“As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler.” Henry David Thoreau

As I woke up this morning in my motel room in Bellingham Washington, I heard the rumble of traffic outside the window. The machine was awake. I looked at the clock, it was 7:11 am.

It’s been over two years before I gave up everything and left the United States. My business, my car, my house on the lake, a draining relationship, all the things which seemed to define me, I either sold or got rid of and were no longer a part of my life. I was down to a small suitcase of clothes and a few books. It was the start of what I called “my new life.”

A familiar feeling began to emerge perhaps for the first time since I was a kid, humming along in a Theta state of awareness living in a dreamworld where nothing seemed to matter. Nothing did matter. A sense of lightness where all you feel is your own presence.

Our entire purpose when we are kids is to do nothing more than experience life and feel the relationships around us. We called them mom and dad or aunt and uncle, but had no concept of what that actually meant. It just felt good to be in their presence and interact with them authentically. There was never an agenda, just wake up and live.

As I began the process of letting go in 2009, I felt a sense of wonder coming back. I had never been aware of it before, but yet, I felt my true nature returning, or maybe I was returning to it.

I also realized I was choosing to become a man who had nothing to lose. And what can a man do who has nothing, wants nothing and puts value on nothing? He can do anything. And the world, and life, becomes a blank slate filled with possibility. A continual renewal of moments waiting to be filled with a human connection, experience and adventure. Ive spent the last two years living in that world. And I’ve realized one very profound thing. Living this way has indeed made me happier.

This became clear on a recent trip back to the states for the 2011 holidays. Going back this time was a surreal experience. It exceeded all my expectations and visions of what I thought it was going to be. A strange sense of culture shock I still find hard to describe. Although it was amazing to see my family, whom I’ve missed tons, I found myself disturbed by the energy underneath it all. I saw something peculiar I had never seen before.

You see, over the past few years I’ve become very passionate about the idea of human evolution. Traveling in places where Indigenous humans still live, one begins to see our true nature. That we are actually an animal species living on this planet, all operating at different levels of awareness. NOTE: That awareness alone, (that we are an animal species living at different levels of awareness) makes one aware of the idea of awareness. Please read that until it makes sense, because it’s a profound breakthrough humanity is making right now.

And somewhere along the line, something peculiar has happened. My culture which is by far, and I mean by far, the most advanced in terms of technology and infrastructure, has somehow become the most unaware of any group of humans I have witnessed.

We have become so identified with things, and so distracted by our insatiable desire for more, more, more, that we have become oblivious to what is happening in our country and the world around us. Like a mental parasite that has somehow invaded itself into the American psyche. I also realized the only way for Americans to see it, is to perhaps experience life outside the states for a period. It’s the ultimate “out of body” experience where maybe for the first time, you get to step back and see YOURSELF AND YOUR BELIEFS, and witness from afar the chugging, spewing, clanking machine called the United States.

We can’t see it when were in it, just like a fish doesn’t know she’s in water. We think, it’s our world and that’s just the way it is…

But is it?

One thing is sure, 2012 is going to be a period of mass awakening. Everyone feels it and it’s getting stronger everyday. The best part, awareness is the first step to all change. Mark my words, this year has a lot in store for us.

The warm air blew across my skin as I prepared my dive tank in the small boat, a few hundred yards off the Colombian coast.

“Listo Nathaniel? A middle aged colombian woman said with a beaming smile. One of those smiles where the persons face crinkles into a thousand lines formed over years of the same expression. In this case, an expression of pure joy.

She is not a rich person in terms of money. But yet, she is filled with bliss as she prepares, yet again, for another dive with a new student…Good ol me.

She hands me a regulator and tells me something in spanish too fast for me to understand. I act like I do, but then just copy what she does.

A few minutes later were ready to dive.

Were now both sitting on the edge of the boat, our backs facing the water. She gives me a thumbs up and before I could return the gesture, she falls backwards with a splash.

Eager to please my new instructor, I take a deep breath and lean back, letting gravity take over and pull me into the cool blue ocean.

