Core Values are the Keys to Success

I had trouble keeping up with my writing over the past two weeks. Ironically enough, I got behind because of a weekend backpacking trip. Then I caught a bad case of writer’s block. The writer’s block led me to stop writing while I focused on minimizing some of my stuff. This is all part of my core values journey. However, it kept me from posting as often as I had intended. I’m back to writing, but I’ll post less often while I build up some material. That helps me reduce the due date anxiety.

I started blogging in January after a friend shared a writing webinar on Facebook. After watching the webinar and several other videos by Michael Hyatt, I became motivated to pursue a buried life-long goal. I have privately started my “writing career” many times, over the years, but never kept it going. This current attempt has been the most successful and the one in which I have literally (Ha!) exposed myself to family, friends, and the world via social media. I appreciate those of you who have liked my posts, replied online, or commented to me personally. Those also motivate me to keep going.

I have a goal to become a full-time wilderness writer and photographer by retirement. I hope that writing and photography will enable retirement. Like the night creates the day and the silence empowers the music. I can’t imagine a better way to live; making money while seeing and sharing the wilderness with others. Some believe that surviving in the wilderness is the tough part. Yet, for me, that is the easiest part. That is the part that energizes me. Developing a writing habit, mastering writing skills, and having an eye for great pictures are the most challenging for me. I have a lot to learn and many challenges ahead, but my core values are the keys to success. My blog is a reflection of my core values. They are also the values that will actualize my purpose.

 

 

Simplicity

Simplifying life and pursuing a minimalist life-style is key to achieving my purpose. This includes becoming debt free and reducing my living expenses. Simplifying life also includes reducing our stuff to only the things that we need or those that help us achieve our purpose. Consumerism is the antithesis of living simply and debt free. I don’t expect to become financially wealthy as a wilderness writer and photographer. I’ll make enough to live while doing something I love. Can there be anything better than that? I see no sense in stockpiling money or things. I can’t take any of it with me in the end. Yet my experiences and the impressions I make on the world will be in my soul for eternity.

 

 

Exploration

I estimate that I have hiked nearly a thousand miles in state and national parks during my life. I’ve traveled to all but seven states. I still need to visit:

  • North Dakota,
  • Minnesota,
  • Wisconsin,
  • Main,
  • New Hampshire,
  • Alaska, and
  • Hawaii.

I’ve been to nine foreign countries and hiked several hundred miles in Europe. Yet, I have a lot of the world still to see and share. Even at that, my hiking bucket list is still lofty.

I plan to hike all four corners of Yellowstone. My son and I covered the Southeast corner in 2016. This Summer we will hike the Northeast corner. I’ll cover the other two corners in the next few years. After that, I’m planning a pilgrimage of the Camino de Santiago which will take me 550 miles across Northern Spain. Finally, if my health holds out, I’d like to earn the Triple Crown of Hiking by completing:

  • The Appalachian Trail,
  • The Pacific Crest Trail, and
  • The Continental Divide Trail.

Exploring my soul along the way.

 

 

Integrity

The most difficult of all is integrity. It’s incredibly difficult to be true to ourselves while balancing the expectations of family, friends, and society as a whole. Yet, to be successful, I have to be true to who I am. I have to pursue my purpose and share my talents. That is why we are here. Integrity is often thought of as the act of being honest, but it is so much more than telling the truth. Integrity is finding congruence between our soul, our actions, and our words. There is where the challenges of a lifetime are found.

 

 

Core Values are the Keys to Success

Success is different for everyone. Yet, if you find your core values and work towards mastering them you will also find success. You can achieve your purpose in the process.

 

Peace,
Brian

 

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Featured Image Source:[1]

Footnotes
[1]“Free Image on Pixabay – Keyboard, Key, Success, Online.”
“Free Image on Pixabay – Keyboard, Key, Success, Online.” Pixabay. Accessed March 19, 2017. https://pixabay.com/en/keyboard-key-success-online-621830/.

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