This weeks video is Wayne Dyer’s explanation for why inspiration is important and must be cultivated.
Mountain Therapy
I’m standing on top of Ijen Volcano in Indonesia hoping that this surreal, pandora-like landscape will not only make me look cool on Instagram but also give me some sort of clarity.
Photo » @whereisyali
So I’m staring at the sun come up thinking, I would now like an answer to the question that is often in the forefront of my mind please. The question is a simple one – what future do I want to create for myself?
But when you’ve lost touch of yourself in a sea of open tabs and lucrative detours then the answer is not that simple.
As the clouds clear to reveal the turquoise lake below, any sort of insight is smothered by the need to capture this moment and… well… look cool on Instagram.
But there’s another reason why I’m not getting the inspiration I came for. It’s because this place was too easy to get to (well not that easy, a 3 hour night hike through the jungle) and if there’s anything I know well it’s that struggle creates meaning.
For example, when flying many people prefer the aisle seat even though the view from an airplane window can be incredibly beautiful at times. But let’s say they hiked five days for that view. Then it all of a sudden becomes the most wonderful thing they’ve ever seen.
So I know what I need – a real adventure.
I’ve been editing Reality TV the last four months, I’m so freaking hungry for it. And it’s all good because I’m about to get it in the form of a four day trek to the summit of Mt. Rinjani, Lombok.
Photo » @trekkingrinjani
What you’re looking at is Lake Segara Anak (child of the sea), a 4.4 square mile lake inside the crater of a 12,200 ft (3700 m) Volcano. And yes, that’s another Volcano in the middle of the lake. Really? Yes, really.
Just a quick break down of the mission:
Day 1:
7:00 am hike 7 hours to the top of the crater / 8 miles (13 km) / 5000 ft (1525 m) elevation gain
Day 2:
2:00 am hike 4 hours to the summit for sunrise / 4 miles (6.5 km) / 3600 ft (1,100 m) elevation gain
8:00 am hike 5 hours to the bottom of the lake / 7 miles (11 km) / 5600 ft (1700 m) elevation drop
Day 3:
9:00 am hike 3 hours to a different spot on top of the crater / 3 miles (4.8 km) / 2000 ft (610 m) elevation gain
1:00 pm hike 2 hours towards the base of the mountain / 2.5 miles (4 km) / 1000 ft (305 m) elevation drop
Day 4:
9:00 am hike 2 hours to the base of the mountain / 2.5 miles (4 km) / 1000 ft (305 m) elevation drop
I can’t wait!
I thought Mt. Bromo in Java would be a nice warm up but I’m quickly learning that it’s a bit of a tourist trap.
Photo » @whereisyali
The problem isn’t so much that people are asking me to take their photos (thanks selfie sticks), it’s that they want me in the photos. I’m a nice guy of course so I agree but I’m plotting out an escape plan.
I see a narrow path alongside the edge of the crater and without any hesitation, I head in that direction. There’s no one there except a German couple who tell me to be very careful if I attempt to walk all the way around the crater.
Photo » @whereisyali
An hour later I understand what they’re talking about.
The path is uncomfortably narrow and one side is a 60 degree slope ending in what I thought was lava but it’s just boring old sulfur. Either way I wanted an adventure and I’m definitely getting one.
Photo » @whereisyali
But the experience isn’t really the moment of clarity I was hoping for. Too much focus on keeping myself in the manageable risk zone and not going too far. I mean what’s up with the ground here?? It pretty much falls apart when you step on it. I have no idea what I’m doing in Volcano land. I need a guide.
It’s 5:30 am when Hamdi, the Reza Trekkers Rinjani guide knocks on my door yelling, “Are you ready for this?” Still half asleep and not really sure what’s happening I instinctively respond, “Hell ya I’m ready!” Then I realize I’m not ready at all and I’m late.
Three hours of intense hiking in and out of clouds later, I’m noticing that the porters are zooming past me. Which is pretty impressive considering that they’re barefoot and carrying 85 pounds (39 kg) of supplies.
Photo » @whereisyali
For real, I’m a bit baffled by this especially because some parts of the trail are borderline rock climbing. Hamdi tells me that he used to be a porter and on the first day of the job he cried. I think he was joking but maybe not.
He says they wear flip flops and sometimes hike barefoot because shoes are too heavy. Hmm… interesting. After my third fall of the day on the crumbling volcanic rock, I asked Hamdi if they ever slip. He gets all serious and looks at me straight in the eyes saying, “No, porters never fall.”
