Being an Explorer

Last updated on: August 9, 2013 at 7:00 am by Carl Studna

Being an Explorer 2013-08-08T16:39:45-06:00 Carl Studna

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As children, our natural tendency is to be curious and open to the vast and wondrous new world around us. We enter into this life with an innate thirst for knowledge and understanding. At the core of our nature lies a rich desire to seek out the next new adventure which could be as simple as building a secret fort behind an overgrowth of bushes. Remember how exciting it was playing “hide and seek?” Both for the one hiding and the person seeking, every location that you hid or searched carried a rich sense of anticipation.

Then, for most of us, came a series of rules and restrictions. Some of which were naturally taught to ensure our safety while others were imposed out of fearful, limiting beliefs enforced by our parents, teachers and peers. As children, we often don’t have the maturity to clearly discern which teachings will be of benefit and which will stifle our natural and unique forms of expression, so we begin making certain decisions based in unnecessary fear and limitation. These decisions tend to stifle our natural sense of curiosity and dampen our desire to explore.

When we stop exploring (due to fear), a part of our natural state of inquiry begins to die which causes close-mindedness, tightness and a sense of division with the world around us.

In traveling around the world, I’ve observed certain cultures that (as a whole) carry a sense of lightness and ease in their way of relating to others and the world around them. They embody a greater sense of freedom with less concern about how life might turn out in the next moment. Wonder and adventure lead their path and when in their presence, it’s hard to feel burdened or weighed down. Clearly, their spirit of exploration has not been stifled.

We have the ability to break out of these old limiting shackles and reclaim our amazing and adventurous life. Begin observing when a limiting thought passes through your awareness. One effective way to catch these culprits is through noticing when your mood changes from feeling light to heavy. Often, it’s a lot easier to observe a change in mood over a change in thought. Once you’ve made this observation, you can track what fearful thought passed through your awareness that placed a damper on your sense of aliveness. Become hyper-vigilant with this awareness and witness how you are continually course correcting and choosing a life of greater freedom and joy.

Your Spirit is waiting to soar into the uncharted realms of existence. Ignite the explorer and let yourself go!

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