinions and ideas? Are you “trying on” what you learn to see if they may fit you or improve you?
 
Travelling is a great learning experience and now that I am travelling “on the cheap” my learning experience have certainly quadrupled. Not only am I learning from the people and experiences I encounter, I am also being pushed out of my middle-class comfort zone so I am learning heaps about myself. I love this aspect of my journey.
 
David and I are currently doing some volunteering work at a small BnB (The Flying Fox) on the Whanganui River in New Zealand. This place is virtually off the grid. Kelly & Jane (The proprietors) live the ethos of the place and it is true magical. They have solar power, the toilet systems are either compost or long drop, they grow most of their own produce, they hunt for food, they are both artisan and sell their art to provide extra income for the goods they can’t grow or hunt. We spent 3 weeks with these gorgeous people and learnt so much. Every day it was something new. Not only skills we can take with us but the property gives you space to think and explore your own thoughts. These are people that have decided to live differently to what would be considered “normal”. It’s not an easy life, their days are full of looking after guest, fixing things, general upkeep of the ground…mowing the lawn alone takes 2 people 3 hours.  But they are so happy and giving of their skills and knowledge. I have enjoyed exploring their beliefs and values and their way of life. I have learnt so much about myself
 
I have also enjoyed listening to why people are doing Te Araroa and how they are walking. Some people are determined to walk every single step regardless of how hard or boring it is. Others will skip the boring bits, others will only do sections of the walk. David and I intended to walk the trail in its entirety when we started, but our thinking has changed along the way. We have had experiences that have made us reassess what it is we want to achieve. We have spoken to people and questioned their motivation, each time taking away some lesson. So, we are now crafting a journey that suits us. Is this cheating? Is it compromising? No. David and I have had many conversations on this topic and we like to think that is learning as we go.  Learning what we like, what we don’t like, getting clear on what we are trying to achieve, what we want to experience and what we really want to feel. We both have an idea of who we want to be, but how we will achieve that is flexible. So, each morning we get up with an open mind and heart and ask the universe to provide the teachers and experiences that will help us achieve our goal. So, I leave you with 3 questions:
 
Are you open to learning?
Do you set yourself up daily, to learn?
When & where do you do your most learning?
 
I would really love to hear from you

​I believe the number one reason why people don’t reach their goals is actually having a goal. What!!! You scream That doesn’t make sense. Just stay with me a minute and I will explain. As a Coach, I am a huge advocate of goal setting and dreaming big. I tell my clients feel yourself doing and being what it is you want. Imagine how your life will be different, imagine how you will be different. And without exception they all get excited and start writing out what they imagine life would be like when they have achieved their goal. I then get them to write down what they have to do to achieve this. They then put together a timeframe of when each thing needs to be done…..and for a few weeks everything goes really well, they are ticking of the to do list. Then a few things start to slip and before long the goal is forgotten buried under all this “action” stuff. The excitement has waned and it all gets too hard. Sound Familiar?
 
How do we stop this from happening? One sentence….. whatever you want is a journey not a destination.  Albert Einstein famously said, “the mind that created the problem can’t solve the problem”. Meaning the person, you are today can’t possibly fit into your vision of the future. So, what does that mean, simple it means you have to learn and adapt along the pathway to where you want to be. You have to “experience “the journey to recognise the destination. For goals to work, and they do work, you have to enjoy and celebrate the lessons along the way.
 
Take for example someone wanting to drop 10kg. They imagine themselves at their goal weight, wearing the clothes they want, getting lots of attention, feeling sexy and confident.
Along the way what are some of the changes in them they have to recognise and celebrate?

• By eating heathier not only are they losing weight but their skin is glowing, they have more energy. That’s worth acknowledging and celebrating.
• By exercising regularly, they are getting out in the outdoors, maybe meeting new people, feeling calmer. That’s making them happier (research show social interaction and getting outdoors increases serotonin and dopamine in the body both contribute to higher levels of happiness)

 
However, these both become a drag and are easy to throw in the to-hard basket if the focus is only on the end goal, it is to abstract. To succeed the focus has to be on keeping the excitement alive by celebrating the small subtle changes that is the journey,
 
Long distance trekking is exactly the same. The goal is to finish the trek and I see many blogs that are all about finishing the journey. But are they missing the point? What about the subtle changes along the way, what about all the “mini” experiences on track, what about the amazing starlight nights, what about all the crazies you meet, what about the way you have learnt to encourage yourself to be softer. These are all success points, all integral to achievement of your goal
 
So yes, goals are important to success in anything in life, and yes, they should be big bold hairy audacious and shitting my britches……… however don’t get so caught up in reaching the end that you rush the journey. A famous man once said stop and smell the roses. Well I say reward yourself daily.
 
