Finding Courage - A Personal Story

Welcome to the high vibe community of the joyful journey podcast. If you are uncertain about what you really want or unsure how to be the force of good, you know this world craves, then this is the show for you. I'm Anita Adams, your host and guide to finding clarity and creating a life you love. Let's tap into our inner wisdom access our highest self, and on leash joy. As we raise our vibration, we heighten the collective consciousness and that, my friends, is the joyful journey. Let's dive in.

Hey, joyful journey or thanks for joining me, I need to Adams, your host. And I thought I'd kick off this very first episode of my podcast by sharing a little story about how it came to be and why I'm doing it. And in the process, you'll need to think yeah, this is a journey I want to be on to, or nah, this is not for me. Obviously. I hope it's the former. While you're listening, if you hear anything that resonates, let me know. I want to create a show that will have an impact and your feedback is helpful and and really truly appreciated. All right. So my story. It starts in June 2021, the hottest, hottest summer in the Pacific Northwest on record. My husband and I were living in a tiny home on Bowen Island, having recently turned nomadic when I say tiny I mean tiny dining tiny it was under 300 square feet nestled in a cedar forest with a peekaboo view of how sound and the North Shore mountains. I felt like we were living in a tree house. I love that little place. It was super cozy with its potbelly stove and Windows across the whole front of the place. Also had this great deck that was probably bigger than the home itself, which made for some wonderful outdoor living during that hot summer. One evening Tom and I were sitting on that gorgeous deck sipping a glass of chilled Pinot Grigio talking about our next move. Our tendency at the tiny home was coming to an end. We had to be out by July 4 In three weeks. And we didn't have a plan at all yet. I have an idea. I said to Tom, let's take a month, maybe even longer and kayak to desolation sound. What do you mean like paddle from here? Yeah, I think it would be so cool. Who are you and what have you done with my wife. So true. much had changed. In the years since we got rid of most of our possessions became empty nesters and turn to this nomadic lifestyle. One of those changes was a heightened confidence of being in nature and being the captain of my own single seat kayak. That's not the whole of it, though. I've always had a deep connection with nature. The big change was my awareness that when I'm in nature, I'm more deeply connected to God, the universe, and who I really am or even who I want to be. Over the past year leading up to this summer, I had spent a lot of time in nature. And the more time I spent in nature, the more I connected and felt a connection with God and the environment. And I was longing for that connection. So that hot night, sitting on the deck with Tom planning our next venture, I understood that I didn't want the stress of trying to find a new place to live. Instead, I just wanted to be completely surrounded by nature. Not just for an afternoon or a day or a week, I wanted to live in the wild, sleeping in a tent, feel the sand between my toes, sit in the Pacific Ocean in my little boat and talk to God. And then to listen to what comes back or bubbles up. When I'm in nature connecting with my environment talking to the universe. Ask a lot of questions. And answers do bubble up lots of them answers to questions that are are now shaping my life.

I didn't share all of this. On that hot summer night with Tom. I just suggested we paddle 300 miles up the west coast of Canada and Tom Well, he's always this border of my crazy ideas and he just simply said yeah, let's do it. Looking back, I feel that trip was perhaps one of the best things we have ever done. And oh boy, I had a lot of quiet time talking to the universe as we made our way up the coast, something like day 20 of what became a 33 day kayaking trip, where I got the answers to the question I hadn't even asked. We are just off the coast of Cortes Island and the discovery island group. Tom is about 10 feet behind me. The water is flat, calm. There's not another soul, anywhere inside the sky and sea are blended into one monochromatic, gray blue. And it's so peaceful, so incredibly peaceful. And then that voice bubbles up from within and says, It's time I stopped paddling and just sit feeling the heat of the sun on my back. Is it really? Is it really mind to do? Yes. I take off my hat and dividend to the ocean, put it back on my head and feel the coolness of the sea wash over me through my hair running down my back. Yeah, it's time and you know, it's time for me to take action with my vision. It's time to listen to it my heart, my soul, my spirit God the universe has been calling me to do. When we listen to that voice when we trust it. That's when the magic happens. That's when we find who we are meant to be. That's when we step into a life full of meaning, purpose, Joy. We all have that voice. It's trying to guide you and me to our highest self, to create a life we love to being someone who is a force for good in this world. When we learn to listen to that inner wisdom, we become more aligned with who we really are. And a great joy is unleashed. The thing is that inner voice will guide you to do things that are big and outside your comfort zone. And you may want to shrink back from that big bold vision believing who am I to do that? Who are you not to though? I have a little prayer I like to say when I'm in nature goes like this helped me to see what his mind to see. Understand what his mind to do, and have the courage to do it. Sometimes I have to repeat that last line a few times a whole bunch of times. While I was sitting in my little kayak in the Pacific Ocean, having powered myself over 300 miles from home and hearing this voice in my head that simply said it's time I felt I finally found the courage to move forward. It's time for me to teach people what I know. And to invite them along the journey with me as I continue to expand my knowledge and awareness about accessing and operating from our highest self. Hosting this podcast is part of what I feel called to do. So is hosting the joyful journey retreat, writing my book and public speaking. It's all about teaching, how to access your inner voice of wisdom. How to access your highest self and navigate through the forest of fears that may be holding you back so you can step into the best version of you, grandest vision of your life and unleash that joy.

This podcast is for leaders, be leaders of self are leaders of many who want to be a force for good and have a positive impact in the world. It's for people who want to find clarity who are looking for answers. And for those who want to create a life full of passion and meaning. I have much to teach. And I also recognize I still have much to learn. I will always be a student of life as I strive to develop myself personally, professionally, spiritually. And I invite you to be on this journey with me. I'll bring some amazing people to the show to who will guide us even further on this path to our highest self. Over the next couple episodes, I will walk you through my three guiding principles to inner wisdom and give you some tools that will enable you to tap into that wisdom and step into the best version of you with greater ease. In the process you will find clarity around what you really want and why it matters. With that clarity. You're free up more time to do the things you love the people you love, become more focused and productive and reduce stress and anxiety, you will be given to make choices and decisions that are truly aligned with who you are and what matters most to you, your family, your community and the organization you represent. By tapping into inner wisdom and learning how to access our highest self, we begin to recognize that we truly are one and in the process, we are raising our vibration and heightening the collective consciousness. And that my joyful journey or friend, is how we change the world. And it all starts with you and me. I hope you enjoyed this first episode of the joyful journey podcast. Please leave me a review if you did, and we'll catch you next time. Bye for now.