
Getting some HOT TEA!
Sitting at a café on the beach looking out over the water JK said to me,
“Does perfection exist? Is there a place in the world that has all the good, but none of the bad? How will I make my dreams sustainable? I don’t want to live a dream for a short period of time just to be thwarted back to square one as reality strikes. I guess what it comes down to is that I am searching for sustainable freedom in the world we live in. Maybe I still want to believe life can be as glamorous as in the movies!”
There was a long period of silence between us after he finished. I was taking mental inventory, measuring my life up against the standard he had just created with his declaration. Knowing JK, I understand exactly where his comment was coming from, but did it also apply to me?
JK has fears. “Fears” is probably too strong. He doesn’t fear because he has decided that feeling is too risky in life. JK has… “blah”. At some point he decided that the chance of failure if he attempted to do something that could altar his life direction was too great so he shut down his emotional core. He is mildly successful, living an easy life filled with spurts of fun mixed with intense boredom — and that is just the way he likes it… most of the time.
JK has a steady job, a few good friends and a comfortable home. His best friends gave up on him long ago, accepting what they get. In truth, some of them secretly like JK’s attitude because it means that they will always think they are better than him. A harsh statement, but years of observation and chats with mutual friends has proved this to be true. Unfortunately for JK, this causes toxic energy that adds to the ‘blah’ and making him feel all alone.
In that prolonged silence, I left behind my thoughts of JK and compared his words to my life. “Sustainable freedom.” What a beautiful phrase. I thought about Timothy Ferriss’s book, The Four-Hour Workweek:
“…there is no need to wait and every reason not to.”

Lambrusco y foie gras con rocafort - 1 €
And that is when I realized that I *am* living a life as glamorous as in the movies. Almost seven years ago I left behind the corporate 9 to 5 job to follow my dreams. Since then, I have lived in various countries, worked with a list of artists and companies that continuously inspire me, taught in conferences and classrooms around the world, written a book and am about to embark on a new adventure living and working in a globally recognized eco-society. From Cirque du Soleil to Damanhur, I would say those are pretty movie worthy experiences!
Going back to JK’s comment, how is it that I am making my dreams sustainable both emotionally and physically? My lifestyle is unique and can be isolating and financially draining if not managed correctly. Is it just luck that I seem to find a way to create community and a way to sustain myself everywhere I go?
Anyone that knows me knows that there is one thing that drives me: I LOVE WHAT I DO. It is that simple. When I am passionate about something, I will work tirelessly. I take good care of myself, allowing ample downtime with friends and alone, but when I am inspired, there is no stopping. And in that sentence there lies the key: I require *constant inspiration*. So how do I find it?

Clouds over the mountains
Walking through the city late at night the other day with my headphones on, I noticed that without thought I was singing and dancing down the street. The same thing happens on the metro. I have also caught myself laughing out loud while reading books in public, climbing up gates to smell pretty flowers, randomly taking pictures of animals and objects, wrapping my arms around trees to exchange energy, staring out my window to admire the sky as I work, spontaneously hugging my friends… in short, inspiration lies everywhere when you allow yourself to see the beauty of the Universe.

BREATHE DEEP - Jasmine
So if I love what I do and am inspired by the world around me, then I trust that the Universe will provide me with all the messages I need to guide my life of sustainable freedom and allowing me to follow my dreams free of fear and hesitation. Every opportunity is exciting; every event a new adventure. So what if now and again I am thwarted back to what appears to be square one? I probably learned something valuable effectively making square one actually square 1.5, and I am confident that the new path will be even better than the previous.
So maybe that is what JK has really lost — his sense of wonder and inspiration? I hope he finds it. Life is much more exciting that any television show or movie when you surround yourself with people and places you love and support all the crazy things you do in the name of INSPIRATION!
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