A Year of Intention, Awe & Love

We’re all aware of the the implications of the ensuing increase of responsibilities the new year brings. Our global social agreement is that the beginning of the year is the time of assessment and recalibration. It’s the time for improving, everything.

At the end of every year, I meditate on what I want to experience in the next year. I want to be intentional about the thoughts I foster and the story I program into my psyche. That story will transmute into my reality.

This week I’m polishing up my New Year Intentions and organizing them into a lists of all the experiences I have committed to intentionally manifest in the coming year. Each of these elements represents an aspect of my journey towards self actualization. Each year I pick a theme, a word or a phrase the represents the essence of what I want to experience over the next 365 days.

Last year, my theme was “sacred”. I wanted to experience and contribute to more sacred moments and elements. In a society so pervasively dominated by the lust for control, safety, comfort, status, ease and security, there is far too little reverence for the sacred elements of life.

2015 INTENTIONS

Here is a bit of reflection on some of the sacred experiences of 2015.

1. We moved to Santa Ana, Costa Rica, traveled the Guanacaste coast and found the magical little town of Nosara where we will move in May.

2. I dove deeper into my studies of the Tao Te Ching. This daily practice has afforded me more sacred moments than I could have ever imagined. Those 81 verses have profoundly impacted all aspects of my life.

3. I had a deeply spiritual experience learning and presenting at the DO Lectures at Puerta a la Vida in July.

4. On August 4th, Ilea gave birth to two beautiful souls, completely naturally, with zero complications, in Costa Rica. Here is the story: The Sacred Flow of Life

5. After many years of R&D on my Ubuntu Revolution concept, I am gearing up to launch the first phase over the next six months. This is a venture I believe in very much. You can read a bit about it here.

6. We got to spend time with my sister and her beautiful family here to Costa Rica while they visited for a month.

For another 2015 intention, I decided to make a habit of walking barefoot every day. It’s part of my ongoing effort to connect more with nature and keep myself grounded. Today, the bottoms of my feet have a similar ruggedness to a used tire on a 1977 Land Cruiser. Success.

Those are just a few highlights. 2015 was my most sacred year yet. I learned so much and created many habits that will be with me for the rest of my life, constantly allowing me to have and contribute to more sacred experiences.

2016 INTENTIONS

This year, my intention is to “infuse more awe into my life so I may be a more effective instrument of love.” I believe we are all here in this human existence for the purpose of refining ourselves into instruments of love, despite any and all circumstances.

Everyone’s journey is different, but the purpose is the same: to be love.

For me, being love is intrinsically linked to creativity, imagination and awe. The thoughts we choose to dwell on and the level in which we develop our imagination are the two most integral elements of our experience.

I find that my imagination is healthiest when I am connecting with nature and constantly allowing information and experiences into my life that blow my mind. Reminding myself of the awe of this infinite universe has done more to alter my perspective than almost any other practice.

[tweetthis]To live as an instrument of #love, you must learn to experience the love in all you encounter. #mindfulness #NewYear[/tweetthis]

Top Ten Intentions for 2016

1. Seek out more awe and inspiration that expands my perspective and brings me joy, every single day.

2. Spend more time in silence and meditation, aligning myself with God.

3. Speak less and truly, intently listen more. Say more with less.

4. Spend (even more) time in nature, grounding myself and connecting with the awe of God and the cosmos.

5. Develop a habit and reputation of looking people in the eyes and giving them my undivided attention.

6. Be like water, never fighting, but always flowing, able to overcome anything through patience and determination.

7. Refrain from judging anyone or any circumstances.

8. Continue to deepen my studies of the intermingling of cosmology and consciousness.

9. Launch Ubuntu Revolution. Outside of exemplifying love in all of my being, this venture is my most effective contribution to fostering ecological harmony and human interconnectedness across the globe.

10. Continue developing resilience in my resolve to always respond in love, no matter the circumstances.

There are many more, but these represent the essence of my intentions. My family already gets my primary focus, and that will never change. The elements I’ve listed here are complimentary to that overarching priority.

I wish you joy, ubuntu, whimsy, love and a year full of extraordinary experiences.

Take time to inspire yourself, feel the awe of this universe and above all else, live your life as an example of love.

INFUSE A LITTLE AWE INTO YOUR LIFE

I dove into my journey of awe last night by re-watching OVERVIEW with my wife. If you want to understand awe, perspective, the vastness of our cosmos and our innate interconnectedness, you will enjoy watching this 19 minute film. I just purchased their new feature length film PLANETARY, as well. I am very much looking forward to that.

I also found this beautifully created short film (7:07 min) To Scale: The Solar System. It’s a brilliant teaching tool for showing the true scale of the solar system, in a very creative way.

I highly recommend SHOTS OF AWE by Jason Silva. I’ve followed his work for a long time, but he continues to inspire me with every new thought and endeavor.

Jared Leto is art. His latest creation is BEYOND THE HORIZON where he “focuses on the future of humanity with the world’s most interesting visionaries in science, art, technology and politics”.

HUMAN, a film by Yann Arthus-Bertrand, is one of the most raw, beautiful, authentic pieces of art I have witnessed.

The work and life of JR continues to inspire and challenge me. I have so much awe and respect for his craft.

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