On hour five I'm covered in sweat, my legs are shaking and I start to wonder, “Why am I doing this?!” Then I turn the corner for a new incredible view.
Photo » @whereisyali
Oh ya, that’s why.
I don’t want to make it seem like this is some superhuman trek. Actually anyone fit can do this. But I will say that some parts are pretty grueling or what one local called Indonesian torture.
We finally make it to the crater rim where Alto, our porter, hands me a plate of fried bananas covered in chocolate and cheese.
As I take a bite out of this unexpectedly delicious Indonesian delicacy, I feel connected to my six year old self who insisted on putting chocolate spread on top of every meal.
Photo » @whereisyali
The clouds clear just in time to reveal a sunset so magical that I forget all about the mental struggle I had to endure to get there.
Photo » @whereisyali
I pass out for a couple hours before my alarm goes off at 1:30 am for one of those, where the hell am I, wake up moments. I unzip the tent to see countless stars not only above my head but also straight in front of me. I remember that I’m 8000 ft high on the edge of a Volcano crater in Indonesia.
Awesome!
I strap on my trusty Forsake kicks and follow Hamdi into the darkness.
Three hours of zombie-like hiking later we reach the final mile which is an extremely steep, sand-like dirt ridge, 12,000 ft above normal, breathable air.
There’s that thought again – “Why!?”
But as painful as this is, I feel like some force has me hooked and is slowly reeling me up towards the peak.
Every couple of steps I look up at the Milky Way which is as visible as one of those long exposure photographs. I do a 360 while staring up at the sky, desperately trying to take it all in. I do this often while traveling – frantically scan the landscape as if I’m trying to catch a last glimpse before it disappears.
Then I realize that everything around me isn’t going anywhere and it’s me who will be disappearing. Hopefully after a long life but just in case it doesn’t work out that way, I’ll go happy because of experiences like this.
I’m actually thankful for this unsettling notion that there’s an end creeping up in the horizon. After all it’s this awareness that’s pulling me up the mountain.
It fuels this wild, one way ticket lifestyle of world and potential exploration. It reminds me to choose experiences over possessions, failure over regret and uncertainty over comfort.
In the exact moment the sun shows it’s first spec of light, we reach the summit. The Pyramid shaped shadow of Rinjani in the horizon stands next to Mt. Batur in Bali and the Gili Islands.
Photo » @whereisyali
The sunrise is over way too fast just like my 20s and it’s already time to begin the long journey down to the crater lake. I take the first step without having to ask myself, “Why?!”
Did someone slip a molly in my cheese banana? Because I’m feeling way too giddy right now considering it’s a five hour journey, 5600 ft down. And wait, is that a monkey??
Photo » @whereisyali
We descend further and further into an enchanted fairyland that I thought only existed in Disney movies.
Photo » @whereisyali
On the other side of that grass hill, I'm surprised to see a waterfall with hot spring pools on the bottom. Hamdi, that sneaky man, didn’t even tell me where he was taking me. I take a full shower with shampoo and soap under the waterfall. Whatever, I like to be clean, don’t judge!
We walk to a secluded spot on the lake where Alto has already set up the tents and is now fishing for our dinner.
Photo » @whereisyali
The clouds are covering the Volcano but Hamdi tells me that it’s about 500 ft (150 m) away. He says that a year ago he was at this spot when it erupted.
Photo » @hamditrekker
He couldn’t hike out because there was too much ash so overnight he got the lava show of a lifetime. I told him I wish I could have seen that and he said, “No you don’t. I cried.” Joking again? I’m really not sure.
As the sun sets we have Ikan Goreng (deep fried crispy fish) for dinner which tastes even better than the fancy Bali food I had a week earlier.
At 7 am I unzip my tent to see that the clouds have cleared and the Volcano is right in front of my face. Hamdi hands me a cup of Lombok coffee, I put on some Bon Iver and sink into some sort of trance-like euphoria.
Photo » @whereisyali
My mind clears. As if a massive delete button was hit on all the unworthy thoughts that dominate my thinking. In this emptiness, something is brewing. Slowly expanding into what I came here for – answers!
For the past couple years I’ve been on a mission to catch up to this 2.0 version of myself that creates the incredible work I know I’m capable of. I know because I’ve caught him before and he elevated me to new heights in record time. Giving me a taste of success and then disappearing.
