LIVE 2024 | A Reflection on Living
At the start of 2024, I chose 'live' as my word for the year—a directive to guide me. (Not that I have a brand called Live Thrivingly or anything… talk about ironic!)
Since a series of events starting in 2020 spiraled me into the despair of identity crisis and neurological distress, I've been exploring the depths of my inner world, which at times left me isolated from life, shaking up what I had previously perceived it to be.
In spring 2023, after spending a month in the Andes Mountains of Peru, I felt a resurgence of vitality and life returning to me.
At the end of 2023, I experienced an epic unfolding of magic in the backcountry of New Zealand. I was fishing with a master fly-fishing guide and then launched into my five-day solo adventure into the backcountry, which brought me back to life—igniting wild parts of myself. I was back home to my love for the outdoors and its profoundly healing and strengthening effect on us as human beings.
So 2024 was a year of LIVING, and it was just that!
A year of less overthinking and more action.
A year of belly laughs and tears of joy.
A year of not just setting goals but actually completing them (self-publishing my first book.)
A year of untamed expression.
A year of stepping more into my role as a leader.
A year of new experiences, new friendships, and new places.
I remember spending days with Rosieta, the Wooly Monkey, in the Cloud Forests of Peru, bathing in glacial streams high in the Andes mountains underneath tangles of ancient Queñua trees.
I realized that life itself is a sacred ceremony, where no distinction exists between what we deem 'spiritual' and the rhythms of earthly living. It is about breathing your prayer into each moment with presence and intention, embracing the wisdom of "chop wood, carry water.
Showing up to my professional work with dedication, working hard, supporting my team, and being fully present are among the most meaningful and significant contributions one can make in a lifetime.
I realized that it is not always about going out, opening, and letting yourself be consumed by extravagant visions and ideas of the future Earth. It is utterly essential to root down into the Earth and build a strong foundation for the tree of your life to grow, trusting that in time, it will bear fruit ripe for the picking.
I realized I don't just want to explore the life perspectives of those societally labeled "successful" or "high-performing." Still, I also wish to understand the perspectives of those who live by different values.
A woman who runs a small coffee shop.
Traditional medicine people of isolated corners of the Earth.
The Rastafari homeless man who blesses the streets of Barcelona with his singing.
Strangers in the environments around me who all have a story to share.
So, living to me became exploring this year. Engaging with the world in new and interesting ways. Looking for new angles.
Playing sand volleyball with jungle locals.
Picking up trash along foreign beaches.
Walking with no designated destination.
Moving up rivers, lakes, and streams. Down mountains and valleys.
Starting intimate conversations with strangers on buses, planes and coffee shop corners.
Living became moving my body. Breathing life into it. Traversing hillsides. Plunging into cold water.
Living became a daily practice. Directing my attention to areas and skills I wanted to develop. Getting my hands bloody and my body sweaty. Putting in the work necessary to gain traction towards my dreams.
Living became building and tending fires under a star-lit sky.
Living became a fascinating, fun game to engage in and play.
Through a focus on living and not achieving, I accomplished many life-long goals.
No longer expecting and seeking, instead— becoming and creating.
With the year coming to a close, I thank the world, the places, and the people I encountered- for they taught me how to live in a bigger way, a simpler way, a vivacious way, and a wild way.