My entire world explodes into bubbles and I am bewildered. I try breathing but find that I can’t. Almost as if my mind is telling me that I am not supposed to breath underwater. I force myself to suck a few awkward breaths. It’s like breathing with the wind knocked out of me. I force another few, strange and labored, until finally my breathing evens out.

My wits return as the bubbles begin to fade. My eyes focus and I look down to see the outline of the coral reef below me. I can’t believe what I see and like a moth attracted to light, I start moving towards this strange new world.

Then fuck!!!…..

I feel a squeeze in my ears followed by an excruciating pain. I forgot to “equalize” (diving term for pinching your nose and forcing air back into your ear canal)

The thing is, at 10 meters (33 feet) of water you are at 2 bars of pressure.

Just to give you an idea, one bar of pressure is equal to the entire weight of our atmosphere that is pushing down on us at this very moment. Yes, air has weight.

And for every 10 meters of water you submerge this pressure doubles. And since our ears are one of the very few places in our body that has air, its the first place you feel it.

So I quickly plug my nose and blow. I hear a pop followed by a squealing noise in my ear. The pain quickly fades and all I can hear now is the sound of my own breathing. (Think Darth Vador in a fish tank) I look around and see thousands of fish surrounding the coral.

A strange fish stares as I pass by and familiar feelings of being gringo in a foreign land return. I almost nod to greet him, then realize, he’s a fish and probably won’t nod back. An awkward silence grows between us.

I spend the next 40 minutes like a kid who just discovered Neverland… I am ecstatic.

The experience was surreal and unlike anything I’ve ever done. I am officially addicted and diving has quickly become a major hobby in my life. It feels good to have yet another new outlet for the life force in me, that continues to beg for even richer experiences. It’s going to be a life changer.

I hope you enjoy the video.

This was one of coolest experiences I have ever had.

As part of the advanced scuba program with PADI, a person is required to do a night dive.

I have to say, leading up the night dive I was a little apprehensive. Thoughts of deadly fish that only come out at night, getting lost, or worse, running out of air in the pitch black, 20 meters under the water were haunting me.

As we boarded the boat I was joined by two guys from Denmark, who were also training for their advanced dive certificate.

As we began the journey to our dive location, occasional comments between us broke the silence, most along the lines of, “what the hell are we doing?” and “tell me again why we are diving at night?”

The tension peaked as we arrived and the boat engine turned off.

All we could hear is the sound of the waves crashing over the nearby rocks, and the boat rhythmically slapping the surface of the water. None of us were talking as we geared up. A few minutes later we dropped in the water, one by one, and filled our BCD’s with air, now floating in the middle of what most would call nowhere.

As the water rushed in wet suit the feeling of the sea against my skin quickly turned my fear into excitement. Smiles and uncontrollable laughter followed as we all realized, this was going to be fun…

“Listo’s?!” (ready?!) the dive master called out in spanish.

We all gave an OK sign with our fingers, and began letting the air out of our BCD’s. The hissing of the air quickly turned to a gurgle as the lead weights took over, pulling us slowly down, like an inescapable vortex into another world.

Once below the surface, as if by some innate instinct to explore was wired inside of us, we all began shining our lights towards the sea floor, eager to see the mysteries that awaited us.

The experience was beyond what I thought it would be. I am officially addicted. So much so that I am committed to seeing the best dive spots this world has to offer. Why not? After all, it’s like going to alien planet right here on earth.

It feels good to have something that I now feel so passionate about. Like a snowboarder who wakes up at 4 in the morning to be the first on the slopes, or the surfer who is still catching waves after 8 hours on the water, I have found my love.

I hope you enjoy the video of my first night diving experience above

Nate Bunger In Peru

As the plane landed in Lima Peru, I felt butterflies in my stomach.

The moment I’d been dreaming of had just arrived.

The dream wasn’t about Peru persay, but more about the fact that I was now embarking on an around the world trip that just happened to be starting here…

It was starting here because I decided to get off the plane here instead of catching my connecting flight to Buenos Aires Argentina.

I wanted spontaneity and this decision ensured I would get it.