But in this moment, I can feel him here. I get hit with a flood of ideas for creative pursuits and an unshakable belief in my ability to see them through. I pull out my journal and try to write them all down.
This leads to an important realization. In order to align with this higher self, I have to stop chasing and instead create an environment where he’d want to live.
I think of it as having a good signal. Four bars means that my mind is fully open to possibilities, I work in a peak state with maximum enjoyment. One bar means I’m going to need a lot of coffee just to produce something that I don’t really care about and I doubt anyone else will.
For example, I know that adventures which push me physically and mentally give a certain energy that running on a treadmill in LA fitness just doesn’t create.
As I write down other conditions that could trigger a good signal, I feel an urge to shut my brain down and go for a morning swim in the lake.
After all, I’m not chasing anything right now. I feel content. I’ve arrived somewhere.
Photo » @whereisyali
After spending some quality time with Lake Segara Anak, we hike up to the top of the crater and then down into the jungle.
I follow Alto on a detour to find a water pipe so we can refill our bottles. We finally find a thin pipe that runs for miles from a river up top to a small village below where it provides clean water for one hundred houses.
He detaches the tube to fill up the bottles and before attaching it back, I take another shower. I make a bold decision to not use shampoo today. Crazy I know but what can I say, I’m living on the edge.
Surrounded by curious monkeys, we set up the tents then have ramen for dinner. I go inside to relax but accidentally doze off and sleep like a baby until the morning.
We wake up early and complete the trek with an easy two hour hike down to the base of the mountain. I say goodbye to Alto and Hamdi who are still making fun of my ridiculous shower needs.
Feeling accomplished, I make my way to the south of Lombok where I can do nothing on the beach for a couple days.
Photo » @whereisyali
If any part of you is intrigued by doing a trek like this then you should absolutely book a ticket right now. Just be careful because if you’re anything like me, your automatic excuse generator might kick in saying things like – I’m not fit enough, too old, can’t sleep in tents, scared of heights, not now maybe next year… etc. etc.
If this happens, try telling this voice, “Sorry buddy. I’m gonna go ahead and do this one anyways.” It’ll make one more desperate attempt to stop you, “Wait! What about altitude sickness??” Just hit him with a calm, cool, “Nope. Sorry.”
Why? Because sometimes it feels like you become as tall as the mountains you choose to climb.
- Yali
P.S. Whenever life's craziness causes anxiety, I just think of the Rinjani porters and I feel okay again. I used to think of my greatest accomplishments but this works much better.
The Go Seek Manifesto
#16 The moment you truly understand how lucky you are to be alive
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EPIC MOMENT #16
I’m going to quote Neil Pasricha on this one, the guy who inspired the epic moments list.
“You used to be a sperm. Check out the period at the end of this sentence. That tiny little dot is around 600 microns wide. When you were a sperm you were about 40 microns wide. You had a great life as a sperm but always felt incomplete. The truth is you weren’t whole until you met an egg. And then you two began a nine month project to make a cool new version of you. It took a while but you grew arms and legs and eyeballs and lungs.
For a sperm to meet an egg it means your mom met your dad. But it’s not just them. Think about how many people had to meet, fall in love, and make love for you to be here. Here’s the answer: A lot. Like a lot a lot.
Before they had you, none of your ancestors drowned in a pond, got strangled by a python, or skied into a tree. None of your ancestors choked on a peach pit, were trampled by buffalo, or got their tie stuck in an assembly line. None of your ancestors was a virgin.
You are the most modern, brightest spark of years and years and years of survivors who all had to meet each other in order to eventually make you.
You’re pretty lucky all those people met, fell in love, made love, had babies, and raised them into other people who did it all over again. This happened over and over and over again for you to be here. Look around the plane, coffee shop, or park right now. Look at your husband snoring in bed, your girlfriend watching TV, or your sister playing in the backyard. You are surrounded by lucky people. They are all the result of long lines of survivors.
So you’re a survivor, too. You’re the latest and greatest. You’re the top of the line. You’re the very best nature has to offer.
But there’s more...
Of the millions of places we’ve ever seen in the universe it appears as though Earth is the only place that can support life. The only place! On this planet Earth, the only one in the giant dark blackness where anything can live, we ended up being humans.
We are the only species on the only life-giving rock capable of love and magic, architecture and agriculture, bicycles and democracy, airplanes and highway lanes. We got surf boards, buffets and roller coaster rides, guitar solos, bubble wrap and blockbuster movies.
