Unlock your hidden treasures

“What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Imagine yourself on an island called “Self.”

Can you find the key to this lock?

Imagine that this island has two towns, one called “Future” and the other called “Past.”

You are currently standing in between both of these towns in a place we will call “The Present.” “The Present” is not a town: it’s just a dirt trail you have always used to get to the other towns on the island called Self.

On this dirt trail, underneath your very feet, lies hidden a treasure of tremendous value. This treasure, coincidentally, belongs to you and only you —and you are the only one who has the power to access it. In fact, one could say that even if another were to find this treasure and unlock it, they would find it void of meaning. Another would find no intrinsic value in your treasure and so they would instantly toss it aside and go searching some place else for their boon. It’s almost as if you’ve not only been given this treasure—and the key to unlock it—but you’ve also been given the “sight” required to recognize it as your treasure and yours alone.

The problem, however, is that this treasure is buried underneath a very heavy layer of dirt with a rusty lock....

In order to reach it, you would have to do some very labor-intensive digging to uncover it. The process would be very trying and exhausting. It would require all the energy and focus you can muster. However, at the end of all this work, the good news is that you would finally reach your treasure, and be able to use it for any creative end .....

I love stars it's great that we are able
 to create our own  stars directly above us. 

Even though you recognize this truth, however, you may decide not to do the work. You decide, instead, to travel to the nearby town called “The Past”—which, you recall, had in it some treasure you once used and enjoyed long ago. You travel to this town, only to find that “The Past” has been completely ransacked by vandals, abandoned by its people, and decimated by invaders. No matter where you look in The Past, there is not a soul present, and no matter where you look in The Past, there is no treasure to be found. The treasure you remembered once existing there is no longer accessible—for some reason, it cannot even be found in the place you remembered it had once been! 

Dismayed, you leave the ghost town of The Past and decide that you are more likely to find some treasure in the other town on this island, the island called “The Future.”

So, you make your journey to “The Future” but, just as soon as you arrive there, you encounter a barren desert. It is pretty obvious to you that nothing ever existed there. Nothing currently resides there, and, in fact, the only thing you encounter in this town is a sign that reads:

“Welcome To Future Town: Construction Will Begin Tomorrow!”

So tell me  "Mr. B.A.D what will we build together
in this town you call "The future?" 

Now, as you lay there, absolutely exhausted by your travels, you notice the wind slowly blow a layer of the dirt floor away, finally doing away with a layer of dirt that once stood in the way between you and your hidden treasure. As you lay there, you’re able to take notice of this natural progression and even though the process is painful (because the dirt gets into your mouth and eyes and stings you as the wind blows) you find the cleansing process incredibly peaceful.

You realize that, in the natural progression of things, the wind will eventually erode all the dirt that is covering your treasure and, in due time, you will uncover your hidden treasure whether you wish it to be uncovered or not. Recognizing this truth, you stand up, pick up a shovel and begin to dig, right here, in The Present, hoping to expedite the process of uncovering your hidden treasure.

Did I make a B.A.D choice?

A few years ago... I was searching  for some answers as I had just left my home of 20+ years and decide to start over on an Island my parents called home.... when I read the above... you can click on this date and read  the same thing and more from the book .March 9, 2015

When you get to where I am..
you have a different set of thoughts!

What I came away with is that after living in a world with  many choices (the USA) ... My attitude will either have to  change or I will fail miserably..... this gave me new courage to start figuring out if I still had some hidden treasures left in my creative mind. “Sometimes it can feel  like we’ve gotten into a rut or I can become frustrated with my life when things don’t seem to be working out the way I imagined. In this book, Ollin Morales offers thoughtful analysis and suggestions for tackling the different internal roadblocks we face when trying to live a meaningful life. The book is well written and presented in an easily digestible format. I will be putting some of these suggestions into practice in my own life. “ the biggest is dealing with my sometimes lack of patience, in dealing with others. maybe I have mellowed a bit now that I'm an Island resident. Hurricanes can always give me excitement ...because even Islander move at rapid speed trying to avoid disasters.  I can use that to make some things happen. 

But I've learned that you can't push a rope.. You can only pull it.  For those who are wondering how this blog happened. This post was started during my watching Hurricane Irma coming directly at me and my Island and neighbors. It just put things in perspective for me!