That was a year ago as of this writing. And after a whirlwind trip around South America, full of experiences and adventures that I’m unable to explain without sounding like a lier, I’m currently living in Medellin Colombia, working online and enjoying life in a way I never thought existed. The best part is it’s only the beginning. (Big surprises coming

But the process of getting here was a completely different story. A story of letting go of my old life, my old self and embracing the dream I knew would bring me happiness.

It was a process of releasing my attachments to objects and things. Nice cars, nice furniture, a condo on the lake in one of the best areas of Phoenix.

I had no desire for these things anymore.

My desire for living life to the fullest now far exceeded any object money could buy. And I was willing to let go of everything for this opportunity.

After all, it was always this lifestyle that I was working towards. Six and seven days a week trying to make a million bucks so I could one day travel the world freely.

It was never the million bucks I wanted. It was the lifestyle that I thought only a large bank account could afford.

But I realized I could have the life I always wanted for far less then it cost to survive in the states.

And so the process of simplification began. Here’s how I did it:

Releasing Attachment To Things

The first step is realizing that things don’t necessarily bring you happiness.

Yes, they can add to the enjoyment to life and I am still a fan of nice things. But I’ve released my attachment to them. I can have them or not and still feel good inside my body.

I came to understand that lasting happiness actually comes from the constant and dynamic flow of new experiences.

The thoughts of living in the same place, working the same job, with the same routine, was always replaced with daydreams of sitting in the jungle drinking rum from a coconut and fishing for piranhas.

I’ve now experienced both and I can promise you that the ladder makes life much more interesting.

Even though the reality was I spent most of the time slapping mosquitos off my ass and now have a foot fungus that won’t seem to go away, I was loving every minute compared to the alternative.. Especially when you consider you can live this way for less than a car payment in the states.

You will also begin to see things differently and come to understand yourself and your place in this world with a completely new perspective. This new understanding will bring you a sense of well being that can only be experienced through this process.

Realizing Inner Peace Comes From Simplicity

When you begin to let go of the clutter in your life, I’m talking everything, you will feel a lightness like never before. Probably close to the bliss you felt as a child when you didn’t have a care in the world.

We came into this world happy, bubbling with energy and excited to experiment with our surroundings. We observed simple things with amazement. We didn’t care what other people thought or how we acted. We just enjoyed being alive.

This is the goal of simplicity.

To let go of things and experience the joy that comes from the flow of life. To get caught up and sucked into the river of energy, the life force, that is trying to pull us along to our true purpose.

Simplicity allows this energy to be felt.

De-cluttering and Letting Go Creates Space For New Things To Come

The Universe abhors a vacuum, and when you create space in your life, the Universe will rush in to fill it with whatever your strongest intention is.

Trusting this law is the quickest way to ensure positive change in your life. You have to make room so that something else can fill it.

I have practiced this throughout my life and have seen amazing results. From opening new bank accounts that begin to fill money, to ending bad relationships in preparation for better ones.

The secret is creating space while simultaneously having a clear idea of what you want that new space to be filled with.

It will come…

Trusting That Life Will Provide And Keep You Alive

Life will never give you more than you can handle.

Knowing this allows you to take risks where others stop. The fact is nearly all fears never come to pass. And when you let go completely and trust that life will provide, something will always come up right when you need it.

You will not die of starvation and when you let go completely you will never be without friends.

This is perhaps the biggest obstacle of for most people to accept. But trusting this law will turn life into a mysterious adventure. People will appear and things will occur that just seem too serendipitous to be accidents….All. The. Time.

Embracing The New Dream

One of my favorite quotes is by Voltaire that goes: “Man is free the moment he chooses to be.”

I love it because it’s soaks in truth.

Your dream life is a decision away. You just need to make a decision to overcome the thoughts in your mind, the invisible ceilings which you’ve created through years mental programming.

It will be scary, I am not going to lie. But at the same time you will be experiencing a sense of excitement that you’ve never had before. This excitement will persist day after day. It will not go away as you continue to submerge down the fascinating, magical and sometimes treacherous rabbit hole of life.

This is our purpose. To get swept away in the dream, to experience love and connection to simply be as we are.

Fish don’t try to swim, they just swim, flowers don’t try to bloom they just bloom. And it’s our nature to experience our dreams in reality with effortless ease.

