thoughts

~ An Unsolved Puzzle ~

January 8, 2019January 8, 2019 nofiltersnecessaryLeave a comment

~ An Unsolved Puzzle ~

“Cultures are like jigsaw puzzles and not all of us slot so easily into place. The pieces who don’t fit in are usually the ones who realise that there isn’t even a puzzle to be solved. Life is not about being pushed down and being rigidly confined in one spot forever; it is about exploration, evolution, and changing shape. That is the fundamental structure of the universe after all – a constant movement of waves and energy. Why allow yourself to be trapped and restricted by other pieces? Why be one shape when you can be many? So just don’t do it. Don’t be just one thing. Don’t let your entire existence in the universe be defined by some job title. Be a nurse by day and a unicorn by night. Be here, there and everywhere. Be weird – be stupid – be absolutely off-the-wall crazy. Whatever it is you do, please, just don’t be a jigsaw piece.”

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~ Overcoming The Fear of Flying ~

January 8, 2019January 8, 2019 nofiltersnecessaryLeave a comment

~ Overcoming the Fear of Flying ~

“Always we look up at those birds in the sky and daydream about taking flight. But we rarely think about the fact that those birds are just doing what they are born to do – spreading their wings and flying. We are all human-beings and while we may not have wings to fly, we sure as hell have legs to run, fingers to write, mouths to sing and a whole damn world to explore. The only way for us to be like the birds is to just do the things which come profoundly naturally – the things we feel deep down we were born to do. To some that could be painting, it could be surfing or climbing mountains; to some maybe it’s even something as simple as gardening. Whatever it is, the only way to taste the freedom of flight, is to allow ourselves to do the things which make us feel absolutely weightless. In this increasingly convoluted world, it’s easy to let our lives become a chore of convention and expectation, but the day we neglect the nature of our soul is the day that the sky has one bird less. A human-being who spends their whole life ignoring their true inner nature is simply the bird that refused to spread its wings. A human-being who is prevented from doing that by another, is a bird that has been captured and caged. Don’t let either of those bleak scenarios happen. In our darkest moments, we all secretly know we could do with a few more free birds up there to inspire us all. So, go on – let go and take a leap of faith. Don’t let the weight of this world grind you down. Jump the nest of comfort and convention. Follow your instinct. Hunt that horizon. Explore your passion.

Spread those wings and become what you were born to be.”

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(taken from my book ‘The Thoughts From The Wild’ available here)

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~ The Movement Of Life ~

January 7, 2019January 7, 2019 nofiltersnecessaryLeave a comment

~ The Movement of Life ~

“Move. You were born to move. From the very second you entered this earth you were born to move. Before you could talk, you cried; before you could walk, you crawled. Wild and curious, you grew and explored the world around you. First was your home and your school, then it was your street and your neighbourhood – then your city and its fields. As the weeks went by, your world and horizons opened up and everything became bigger as you grew into the universe around you. You dreamt, you learnt, you explored, you wandered – and you moved. Because that was the most important thing; that was what was natural. To move and to grow. But what happens? What happens as you get older?

Your natural curious instinct to move and explore is stifled out of you. You become an adult and are asked to decide on things that ultimately make you static. You’re asked to have a job in a singular building in which to spend your adult life saving to buy a static house that ultimately compounds and cements one’s lack of movement. Your range of movement that once soared week-in, week-out as you grew into your world becomes reduced to the simple repetitive commute to work, the few square metres in the building of the work space and the same old journey to the supermarket and pub at the weekend. Too tired after work, you park yourself down on the sofa to watch a box in front of you every night. Your mental and spiritual world also becomes ever-harder to expand and explore; with time constraints and a grinding exhausting routine, there is no time to write that book, to learn that language or to play that instrument. You are too tired and too busy. So you no longer explore, you no longer wander – and you no longer move.

But it’s not all your natural state of being; a lack of movement in intrinsic to a lack of life after all – no movement consequently suggests no life. If one lets their physical and mental movement decline exponentially then they are left living less and less each day as they descend into old age. And so you have to respond. To live to your fullest and make the most of now, you have to move. Whoever you are, in whatever capacity, in whatever format. Go running before or after work; find time to work on your passion; travel to a new place on the weekend; save up all your money to go on an adventure – an exploration, a journey, a voyage. If you’re young and have no responsibilities to attain to, then travel and live on the other side of the world, in a new culture, a new landscape. If you’re old and encumbered with responsibilities then embrace them – take your kids to new places, try new things in your spare time, seek to learn something new and break bad habits.