Linger for that extra wine with a new-found friend, stay up all night and watch the stars.
You only walk this world once, walk it in gold lame sneaker, singing bohemian rhapsody at the top of your lungs walking beside the crazy man who sees leprechauns.   And when you reach your goal you will realise that it too was not a destination but the stepping to an even greater adventure.

From inception of this journey David and I have had the belief that the Universe was giving us signs that this was what we were meant to do. From meeting people that had done the walks we wanted to do, to getting great airfares when we needed to fly. Everything has just dropped into place. Then BANG one of the accommodation bookings we had made suddenly cancelled our booking for no reason.
 
WOW what is this!!! Is this the Universe reneging on our plan? Inside my head the devil’s voice of doubt suddenly grew very loud…. “Fool, see this is just a hair brain scheme”, “I told you that you couldn’t make this work”, “What makes you think you’re special”. Yes, the spiral of fear and doubt got a really good hold of me Spiral, Spiral, Spiral… I was in a cold sweat doubting everything from my ability, how I was going to survive to my sanity.
 
Then the universe stepped in again and into my mind flashed a neon sign that had this quote, “It’s not the strongest of the species that survives, not even the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change” Charles Darwin.
 
And again, I thanked the Universe for it’s amazing insight. It would be unrealistic to believe that the type of adventure we are about to embark on will always go smoothly and to plan. The mere description of calling it an adventure would indicate many unknowns……but we will adapt. We will learn not to bank on certain sequences of events. We will learn that the magic will be found in the journey not the destination. We will learn to trust each other and our inner wisdom and the deep grounded belief we both have that this is what we are meant to do, we will adapt or we will return to a normal life and we will die a slow and lingering extinction (Figuratively speaking. “With great risk comes great rewards” Dalai Lama.
 
Love the growth. The change in me is happening before I put my first step on the track. MAGIC!!. Nelson Mandela said “that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear”.

This photo is of David and I early in the morning of our 28th day on the Camino. We were on the way up a mountain to the Cruz de Ferro in Spain. It was the day that changed my future.
The Cruz de Ferro or Iron Cross sits  at the highest point of the Camino de Santiago between Manjarin and Foncebardon. Pilgrims for centuries have been placing stones at the base of the cross signifying leaving their sins behind and preparing to be reborn on the last leg of the Camino. Today it has a much broader meaning symbolising a problem or issue one wants to leave behind, leaving behind something you no longer want to be burdened with.
I had read about this ritual before starting the pilgrimage and thought long and hard about what I needed to leave behind. But it wasn’t until I was standing at the base of the cross, on this foggy morning, did I really understand the significance. As I  got down on my knees and placed my stone onto the pile I prayed to the Universe that I had the strength and wisdom to leave behind anything that would not serve me in the future. But more than that I asked the Universe to help me. Help me remember the lessons I had learnt on the Camino and to take them back into my everyday life.
Walking the Camino you have plenty of time to get inside your own head and sort out all the shit that has been accumulating over the years, the regrets, the beliefs that held you back, the irrational fears, the harmful behaviours that have become in ground into your being and the list goes on. As I sat at the base of Cruz de Ferro all this went through my head and as I placed my stone onto the pile, I knew my life would never be the same again. I had learnt lessons that I would never allow to disappear from my consciousness. Some of those lessons I would like to share with you.

1. We all have an inner voice: Take time to connect to, tune in let it guide you. Don’t confuse it with the voices in your head, this is your soul voice, the voice that nurtures and aligns you with your greater power. If you cant hear it, STOP  and just breath give it the space and silence to be able to speak to you.
2. The best relationship you should have is the one with yourself, No man, no amount of drugs will ever be able to fill the void inside you if you don’t have a good relationship with yourself. Your relationship with yourself will be reflected in the relationships you have with others. Be gentle with yourself.
3. When you least expect it, it will rain. Everyone has troubled times. Times that you feel that you can’t go on. But also know that the sun will always shine again and the sooner you can learn to smile during the rain the easier your life will become.
4.  Look for a deeper reason or purpose. Don’t float throw life on a cloud of superficial cotton candy. Question your purpose your passion. Look for reason for your existence. Look for ways you can serve others and by serving others you serve yourself.
5. Don’t define your future by your past. Each day is a new day, a new road to walk, Embrace change and enjoy the excitement of learning. Leave behind anything that doesn’t support you.
6. Walk every kilometre: Don’t’ jump at the easy way, the only way to feel satisfied and happy is if you earn it. Go through the hardships and trust that it’s there to help you not hurt you.
7. Find a tribe: Find people that will support you and have your best interest at heart. You can walk the world alone but your tribe brings meaning to the walk.
8. Last but not least do the best that you can. Stop comparing, the journey is yours and yours alone. Many people may walk the same path but each person’s journey is different. Walk your journey with love in your heart, peace in your soul, wisdom in your mind and ……a spring in your step.