Om Necklace Nate Bunger

“Just as that thought was going through my mind, I felt a hand grab the back of my neck. Not a good feeling on a dark street alone.”

As I walked out of my hostel and onto one of the worst streets in Panama City, the smell of piss and feces wafted in the humid air.

Men wearing clothes too dirty to see their original color, half naked indigenous kids and tired looking women, half of them prostitutes, scattered the streets. A common scene in this part of the world, but one I have become quite accustomed to.

One street can be lined with BMW’s and chic restaurants and the next can look like a scene out of “City of God”.

It was nighttime and I’ve been down this street many times before. In all of my travels, I can honestly say that I have never felt in danger.

But this time immediately something felt different. And I always knew it would happen this way.

As as I entered this particular part of the street, thoughts of getting robbed started going through my mind.

I was carrying a small backpack that contained pretty much my entire life. My laptop, passport and wallet not to mention my Ipod and Kindle book reader. Pretty much everything that, if lost, would cause my entire life to be in a serious state of recovery.

There was no one in pursuit of me when I entered the street, but nonetheless I began to feel in danger. I remember in fact looking from the corner of my eyes, trying to locate a stick or something I could grab if someone approached me.

I tried blowing off the thought however, blaming it on my over-active mind. But a few minutes later, as I approached a rather dark part of the road, I was suddenly being followed by two black men. They seemed to come out of nowhere and started walking behind me, gaining ground at an uncomfortable rate.

I kept walking, picking up my pace but still trying to remain composed.

It was like those movie scenes where the person realizes they’re being followed and they start walking faster, only to hear the person behind them pick up the pace as well. It’s enough to send your heart beat souring.

Then as if by instinct, while I was still walking, my posture straightened, my chest puffed out and my fists clenched at my sides. But, still no boards or sticks that I could see anywhere. (How’s that song go? It’s like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife!)

And just as that thought was going through my mind, I felt a hand grab the back of my neck. Not a good feeling on a dark street alone. This is part where the screechy violin sound would cue in the movie.

Almost as quick as I felt the hand on my neck, I turned around and swung my fist, yelling out “Puta Madre” (Mother fucker)only to see him jump back several steps, probably more shocked that the gringo spoke spanish. But when he realized he had a friend and I was alone, they started approaching me again.

But just as I saw them shift their bodies back towards me, I was already making my way towards a lit part of the road where some people were standing. And like cockroaches they retreated back into shadows. This all happened in a matter of seconds.

I looked down and saw that my necklace had been broken, but the chain was still hanging from my neck. The charm that I had of an “Om” symbol that I freakin loved, was gone.

A Very Strange Coincidence

The strange part of this whole thing was that earlier that day, I got an email from a friend in Chile asking me about my necklace. She had seen a photo of me wearing it, and wanted to know what it meant.

She even asked to take a picture of it and send it to her on Facebook.

I agreed and posted it on my profile for her to tag. I wrote a small description of it, and several other people began to comment.

In nearly two years of wearing this necklace I’ve never spent so much time explaining this symbol to people who seemed genuinely interested. But on the very day it get’s robbed. It was the first aggressive approach anyone has ever made towards me while living in Latin America.

I always pay attention to things like this and try to decipher the meaning. To me, this is just to much of a coincidence to be overlooked.

I accept it, and like with any loss, it’s hard to let it go. It was a hand made charm that cost me over $300. I loved it, and it no doubt felt like a part of my identity. It was sort of like losing a part of myself.

But here is what it taught me…

Lessons On Intuition

It’s interesting to note that the symbol of Om coincidentally has a lot of meanings, all of which are Interconnected.

That day I was explaining to people that the “Om” amognst other things, is believed to be the frequency of the Universe, symbolizing the energy and connection in everything.

This was very evident when I entered that street and before I saw anyone, I knew I was in danger. I could feel it and thoughts of being robbed were even going through my mind.

It was like the movie Lord of the Rings, where Frotos sword  glows when “there are foes near”

Having traveled in some pretty dodgy places, I always relied on my intuition to warn me as I proceeded into certain situations. I trusted this sensation and it has always guided me well.