Exercise. Exercise your body, your rights of freedom, your right to explore, grow and be happy. The ability to run, to cycle, to jump or to climb is due to the ownership of the greatest device one can ever own. Your body is the most valuable piece of equipment you will ever have the privilege to operate – a privilege that is fully denied to many others. So make the most of your mobility and feel the power of your existence as you tread the earth’s vibrant soil and run through space and time. Make the most of your mobility and move.

And keep moving. Don’t let your movement decrease; ever. Stay hungry, stay wild. Your movement is the exercise of your life, your process of being conscious, alive and a part of this universe. It’s what quantifies your existence in this moment right here – right now. Never let your life slow down to the point where you are sitting still and killing time; not while you have the ability to run, fly and soar into the space around you. Just remember that the day all your movement decreases completely and you cease to move and look forward, mentally and physically, will ultimately be the last day of your life. To move is to live. So get up, open your horizons, explore your passions, plan your adventures, keep growing and keep moving. Always.”

(taken from my book ‘The Thoughts From The Wild’ available here)

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~ The Art Of Go ~

January 7, 2019January 7, 2019 nofiltersnecessaryLeave a comment

~ The Art of Go ~

“Go. Beyond those desks; beyond those suburbs. Go with a heavy heart and a light backpack. Go to the lands beyond your horizons, beyond your doubts, beyond your cosy little comfort zones. The most extraordinary things will not come knocking on your door; the greatest treasures are not discovered by those dwelling in their caves. This world is a living dream waiting to be explored. Every day it creates heroes, moves mountains and changes people forever. So go and explore. Don’t let the others drag you down. Go beyond them and their fences of fear; go into the lands which you have not yet trampled; go to the places where the lightning strikes as the eyes blaze bright like burning stars.

Just get up now and for god sake Go.”

the art of go

(taken from my book ‘The Thoughts From The Wild’ available here)

thoughts

~ Behind The Looking Glass ~

January 7, 2019January 7, 2019 nofiltersnecessaryLeave a comment

~ Behind The Looking Glass ~

“Twenty hours later and there I sat alone on that cross-country bus – head pressed against the window, gazing out at the towns and villages, watching the human race go about its existence. I watched the mothers hang clothes on washing lines; I watched the old men sip coffee in roadside cafes; I watched the kids playing football in the dirt. Everybody was there belonging to a place in space and time as I passed by like a transient cloud in the sky. Many people detested those long bus journeys but I found a strange comfort and peace within them. In the temporary situation of being in between places, I had momentarily transcended some boundary of static belonging. I was invisible; a ghost – a voyeuristic stranger on a bus briefly belonging to nowhere – to nothing – to no one. As I continued down the meandering road of my life, it became clear to me why I found comfort in those long journeys on the road. On those journeys I was in my natural state; on those journeys I succumb to my gypsy fate. Holding a ticket to some vague place beyond the horizon, it was my unavoidable destiny to be a stranger on a passing bus, lost in space and time, gazing out the windows of curiosity, doomed to never step off and belong to one particular place or group of people.”

(taken from my book ‘The Thoughts From The Wild’ available here)

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~ The Hidden Cuts ~

January 6, 2019 nofiltersnecessaryLeave a comment

~ The Hidden Cuts ~

“Back on those grey sidewalks I tumbled into a new week. With my mind ravaged by a hangover, I looked up and faced my fellow species once more. Once again, there they all were: everyone wearing well-ironed clothes, adorning impeccable makeup, walking with polished shoes and driving shiny cars. This image was the market-approved billboard image of society, but if you looked closely, you could see masses of human-beings drowning under the surface. On the smiling face of the consultant, sat the bloodshot eyes of stress and tiredness; in the movement of the elderly man at the bar, you could see the trembling hand of the alcoholic; on the forearm of the girl serving you coffee, you could see the self-harm scars of despair. This culture was telling us that everything was great, or that it could be great with just a bit more money, but if you opened your eyes and paid close attention, you could see between the cracks; you could see a hidden suffering which couldn’t be cured by any promotion, paycheck, or fancy new dress. That suffering was the true toll this society had taken on the soul of the humans it had consumed. That suffering was the secret pain that nobody dare spoke about. That suffering was the inconvenient truth – the self-harm scars of emptiness and frustration and desolation – which had to be hid.”

