Late last week, a friend of mine forwarded over a link with the note, “This podcast is for you.”
The guy being interviewed on the podcast was Boyd Varty, a South African restoration practitioner and wildlife tracker.
He was explaining how he was creating a life he loved, one adventure and one discovery at a time. It was equally uncomfortable and exhilarating, he shared.
He talked about his curious upbringing (his family was close friends with Nelson Mandela) and the natural world education he received at his family’s protected game reserve called Londolozi. Then he met his mentor Martha Beck (who is also my mentor) and she set him firmly on the path he’s on now: coaching, building digital literacy centers in rural communities, and creating wildlife corridors to restore the environment.
Towards the middle of the interview, Boyd gave an example that was so spot on, I just had to share it with you (partly because I’ve lived this way for a lot of years and am practicing it with vigor this past year and partly because it could radically change your life with this one single realization).
A Presentation of ChoicesHe started out by saying that as we’re growing up, our culture offers us choices for how to live. You can choose this or that. Think of it like, “You be Pepsi or Coke – you get to choose!”
And you feel great because you get to choose!
Except the problem is maybe you don’t know that those aren’t the only choices available.
While you’re feeling all independent about your choices, feeling like you have agency and sovereignty over your life, what you don’t know is there’s a world of OTHER choices available to you if you start looking.
I mean, for goodness sake, there are rarely ever only two choices. And it is your responsibility to go out and explore the world to see what other choices there might be!
For instance, have you heard of Moxie? It is this obscure soda you can get only in Maine. Or have you heard of kombucha? It’s a naturally fermented drink that tastes so much better than any of soda (including Moxie) that’s on the market today.
Now, truly, some people will be satisfied with the choice of Coke or Pepsi. They feel safer. They like to color inside the lines. They feel safe inside the socially acceptable box. And that is cool for them. More power to ’em.
That, however, is not ME.
And if you’re feeling a burning in your belly right now, you either ate too much spicy food OR you’re feeling me as you’re reading this.
If you’re feeling me and wondering what other choices are out there that you never considered, let me introduce you to my concept of Wayfinding.
Wayfinding is me helping you find your right life (that’s a Martha Beck-ism, as is the concept of Wayfinding). Wayfinding is about helping you create a life and work that you love. It’s about helping you discover what works for you and to let go of what doesn’t. It’s about helping you expand your possibilities until you the find the right fit (and then you can choose joyfully and drop the rest).
And the deal is: deeeeeep down, YOU DO KNOW what you want … you may have just pushed it away, temporarily forgotten, or believe you can’t/shouldn’t have it.
And that’s why you’re burning with recognition right now (or burning with heartburn if you ate said spicy food…in that case, you don’t need me, you need an antacid stat).
It takes courage to look beyond the culturally accepted choices. It takes courage to ask, “What else is possible?”
I especially honor the ones who take the first step and ask that question. Are you someone who wants to dance with the possibilities, even if you don’t currently SEE them…because deep down…YOU KNOW?
If that’s you…want to go exploring with me?
I’m looking for THREE new clients in April – would you like to be one of them?