But here, I ignored it for some reason, or maybe didn’t even feel it until it was too late.

I believe there are signs in life. I see them everywhere and am getting quite the knack for decoding them. Not always perfectly, but  sometimes with eery precision.

I believe we all have this skill.

When things like this occur in life, first of all, it means you are living close to your purpose. Even though it may seem like a negative thing, it is all happening for a reason. Sometimes there is just too much coincidence to deny this. On the contrary, when you are not experiencing many coincidences, I tend to believe you are getting off track.

Also, things like this occur to bring attention to things in our life. As with all things that are lost, your attention on those things heighten. Coincidences always have a meaning and the meanings are usually what the first appear to be. In other words, when you stop to think about the meaning, usually the first things that come to your mind are the right things.

Update To This Blog Post

Just to further prove the connection between people and the energy that flows through us all, here is an email I recieved from my mom:

Good morning Nate

“I’m so glad you are all right, last Thursday I woke up and felt very uneasy, something was wrong. You came to mind and I could not shake the feeling ,I came to work and shared this with a few people. I really felt like you were in danger. I’m so glad your ok”

What was a situation in your life where you should have or did follow your intuition?

Michael Phelps

Michael Phelps lagged behind Milorad Cavic, who was swimming the race of his life.

In the final 20 feet, Michael looked like he was about to lose.  The replay showed in fact that, on the final stroke, Cavic had Michael beaten. But Cavic glided to the wall while Michael made one last desperate lunge and touched the wall 1/100 of a second sooner than Cavic.

It was indeed an unforgettable moment that countless millions of people will have burned in their minds forever.

With seven gold medals in the bag, Michael only needed to swim the butterfly in the third leg of the medley relay the next day to surpass Spitz. When he dove into the pool, the U.S. team was in third place. When he finished they were in first place. Lezak finished off the race nearly a second ahead of Australia. Michael walked away with his eighth gold and his seventh world-record time.

So how did Michel surpass so many others that have swam before him? How did he become the best in the world?

Some might say that he was born with natural talent and that’s the reason he is so good. That his body is unique above all others.

And part of this is true. Michael is known for having large hands and feet and body proportions that aid in his ability to swim fast.

But despite having these physical attributes, the real reason Michael has clenched 16 Olympic medals to date, is due to his extreme training regime and the period of time that he has been training.

Michael started swimming when he was only 5 years old. When he was 11, he began training under a very tough coach who pushed Phelps to start swimming at least 50 miles each week. According to him, kids at that age are able to increase the size of their hearts and lungs in ways that are no longer possible later on in life.

The larger ones heart and lungs, the bigger their aerobic capacity. Phelps has been training 5 hours per day, 7 days a week since that time. His coach (Bowman) said that he trained Phelps to the extent that he had little time or energy left at the end of the day for anything except to eat, sleep or occasionally watch the television. Phelps even had to swim on birthdays and Christmas’s.

By the time Phelps had competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics, he had accumulated well over 22,000 hours of swim time.

The Law of 10,000 Hours.

In the book entitled “Outliers” written by Malcom Gladwell, Malcom attempts to uncover the attributes that all seemingly “larger than life” people have in common. From billionaires and musicians to star athletes, he wanted to find why people become great and others remained average.

His findings were astonishing.

In case after case he found that all people who’ve achieved massive success in life, have done so after accumulating over 10,000 hours of repeated practice of their specific craft. When their experience was finally met with an opportunity, the results were a given.

In fact, the book claims there has never been a case in history where someone has become the best in a particular field without first having at least 10,000 hours of practice time.  In other words, there has never been a case where someone was born with natural talent and became the best bases solely on this. They all had to work for it.

Why This Is Good News…

This is great news because it means that anyone can become the best, in any field, if they are willing to put in the time.

It doesn’t matter your background, your current level of intelligence or what family you’ve come from. If you can stay focused and put in the time to master a certain skill, you will rise to the top of your industry, period.

The best way to do this is to design a regime in which act upon each day, focusing on quality as much as possible making sure you are doing it perfectly.

In the beginning it will seem tedious and difficult. But as you continue to persevere you will become better and better until perfection comes natural.