We got all that. But we only get a hundred years to enjoy it. Every single person you know will be dead in a hundred years. Life is so great that we only get a tiny moment to enjoy everything we see. And that moment is right now.”
Photo by Francesca Ruberto
#8 Realizing what your life purpose is
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Epic Moment #8
In this moment you feel capable of moving a small mountain if that's what you have to do to actualize this new found vision. Walking the path feels as natural as breathing.
Photo by Ben Canales
#7 Leaving for a road trip with nothing planned
#6 Buying a one way plane ticket
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Epic Moment #6
Ever feel like you live on a one-way street that’s also a dead end?
You’ve contemplated leaving it all behind for a fresh start, a chance to create the life you should have been working towards all along. Every bone in your body tells you to do it but you just can’t commit. Until one day you realize that you’ll never really be ready and decide to just do it right now.
You hit that purchase button and all of a sudden the world is full of possibilities.
Photo by Joana Kruse
#5 Right After You Did Something You Were Terrified Of
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Epic Moment #5
Whether it’s jumping off a cliff, asking someone out or starting a new career; the act of doing something you’re afraid of is invigorating.
Fear does a great job of creating what appears to be a death gap between where you stand and where you want to be. If you can muster up the courage to take the leap and allow your cherished desires to be in line with your actions, you’ll be rewarded with an incomparable satisfaction.
Photo by Noell S. Oszvald
#3 When The Plane Door Opens On Your First Skydive
Photo by Justin Martinez
#2 Finding Out That You’re More Capable Than You Thought
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Epic Moment #2
Once in a while we try doing something that we’re not sure we can pull off. It’s risky, it’s wild, it’s a bit foolish and the outcome is uncertain. But something tells us, “I think I got this” and we run with that optimistic notion, well aware that it’s short lived.
We somehow manage to make it happen and walk away unharmed, holding our heads a little higher than before. There is no better feeling than finding a big chunk of hidden potential.
Comment below to suggest an epic moment!
Photo by Stu Gibson
Box Of Crayons
Everyone is given a box of crayons in kindergarten and encouraged to let their imagination run wild. The crayons quickly get replaced with uninspiring textbooks, numbing routines and implanted goals. After all the efforts of shaping us have ceased we start to retreat back to who we really are and listen to that voice in our heads telling us, 'I'd like my crayons back, please.’
Inspired by a quote by Hugh MacLeod.
The Live Unbound Manifesto
OUR TRUE ENEMIES
To be inspired feels incredible because you’re connected with your true self. The word itself means “in spirit”. In this peak state we operate through our inner powers. Our weaknesses, fears and doubts are overpowered by psychological strength. Most importantly, we’re blind to our true enemies - limitations. That’s why I say LiveUnbound exists to inspire those who are striving to discover what they are truly capable of.
Photograph by © Scott Serfas
EMBRACE UNCERTAINTY
We can't wait to reach the top of the mountain, but the happiness and growth happens during the climb. Look at the top of the peak on the right.
Photo by Will Wissman
As your faith is strengthened you will find that there is no longer the need to have a sense of control, that things will flow as they will, and that you will flow with them, to your great delight and benefit.
- Emmanuel Teney
Photo by Jaider Lozano // www.6feetandperfect-gallery.com
A woman says in this trailer "Before you jump off the cliff you've got a million things racing through your mind, once you jump... nothing." I've noticed fear is like that, you're afraid before the action, not during. If you're feeling anxious about taking a leap, just know that all the anxiety fades away once you step off the edge.
European Outdoor Film Tour (E.O.F.T.) - Official Trailer 12/13 from Vincent Urban on Vimeo.
People want certainty that they won’t get hurt, that they'll be successful or that the risk will be worth the reward. The desire for certainty scares us into living unfulfilled lives, never taking the leap we know we need to take. Although we fear the unknown; we need it for progress, success and self-discovery. Embrace uncertainty.
Photo by Lucas Gilman // Athlete: Jesse Coombs // Location: Mesa Falls, ID, USA
Make mistakes of ambition and not mistakes of sloth. Develop the strength to do bold things, not the strength to suffer.
- Machiavelli
Photo by Tom Servais // www.6feetandperfect-gallery.com
The clear road ahead - It’s easy, it’s popular, it’s comforting, it’s safe, it’s unfulfilling, it’s monotony, it’s defeat, it’s not you. Get off the next exit.