Knowing When To Begin A New Journey

One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice —
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
“Mend my life!”
each voice cried.
But you didn’t stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations,
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you left their voice behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do —
determined to save
the only life that you could save.

–

Mary Oliver’s poem “The Journey” speaks to the power of discovering, and then following one’s own path. It captures the essence of breaking away from external noise and discovering the true voice within.

The “stars” that “began to burn through the sheets of clouds” are like these great moments we have in life with the emergence of a clear, guiding inner voice. The poem takes you on a journey – a walk through life it seems and to find one’s own voice requires some abandonment of societal expectations.

This resonates deeply with the philosophy that we’ve embraced Unsettled, where our journeys are designed for those seeking breakthroughs and clarity, willing to live differently, based on their own expectations—their true north.

We get to the heart of this ethos in our virtual experiences, as well as workshops (see my TED talk Discovering Your True North to see my point).

However, I believe the ultimate manifestation of this ethos is on Unsettled’s retreats. Take our trip in Peru for instance. While traveling through the Peruvian Amazon and the Sacred Valley, participants are invited to step away from their routine, connect deeply with nature, and, most importantly, invited to think about their own journeys.

Our time in the Amazon and the Sacred Valley will be filled with moments of adventure, challenge, and inspiration. Whether it’s our boat rides through the Amazonian waters or the archeological, cultural, or spiritual sites of the Sacred Valley, each experience is designed to rethink our routine–our many journeys.

And that’s just it.

There are many journeys waiting for you – you just have to know when it’s time to begin.

“One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began”