This is also one of the best ways to give your life a purpose

When you have a daily activity and a willingness to persevere regardless of how you feel, it will give you a sense of power, accomplishment and life vision. It will carry you through lives ups and downs because no matter how bad things get, you will still be rising to the top. This goes for anything you want to achieve.

What is something you would like to master? How would this change your life?

I came across this poem by Rudyard Kipling while staying at an eco lodge in Venao, a excluded beach sanctuary on the coast of Panama in Central America.

It was written on the wall at the entrance of the retreat. I loved it and knew it had to have a place on my blog. To me, it expresses exactly what a man should strive for in terms of character.

Poem begins here:

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,

Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,

And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream – and not make dreams your master;

If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,

And stoop and build ‘em up with wornout tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with kings – nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run -

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,

And – which is more – you’ll be a Man my son!

-Rudyard Kipling

As I look back over the past year, I look in amazement as I see all that I have accomplished.

It has been a period of massive transformation on nearly all levels, to the point where I don’t even feel like the same person anymore.

I have come to realize so many things about myself, my purpose and even more recently the roles I tend to play in my personal relationships. A humbling experience to say the least.

Getting here was indeed a journey and at times took some serious letting go of beliefs that weren’t serving me.

Achieving life goals (or personal New Years resolutions) is far from a perfect process. And there are many times, sometimes daily, when I would stray from my path.

But by hanging on (sometimes what seemed by a thread) to the commitment I made to stay true to myself, I am now experiencing a period in my life in which I truly feel happy.

And although the path of life continues to unfold in front of me, I have come to honor, whole heartedly the promises I make to myself. And it’s because of this, that I am where I am at this moment.

So with that, I want to share with you some tips and mindsets that I’ve used over the past few years to make my New Years resolutions, and more specifically my current dreams a reality.

Understand That New Years Is Not A Sacred Day

As you wake up on New Years day, realize it’s just a day like all others. And like all days, at any moment you have the potential to change.

There is nothing magical about this day, life is simply moving on. This is important to keep in mind because I promise that you are going to stray from your path over the following year.

When you come to understand, however, that you don’t need a sacred day to get back on track, you give yourself the power to change whenever you want. The only thing that is sacred, is this moment.

Describe Your New Years Resolutions And Write Them Down

I have spent a good portion of my life learning how to bring my dreams into reality. It has been my passion.

Through this process I have come to understand first hand, the sometimes eery correlation between what I speak and think about and what I go on to experience.

In essence, there is tremendous power in our words.

The ancient Toltec Indians believed words had magical powers. They said you create black magic when you speak negatively and white magic when you speak positively.

In the bible it even says “In the beginning was the word, and the word was God” John 1:1

The word is the foundation of all creation.

Further, there has been recent studies that show the success rate of people who write down their New Years resolutions over those who didn’t. The findings were astonishing.

For people who wrote down their resolutions nearly 40% went on to achieve them, opposed to a mere 4% success rate for people who simply spoke about them a few times.

To read an amazing story of an experiment I did using the power of words and visualization click here.

Create Affirmations And Say Them Often

Affirmations are basically one line statements that you create which are designed to re-iterate what you want to bring into your life.

For example, if your New Years resolution is to quit smoking you might create an affirmation that goes something like

“I am smoke free and healthy”

You could say this to yourself every time the urge came up to smoke.

The reason the sentence is stated in the present tense “I am” is because you are attempting to re-program your subconscious beliefs about your current reality.

You wouldn’t want to say, for example, “ I will quit smoking” because this implies that it will take place in the future.

By wording your affirmations in the future tense you will continue to be in a state of “I will do it someday” instead of “I am doing it now”

Create clear, present tense affirmations for all of your goals and use them whenever doubt creeps. It’s powerful.

By the way, having no more than 3 specific goals for your New Years resolutions is best.

Act On Your Goals Immediately

As T. Harv Eker puts it, “Action is the bridge between your inner world and your outer world.

It is here that we begin to bridge the gap between what we desire to have and what we actually begin to experience. Without this step nothing happens.

Taking immediate action towards your goals also gives you momentum.