thoughts

~ A Life Lived True To Oneself ~

January 6, 2019January 6, 2019 nofiltersnecessaryLeave a comment

~ A Life Lived True To Oneself ~

“Stop worrying about what the others think of you. I know you want them to see things from your perspective, but the fact is they are not going to want to understand you, they are not going to try to understand you, and – even if they did – they are not going to understand you. Most people in this world are simply too busy or uninterested or incapable to consider worlds and perspectives other than their own. Accept it and move the hell on. Move on to the lands which make your toes dance and your fingertips flicker with excitement. Move on to the lands where no explanation is required for you to be your true authentic self. This is your one shot at life: don’t waste precious time on things that insult your soul; don’t mindlessly conform to mediocre expectation and convention; don’t allow your unique individuality to be suppressed in concrete crowds of conformity. I know that in a world where fitting in is paramount, often it’s an isolating act to believe in yourself and follow your own inner voice. Sometimes you will have to walk alone, sometimes you will face opposition – sometimes you will feel naked and vulnerable and nervous. But just do it anyway. Break free from the mold. Follow your bliss. Do whatever the hell it is that sets your soul on fire and use that passion as fuel for your long journey into the wild. Trust me: it will power you, it will sustain you – it will warm your soul with an indescribable inner joy. Nothing will be able to quell it. Even on the stormiest days, a life lived true to oneself is enough to keep you dancing in the rain.”

(taken from my book ‘The Thoughts From The Wild’ available here)

thoughts

~ Coming Home To Yourself ~

January 6, 2019 nofiltersnecessaryLeave a comment

~ Coming Home To Yourself ~

“You’re lost and you’re searching for the answer. But the truth is you already know it. You’ve always known it in your flesh and bones. You know who you are, what you want, and what makes you feel infinite. Maybe the billboards and the advertisements and the opinions of others got you a bit confused for a while. Maybe you still are confused trying to live up to someone else’s expectations – but somewhere deep down you know what makes you tick, what makes you feel weightless and free – what makes your existence feel as effortless as sunrise and sunset. If you’re still struggling to find it then my advice is to take yourself away from the hysteria of society. Get away from that television, from that newspaper, from that phone, from those cities and crowds. Get away and reside in the magical world of nature for a while. Out there in the serene silence of the wild is the voice of truth and reason that has been suppressed. Out there is where you sober up from the cultural madness. Out there is where your mind is cleansed and you no longer need to search or prove yourself to others because you know exactly who you are.

It’s a crazy adventure to come back to who you were before everyone else told you who you should be. It can be scary, confronting – and even dangerous – but if any journey is worth making, then it is the one that brings you home to the kingdom of yourself.”

(taken from my book ‘The Thoughts From The Wild’ available here)

thoughts

~ In Case Of Emergency ~

January 6, 2019January 6, 2019 nofiltersnecessaryLeave a comment

~ In Case of Emergency ~

“It was a backpack; it was just a backpack. But sometimes I felt like it was the best friend I had. It was one thing that had stayed with me on my solitary journey through the wilderness. It was the thing which embodied the freedom my soul desired: to be able to throw a few clothes in and hit the open road of discovery. In the times when I stayed and worked in one place, I kept that backpack within sight at all times. Just seeing that lump of worn and weathered material slumped in the corner after another day of menial work reminded me that it was all worth it; it reminded me that I still had a way to return home to the wild lands of adventure and exploration in which I belonged. I saw it as my ‘break in case of emergency’ tool. No matter how much the bosses choked me, no matter how much the monotony suffocated me – and no matter how much society scolded me – with that backpack there I knew I still had a fighting chance to taste the air of life and freedom once more.”

(taken from my book ‘The Thoughts From The Wild’ available here)

thoughts

~ The Way You Will Be Tamed ~

January 6, 2019January 6, 2019 nofiltersnecessaryLeave a comment

~ The Way You Will Be Tamed ~

“The way you will be tamed will not be sudden. It will not be when a big cage crashes over you, or when you are caught in a thrilling chase across the plains. The way you will be tamed will be subtle and slow, over many years and decades. The way you will be tamed will be with stabbing stares, with piercing comments – with heavy hands on shoulders that diminish your dreams and quell your inner voice. The way you will be tamed is when the fearful slowly drag you down with them; when they do anything not to see you run wild and free – for they know it is that very sight which causes them to reflect on their own limitations. The way you will be tamed will come over many social interactions, over many looks in the mirror, over many family dinners.

However – if you can grow a thick enough skin to endure the stabbing stares and piercing comments – then such a thing will never happen. As you retain your authenticity and walk wild onto the shores of destiny, then you will know that you made it. As the skies open, as your song soars, as the others stop trying to pull you down – as they finally let go and label you crazy – you will know what it is to be truly free.”