The creative traveler: reflections for the year ahead.
I am reflecting on the current year’s learnings and how to integrate them into the following year. It has been a great time personally, and I look forward to revealing new plans and projects in the coming year.
However, a war burning in Europe devastated me as I know direct people affected and probably received earlier and first-hand testimonials than the majority. It feels like we live in a dystopian world. It is impressive but inspiring to me to learn from the bravery and resilience I observe and listen to from people I know who still live in Ukraine.
There are no excuses for starting a war, only toxic minds who only seek power no matter how destructive it is. Also, the local ecocide the invasion is generating. It feels insane to me to observe all the atrocities and how the world and the countries intertwine.
It is also a technological war, as well as misinformation hacking the minds who are fooled by institutional propaganda. The trolls are everywhere. In addition, we have witnessed dictatorship nations attempting to rise in Europe, Asia, and Africa.
On the other hand, the worldwide economic effects and the remaining environmental issues continue to unfold even more worldwide. Since I connect to Portugal, I can share its coastline witnessed massive floods two weeks ago as never before. At least during my existence. The government started to invest now how to be prepared for future calamities.
It is like the organs in the human body. No organ is more important than another. They all work as the body needs them to work in optimal conditions. Unfortunately, certain diseases sometimes lead to split or treat the sick organ. The metaphor implies the world we live in and might affect our lives.
I or we likely feel the strange vibe from the outside events to us. I am not going to enter into more detail regarding its negative impact. I want to focus on the opportunities and the learnings.
Let’s focus on how to let the outside events impact us as little as possible. It is a journey of growth. Self-work always reaps its harvest through richer experiences and emotional and spiritual growth. At this time of the year, I mainly invest in renewing my energy — cleansing the body and the mind and nurturing the inner wisdom.
December is a time to enjoy some real rest and invest time in nurturing healthy habits. If we consciously take the space and time we need, we cultivate the fertile fresh ground for future new seeds to grow in Spring. It is an inner time where we dive into a safe and caring environment.
The positive loop
Observe: focus on your inner world
Feel: embrace your emotions
Reflect: explore where your feelings come from and learn from it
Act: according to your intuition
Grow: cultivate simple joys, and grow your experience in meaningful areas for you
We need a healthy body and mind and develop activities that nurture our inner wisdom. Those activities guide us to connect our passion, skills and expertise with what the world needs — also renewing ourselves to face challenges ahead without losing focus in the era of digital overload.
I have taken a decent amount of time to avoid the overload. I usually take part in December and January for a slow trip. It has been one of the tools I found to detoxify, renew and reconnect for the year ahead.
It is a time to run on wide-open sunny beaches, connect with Nature and local communities, and explore natural places. It is a time to stretch and eat breakfast while I enjoy the sunlight. It is a moment to taste a vast colour spectrum of fruits, vegetables, and whole foods.
It is a time to find joy whenever I sit around a table with fresh and grilled ingredients and speak with relatives and friends I haven’t seen for a reasonable amount of time. It is a moment to meditate, do yoga, journal, plan for the year ahead, revigorate the inner self, and boost my energy.
This nexus of mind, body and spirit, and an overwhelming sense of fulfilment is the time and space the slow travel provides to accomplish meaning and energy to achieve the purpose and face the challenges ahead.
In these relaxed moments, we see from a holistic point of view our lives. The formula below is the most adjustable for me. Everyone finds their tools, yet I hope my experience inspires you to find yours.
Purpose = Passion + Expertise + Usefulness
Once we have a sense of purpose, it is up to each of us to set up our lives in a way that we and the world can benefit from. However, we will never live in an idyllic world where everyone constantly lives in their purpose.
It is our responsibility to demonstrate and cultivate it. We can build our life by returning to the vision we designed. Whenever our lives are out of alignment, we realign with our visualization.
Once we know how to thrive, we find opportunities to share them. It creates feedback loops. People notice, and you gather different types of feedback and rewards, supporting you to evolve on how you want to grow. It, therefore, gives you stability and peace.