Now not everybody can have the luxury of being able to walk the Camino, but in reality the Camino is your life’s journey condensed into 5 weeks. You go through highs and lows, you have burdens to carry, you have events that can throw you off course and threaten to stop you. There are challenges and opportunities and you have to leave things behind and adapt and plan along the way. You have to deal with people, the good the bad and the ugly. You have the chance to learn and grow or walk away unchanged.

​Buen Camino my friends

In her 1972 hit song Janis Joplin sings about …..“freedom, is just another word for nothing left to loose” . Is Janis saying we are only free if we have nothing to loose, that friends, money, relationships are an encumbrance? I personally believe freedom is a mindset, something you have to establish internally. It’s about creating that internal peace and stability so even when the world outside is trying to tie you down or cage your spirit, you have the strength and courage to be your own person.

What does freedom mean to you?
For me freedom is about being at peace with myself and who I am, it means minimizing my internal conflict, having more self belief and resilience, loving myself more and accepting what is, so creating less stress.

7  Simple Steps Towards Freedom
 

1. Self Acceptance
   Self acceptance is not about changing who you are. It is about shifting your thought process from one of blame, doubt and shame to one of allowance, tolerance, acceptance and trust. It’s about acknowledging your strengths and changing or minimising your weaknesses.
2. Learn forgiveness and compassion
   Forgiveness is about letting go of the past.  It is important because for as long as you don’t forgive someone you will be inevitably tied  to that person. Your thoughts will return to the person who wronged you and what they did over and over again. The emotional link between the two of you is so strong and inflicts a lot of suffering in you. When you forgive you not only release the other person, you set yourself free from all of that agony. One thing to keep in mind is to not just forgive others but also yourself. By forgiving yourself you make the habit of forgiveness more and more of a natural part of you. And so forgiving others becomes easier too.
   If forgiveness is letting go of the past, compassion is about creating a better future. Compassion is defined as the emotional response when perceiving suffering and involves an authentic desire to help. By creating compassion you connect with other people for all the right reason rather than being tied together by guilt or anger.
3. Do what you enjoy.
   When you do what you enjoy there is a natural peace and energy created, you are aligned with yourself creating a feeling of lightness and freedom. One of my favorite tips for finding things you enjoy is to get curious and try things out and see what you think of them. Think about the situations when time fly’s with what are you doing, what things energise you, what are you good at?
   
4. Keep Learning
   One thing that provides us with stress in our life is the fact that we always worry about not having all the answers. Just accepting that you do not know everything, and that you are open to always keep learning is a tremendous step to take towards achieving inner peace.
5. Live in the present moment
   Most of the time, what we worry about is relating to something either in the past, or something that hasn’t yet happened. Living in the present moment erases all such thoughts. Why worry about something in the past that we cannot ever change?  Living in the present can take some practice because we hold onto things that are familiar and many of us fear if we let the past go what else do we have.
6. Meditate
   Simply sit back, close your eyes, and clear your mind of every single thought. Focus on the emptiness. Breathe deep and let the tension and your thoughts dissipate. You will be surprised what a mere 20 minutes of meditation can do to turn things around for you. Meditation is medicine for the soul, it calms the mind and body down so that the soul can communicate with them. Meditation will bring forth your true passion and purpose.
7. Spend Time With Nature
   We spend so much time confined in buildings of steel and concrete and bricks that we quickly forget we are a part of nature. It is natural for us to feel more at peace in a natural environment than in a man made environment.  There is scientific proof that “Earthing” (the practice of connecting your body directly with the earth ) can be beneficial for your health.
8. Looking Ahead
   We can create internal freedom by focusing and then working towards how you want it to be. Give yourself time to dream and visualise what you really want your world to be like.  Focus on the solution, and what you want it to be like.
9. Let Go
   I believe you can’t have true freedom unless you are prepared to lose everything you have right  now. By this I mean you have done all of the above, you feel good about where you are in your life and you are ready to take the next step in your growth towards being exactly the type of person you want to be. You know exactly what it is that is working for you and you have the freedom and the inner peace to say adios to what isn’t working for you.  
   
   

NOW THATS FREEDOM.