How can you simplify your life to attract a career that energizes and fulfills you? Venturing on your career clarity journey can feel complex and daunting. That’s why many people never attempt to find their calling, no matter how unhappy they feel in their jobs.
May the lessons I learned on a backpacking trip into the Grand Canyon inspire you. Simplify your life, so that you can sustain your energy on your career clarity adventure.
A few years ago, my friends Martha and Susan from Arizona and I went on an amazing backpacking trip into the depths of the Grand Canyon. We packed our backpacks the night before. Our gear and supplies were spread out in Martha’s living room. We had to decide what to bring and what to leave behind. We wanted to leave at the crack of dawn the next morning and our packs needed to be ready to go.
Simplify Your Life – What to Leave Behind on Your Career Clarity Journey?
Martha is a very experienced backpacker and knows the Grand Canyon like the back of her hand. She generously shared her wisdom on how to trim down the weight of our packs. First, Martha helped us decide on the essential pieces of clothing for our adventure. It felt satisfying to simplify our outfits and to let go of unnecessary items that would only weigh us down.
Once we had selected our backpacking attires, Martha recommended to cut off the tags from our clothes and sleeping bags. Even the tiniest bit of weight would add up on our backs and we would be sorry later to not have packed more carefully.
Martha glanced at the stuff bag for my sleeping bag with all its clips. She classified it as unnecessary weight that needed to be left behind. In exchange, I rolled my sleeping bag in a super light nylon bag that Martha found in her closet. The five water bottles I had brought were exchanged for a light, large water bladder. It would allow me to take sips without having to put down my pack on our adventure ahead.
By the time I packed my toiletry bag, I had developed a keen focus on minimizing weight. My hair brush all of a sudden appeared big and heavy. With a smile on my face, I broke off the handle, making the brush lighter and more compact. It’s so much fun to simplify and let go of unnecessary bulk and weight.
How will you decide what to leave behind on your career clarity adventure? What unnecessary weight do you want to remove from your life? What distractions do you need to eliminate? Which belief or behavioural pattern is no longer serving you? What nagging thoughts and feelings can you let go of as you pack your bag for adventure? Take some quality time to sit or go for a walk with these questions. What insights arise for you? Write your own answers in your journal.
Simplify Your Life – What to Bring on Your Career Clarity Journey?
A final weigh-in on the Martha’s scale confirmed that we had reached our goal. My pack weighed just under 27 pounds for four days of back-packing. A big portion of the weight of our packs was essential drinking water for the first day and night of our adventure. We would reach a spring the following morning and our water supply needed to sustain us until then.
Another crucial, though much lighter, piece of luggage were salty snacks and electrolyte tablets to replenish the essential minerals we would loose through our sweat. I am used to hiking in the moist, temperate rainforest of the Pacific North West. I had no idea how essential salt is for hiking under the heat of the desert sun.
Our sunhats and the precious shade they would provide were therefore another very important item on our adventure into the Canyon. Around midnight, we high fived each other in celebration of our packing success. We went to bed in joyful anticipation of waking to the dawn of our adventure ahead.
What essential qualities you want to cultivate on your career clarity adventure? Take a moment to consider how you may foster your inner resilience. What self-care practices will sustain you on your journey? Take some notes in your journal. Write about your qualities and practices and how they can support you on your career clarity journey.
Simplify Your Life – Discover Vastness and Beauty on Your Career Clarity Journey
The Grand Canyon backpacking adventure with Martha and Susan is one of the most amazing and awe-inspiring adventures I have ever been on. We savoured every moment in this grand natural cathedral.
It truly felt like a pilgrimage into the depths of the Canyon. I will never forget our nights, lying under the clear sky and drinking in the vista of a million stars above, feeling touched by the quiet beauty and vastness of the universe.
May your career clarity journey take you to the depths of your being. Discover your highest dreams, your greatest strengths and the absolute beauty of your gifts, as you learn to listen to the call of your heart.
Simplify Your Life – Take Courage on Your Career Clarity Journey
Every step of the journey, carrying my heavy load, sweating in the heat of the day, I felt grateful for Martha’s sage packing advice. I was operating on the edge of my physical capacity. Any extra weight would have made it even more difficult to persevere. While resting under the precious shade of an overhanging rock, we talked with another group of hikers. One of them was struggling with a pounding headache. Martha in her wisdom had brought extra electrolyte tablets and helped this fellow find relief. I realized that this fellow could have been me without Martha’s wise guidance.
On your quest for career clarity you too may touch the edges of your capacity. What inner resources can you count on when facing your limits? Take a moment to journal about how that may look like for you.
You may even wish to recall a challenging time from your past to reconnect with the inner resource that helped you through. This inner resource is still with you now. It will see you through challenges you may face on your career clarity journey. Take courage as you acknowledge your own resilience.
Martha’s sage advice is with me whenever I go backpacking. Most importantly though, Martha’s wisdom translates into all aspects of my life, lightening my journey. Just like Susan and I relied on Martha’s guidance, you too can receive support on your career clarity journey ahead. Request your free career clarity consultation! Together we’ll explore how to simplify your life for your exciting journey ahead.
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