There is a Universal law that says that which is in motion tends to stay in motion. And when you create momentum by taking action, it becomes harder to stop you then it does to keep going. You will begin to feel a natural tendency to keep moving towards the accomplishment of your goals.

To read a post I wrote specifically about creating massive momentum in your life, click here.

Renew Your Commitment When Times Get Tough

And finally, if and when you feel like quitting, make a new commitment to keep going despite how you feel.

This is a good time to look over your goals again, adjust them slightly if need be, state your affirmations with a new sense of conviction and take even more aggressive action towards your goals.

By doing this, you begin building massive self esteem and confidence in yourself. You will start to trust yourself more and your abilities to get what you want from life.

You will begin to see yourself as a stronger and more capable person and the thought of quitting will seem weak and unfathomable.

What you become is an unstoppable person able to achieve anything.

If it takes New Years to get up the motivation to begin making life changes, then use it. But make this the year that nothing will stop you. Make this the year that you become unstoppable.

Nate Bunger working in a grass hut in the Panama Jungle

The salty sea breeze blows gently off the Pacific ocean as I sit in a grass hut seconds from the beach in Venao, Panama. (A 7 hour bus ride to the border of Costa Rica.)

The smell of the lush jungle behind me and fresh brewed coffee from the little bar waft in the air.

I take a deep breathe and take in the amazing feeling of life.

The cost for this paradise experience of which I am becoming so accustomed?

$11 per night….

Amazing really, because it’s less than renting a bedroom in the States. ($11 x 30 days = $333 a month) Something most people don’t seem to understand. But it’s neither here nor there. A few people will get it.

But as I sat here this morning brainstorming an idea to write about today, I thought about the situation I am experiencing at this very moment and how it’s exactly what I wanted to communicate.

What it means to be true to yourself?

There are two parts to this answer.

And the answers to this question are really the secrets to becoming the person you want to become and achieving the life you desire.

In essence, being true to yourself means being true to your future self.

But how do we go about being true to our future selves?

We do this by being true to the work routine that we’ve designed for bringing our goals into reality and by being true to the ideals and philosophies we believe about life.

Let’s look at both ares in more depth…

Being true to our work routine.

Being true to your work routine means making decisions, sometimes hard ones, to commit to a work task you set for yourself even when more appealing options are available. Which they often are.

For example, right now my friend is surfing in the ocean. He wanted me to join him, but since today (Wednesday) is one of my blog post days, I have a commitment  to myself to write a blog post before I do anything else.

Even if this post takes me 4 hours to write, which they often do, I will not move on to another task, fun or otherwise, until I complete this task.

I have goals for the future state of my blog and online business and three posts a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) is a critical part of reaching my goals. They are unshakable and by staying on track with them two things will happen.

1. My self esteem and confidence rises which makes me a happier person and more motivated to continue towards my goals.
2. By committing to certain repetitive actions I am guaranteed to reach my goals at some point.

So by being true to our work routine we honor our future selves (because we will achieve our goals) and our present selves (because we are building more self esteem and confidence)

Being true to our ideals and our personal philosophy

Being true to our ideals and philosophies means living in accordance with what you believe to be true about life.

For example, I have a strong belief that traveling grows me as a human being and makes me a stronger and more intelligent person.

So I am being true to my own philosophy by being here in this moment, working from my laptop in the jungle of Panama.

By the way, here is the monkey that keeps looking at me from a tree outside my grass hut as I write this…

Monkey that keeps staring at me

Anyhow, by creating and understanding our ideals and living them now (not waiting until one day) we give ourselves a sense that we are living on purpose. Because of this we become more powerful people.

Our relationships also become stronger and more fulfilling because we are coming from a place of centeredness.

When we understand our ideals and become aligned with them we also automatically create boundaries in our lives.

When we have boundaries in our lives, and we don’t let others cross them, (kindly) we actually become more attractive to other people. (And maybe a pain in the ass to some, but were not out to please everyone.)

In essence, having ideals and philosophies and being true to them, makes you a more interesting  and powerful person.

So although being true to yourself really means being true to your future self, it does not happen in the future, it happens right now.

And by being true to your future self right now, you have actually become your future self in this moment.