Dear Fabulous Traveler,

What discoveries have you made about yourself in the last three days of reflection? Perhaps you’ve noticed aspects of yourself and the way you live that you were unable to see clearly before. It is possible that as you considered all the plans unmanifested, the well-intended changes unrealized, you thought: “But life has made these things impossible! I have responsibilities, restrictions, reasons—good ones—for being unable to live as fully as you suggest”.

Perhaps you simply felt a surge of desire to bring forth all that remains unactualized in your life. You may have decided that there is nothing you want more than to discover the art of living, and the perseverance you need to cultivate it.

Whatever thoughts your reflections uncovered, one thing can already be known. There are perceived obstacles that have obscured your vision and caused you to stumble in your movement forward. There is a wall that surrounds you, and today, you will begin to disintegrate it.

The Wall

The wall you are facing is made of ash colored bricks, its height seems to reach beyond infinity. No matter how much you strain your gaze, you cannot make out its edges. This wall has been built by the laborers of your own mind, and your own experiences are the bricks.

Whenever you find yourself facing a difficult situation, such as your manager refusing a pay raise, your mind resisting a promising opportunity, or being turned down for a romantic encounter, you find yourself before this wall, imposing and final, demanding you to turn back and give up on the possibilities of life.

You may try to climb it, but the walls are wet and slippery, so you take a hammer and try to hit it forcefully instead. Nothing works. This wall is unshakable. And in this moment, hesitation starts to move into your mind.

Maybe you are, after all, not ready to start your own business, the problems with your coworkers can never be solved, you doubt that you are able to succeed in this project before you die, and that special person is just too far out of reach for you to ever find them.

So, you prefer to remain in this lethargic state, yet it only provides an uncertain comfort, as you are constantly shaken by the deep desires of your very core. You try to smother them, without much success. Every time, your desires arise more painfully, reminding you of your torment. Or you try to resist its calls, moving in close to the wall, working on it diligently from early morning until late at night.

Every now and then, you take a step away from the wall for a better overview, try different approaches, a new hammer, take a seat and ponder the wall, looking for vulnerable spots. Whenever the sun becomes too fierce, setting you on fire, you create a canopy to protect yourself. You ignore your pain, see it as an enemy that tried to sabotage you, and build an even stronger fortress.

Meanwhile, beside you, you notice hordes of assaulters, trying to hit their fists on the wall, endless rows of tents, hoping to climb the wall or find a gap… but with the passing weeks, their willpower fades. The tents are taken down. Whole processions of people give up, go home. Soon you are one of the last few people facing the wall.

Through all the trying, all the suffering, sweating, watching, relentless toil, you begin to notice, doubtful but content, the first cracks appearing on the wall. And suddenly, without a warning, the wall begins to shake and tremble and finally collapses! Behind the wall, you find the fruit of your endless months of work and agony!

This wall, you now understand, represents all the obstacles you face. You will face it often, whenever you encounter defeat or difficulty that seems impossible to overcome.

This wall, with its imposing height, manages to overwhelm the vast majority of people who try to overcome it. The choice is yours: Do you want to belong to the 2% who persist and succeed? Or to the big majority who turn back, claiming that the obstacle was impassable?

Persist. You may take a step back to get a better view, but persist. Learn how to let go when required, but still, just persist ... the wall WILL fall.

The final presentation

On September 18, 2007, scientist Randy Pausch taught his last class at a meeting of 400 people at Carnegie Mellon University. He began his presentation with a slide showing the results of his last medical scan, showing the ravages of pancreatic cancer wreaking havoc on his insides. Randy explained to the audience that he only had a few months left to live. That day, he was energetic, cheerful and enthusiastic, although he realized that this joy would only last a short time.

In his presentation, he spoke of the wall that prevents each of us from fulfilling our childhood dreams. Please enjoy Randy’s last lesson, “Achieving your childhood dreams”:

This Week’s Plan

The Roman Stoic philosopher Seneca said: “He is most powerful who has power over himself”. ‘The Wall’ teaches you that this power lies in how you choose to respond and react to the various emerging elements of your life and the perceived barriers and challenges that accompany them. This is your opportunity to begin cultivating that power.

Your goal

Three mornings in the next week, you’re going to find a quiet time and place to explore The Wall Guide in the Meditation section. This will be added to your morning routine when you hit Accept below!

How should I meditate?

In the Meditation section, you’ll see the new meditation trainings that we’ve added. If you want to take a quick peek what the Wall has to offer right now, tap below to start!

Fabulous Traveler, next week you’ll discover your inner wisdom and face the impulsive tendencies that lead to regret. But for the moment, focus on bringing down those walls. Your mind is a powerful instrument, and you’re honing it beautifully.