Adventures in Paradise

There is an interesting paradox about life whereas the quieter the outside becomes, the louder the inside becomes.  After finishing an amazing 3 days in the office serving hundreds of people, seeing more lives transform than I can possibly count and doing 2 talks in the office on chiropractic, innate intelligence, and living a life of full expression, I find myself sitting on the beach on the beautiful island of Tioman, Malaysia. I'm looking out at the turquoise water under the clear blue skies with the jungle behind me and a great cup of coffee in hand. Life is great, if it wasn't for the pesky voice in the back of my head.  You see, anyone that knows me knows I have one speed and that is full throttle.  A huge step in the personal growth process has been learning to relax and enjoy the moment; to realize that not doing anything is sometimes the best thing I can do for myself.  When I first arrived at the resort, my first thought was "What should I do now? I should go for a swim, grab lunch, do a bit of reading, go out for a snorkel, work out, and then and then and then."  Why? Because my belief system has always been that doing nothing is a waste of time; that doing nothing is for lazy people; that doing nothing is unproductive and a poor use of time. Also, and probably the most unsettling feeling, is that doing nothing means I need to start to listen to the little voice inside of me. So when I got here and realized there really is not much to do, there are very few people around, and the only internet is in one section of the resort, I got a little freaked out. Thank goodness that moment of craziness only lasted for a few minutes because now instead of driving myself crazy with keeping busy, I can begin to do the real work and just be present and hang out with myself.  I can begin to go through the process of enjoying the solitude, meditation, nothingness, and giving up the expectation that I need to expect anything at all for a couple of days. Sometimes the most beautiful plan is that of having no plan.  That can be a pretty powerful plan in and of itself.

We can all learn a lot from the practice of solitude.  We can learn a lot from the practice of nothingness.  It is in the space of nothingness that everything exists.  It is in that deep place of nothingness and presence that creation exists.  It is in the deep place of nothingness that we are able to connect with ourselves and everyone around us.  I know this may seem very abstract and esoteric but I promise you there is nothing more concrete and directly applicable to our lives than this idea of nothingness.  Let me give you an example. Let's say you're looking at creating a relationship with someone. It can be anyone; a lover, friend, co-worker, or employee.  Each party enters with a "full glass." Each party has a set of expectations, wants, desires, and needs.  The biggest thing that can destroy any relationship is unmet expectations and the poor communication that usually goes along with that.  As we empty our glass and shed layers and layers of baggage and expectations, we open ourselves up to a greater possibility of connection.  What do you think is easier - meeting 17 expectations that are ingrained in a person's being, most of which they have no idea about or not having to meet any expectations and starting with an "empty glass" to create anything you want? What is going to set you up for a successful trip more - having the expectation that in order to be happy there has to be perfect weather, perfect food, perfect accommodations, and everything run perfectly on time or entering the trip with no expectations except that no matter what happens, you are going to make the best of it? If it rains, great. More time to read and write.  If it's sunny, great. More time to swim and enjoy the sun.

When we can begin to shed our expectations; when we can begin to drop our baggage from the past; when we can begin to empty our bucket of crap, we open ourselves up to a world of creation and manifestation.  We begin to create the feelings we want and not the feelings we are victim to.  We open ourselves up to finding the joy in the chaos as well as the calmness.  Time for me to go empty my cup, enjoy the calmness, and get off my computer so I can embrace the beauty all around me.

Love,

Matt