As the wheel of the year moves halfway through the summer season, one of my favorite events with SENG is in full view—our annual community conference—and with it my cherished opportunity to remember the joys of being gifted and the pleasure of reconnecting with friends old and new from our wide, wonderous family across the globe. This year, we celebrated the adventurous nature of our gifted life, moored in the beautiful Berkeley harbors with views that allowed us to witness the cyclical rise and fall of the sun on the western coast. During our time together, I was encouraged to bear witness to the cycles of ebb and flow, crest and trough, peak and valley that have dotted my own quest to discover, and ultimately appreciate, myself.
The treasured experience of the annual conference is held dearly in my heart in part because it facilitates a meandering river of self-inquiry into the lesser-known terrains of my inner landscape. Conversations ensue with others paddling in skiffs similar to my own as they saddle up beside me. Dark caverns illuminated with brilliant new ideas and suggestions, accumulating quietly and dripping their wisdoms to collect in a web of pools for later reflection. Such precious gems that could only be found in the courage to choose and embark upon the journey.
The very essence and soul of adventure is found in this kind advice offered by Dr. Viktor Frankl:
“Don’t aim at success – the more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side-effect of one’s personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself…. Happiness must happen, and the same holds for success: you have to let it happen by not caring about it. I want you to listen to what your conscience commands you to do and go on to carry it out to the best of your knowledge. Then you will live to see that in the long run—in the long run, I say—success will follow you precisely because you had forgotten to think of it.”
This summer, and all the year if you can, embrace the wild adventure of discovering the joys and pleasures of being yourself. Journey into the open waters and marvel at the rich, abundant life within and around you—quirks, idiosyncrasies, enigmas, curiosities. Never cease to inquire about, to explore, and ultimately unearth those precious gems that are yours; and, dare to double the value by sharing these with others, enabling the reflection and reverence we steward within each other every day of our lives.
Never forget this time belongs to you and this journey is yours. May it prove to be an adventure worthy of your effort and esteem. One you will cherish in remembering, and one you will celebrate in sharing. Be generous with the wealth within you, and the light from your joy will lead and inspire you across the lands and seas of life like the rising of the sun marks the day and the shining of the stars embolden the night. In doing so, happiness must happen, and the same for your success.
