The Perks of Being a Wallflower

On July 15th, 2014, I boarded a plane with three suitcases, one backpack, and a loose plan - live the life I’ve dreamed of.

Four years ago today.

The dream was hazy but it looked something like living by the beach, making buttloads of money, and, this was the most important part, making a difference in people’s lives.

But there was a problem: I lacked the drive and desire to live a life of purpose.

When people asked me what I wanted to do, or how I was going to do it, I’d say something like, “Uhhhhhh...I don’t really know,” and then I’d likely crack a beer and dig my hand further into the bag of Doritos.

Yummy.

Somehow, along the way, I continued to trust that things would unfold exactly as they would. I was pretty hippy-dippy about it.

I’d say things like:

“The Universe has my back.”
“I trust that my life will unfold exactly as it should.”
“Timing is perfect.”

I lucked into some pretty sweet gigs. Had a ton of cool experiences (Machu Picchu, Burning Man, late nights around fires with strangers, sleeping in a hut in the Amazon, etc) but I still felt like something was missing. Like I wasn't living for me.

I had a hard time practicing the things I preached, most of all - releasing control - but I’m beginning to.

When you allow the miraculous energy that is this Universe to unfold and do its work - in other words, when you get the f*ck out of your own way - everything you’d ever need or want is already there.

There’s a myth that your cells renew every seven years and you become a new person.

Same meat suit, different person inside.

The story here is the same - same meat suit, different person.

Or maybe the person I used to be. Always was.

It took me about four years to become who I’ve always been.

To stop hating myself for being weird. For saying things like:

“Did you know that the Universe is constantly expanding and there are unknown dimensions that EXIST just outside of our perception where all possibilities exist? Did you ALSO know that there’s a dimension where time isn’t linear, it’s spatial? How cool is that!?”
“I, uh, just wanted to know what kind of dressing you wanted on your salad.”

To love the fact that my head was always in the clouds.

“Did you know the odds of your existence are close to 1 in seven trillion?”

The past four years has been equal parts of undoing and becoming.

Becoming a person dedicated to making a difference in this world. Actually caring about leaving this planet and its people a little bit better than I found it.
Forgiving myself for being human. For being a wallflower, observing, instead of participating in, life.

But there are perks to being a wallflower.

I’ve started to work out a recipe for success.

It looks something like:

Two tablespoons of stop complaining about “the man”
1 Heaping spoonful of taking responsibility for your own life
5 slaps in the face when you realize you create your reality
1 huge pat on the back when you realize you’ve begun to create a dope reality
1 huge pat on the back when you make a mistake [substitute this for being angry with yourself and say, instead, “It’s cool, dude - we were doing our best.”]
1 serving immediately upon waking of gratitude for the things you have [with a side of why you’re grateful for them]
An infinite serving of dope humans in your life

Top all that with mindfulness practice to taste then release giving a f*ck how it all turns out and enjoy it anyways

Mix that all up in a bowl of believing it’s all possible and BAM!

A successful life.

The life I’ve always wanted.

Sort of.

It looks nothing like I’d ever dreamed of.

The other day I made money while I was swimming in the ocean. In Maui. While staying in a ridiculously awesome house. While working on a project impacting thousands of lives.

“Wait. That can actually happen?”

My brain is still having hard time making sense of it.

And I think that’s the point.

Sometimes, things don’t have to make sense.

They just are.
That’s why we call them miracles.
And they’re possible and they’re WAY more practical than you or I could have ever dreamed of.

And the life you’ve always wanted sneaks up on you when you’re busy loving and living in the moment.

One of Moore’s Laws states, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”

I’ve pretty much started to realize how magic and miracles are everywhere.

Like where you’re reading this.

It’s a bunch of 0s and 1s that somehow make sense to that little plastic machine you’re reading this on which you consume through your eyeballs [which are hilariously similar to grapes] which then sends that to the tiny little gelatinous thing inside your head called a brain which somehow makes sense of that chaos that we call reality.

Things I all used to take for granted. Things I do my best to no longer take for granted.

I’m stoked on how my life is unfolding. I’m so, so stoked to be a person who gets to make a difference in the lives of others.

I hope you’re stoked for your unfolding. It’s the coolest story you’ll ever be a part of.

These four years have been everything I’ve ever dreamed of. And exactly what I needed.

Whoever you are, however you showed up, whatever your contribution was, I am grateful for your presence. For the way you impacted me.

Enjoy the rest of your day. Choose happiness.

You matter. You make a difference.

You’re a miracle.

Have a beautiful day, friends, and remember, it’s a wonderful life. <3