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As the end of another year comes to a close, I have been spending a lot of my time lately in deep reflection. I find this time of year tends to bring forth a more reflective and contemplative mindset for many others as well. It is a time to look back on the year, recount all that we have experienced, and set goals and intentions for the year ahead.

However, the end of this year in particular, 2012, doesn’t just mark the end of another year but quite possibly the end of life as we currently know it to be. However, I personally prefer to see it not as an end but a new beginning; a fresh start to a new way of living for ALL of us.

It was just three short years ago in December of 2009 that I was backpacking around Peru and had a profound life-changing experience of my own that sparked a new way of living for me. I had felt a deep calling to go to Peru for quite some time, but was unclear on what I was supposed to get from the voyage. But I had been adamantly practicing trusting my instincts, so I set off for a month long adventure. Throughout my trip many synchronistic and mystical experiences unfolded – but the one that cracked my mind and heart so wide open was my trek to Machu Pichu via the Inka Trail.

Trekking the Inka Trail was by far the most physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually challenging experience of my life. I was pushed way outside of my comfort zone in every way possible. Yet instead of quitting or giving up (which I had done plenty of early on in my life), I kept persevering past all internal and external limitations. When I finally arrived at Machu Pichu after the longest four day journey of my life, any remaining stress and tension from the journey was quickly replaced by the familiar and very euphoric feeling of peace and serenity. For the first time in my life, it felt like my soul was home. As I explored Machu Pichu for all its glory and wonder, a very deep and profound lesson began to reveal itself.

Up until this point, I had been on my journey of self-discovery for five years and had learned a great deal about myself and life. But the one thing that was missing was my ability to take what I had learned intellectually and apply it to my everyday living. I had been longing for the ability to physically embody all the change and transformation I had been through on a more consistent basis. And quite frankly, I was tired of having one foot in and one foot out when it came to being and expressing who I truly was.

After exploring what seemed like every inch of Machu Pichu, I found a quiet place with nobody around and sat in meditation. But this was unlike any other meditation I had ever experienced as my mind was completely still. There were absolutely no thoughts present in my mind for over 30 minutes. My heart expanded and my spirit soared!

It was in this state that for the first time in my life I felt deep within who I truly was; I felt my truth. I realized that I needed to reveal this truth to everyone and to no longer hold it back or wear a mask to cover it up. It was time to let go of the fear and to stop caring so much about what others thought or said. It was time to let go completely and take the plunge. As I awakened from the meditation, I felt more clear, balanced and at peace than ever before.

That day marked the beginning of a new me. From that point forward I made a vow to show ALL of who I was in each and every moment and to reveal my truth and my essence in every thought, word and action!

As an additional affirmation to my discovery that day, my face ended up getting badly sunburnt (as I forgot to put on sunscreen). But for some reason ,this burn did not hurt in the slightest. And lo and behold, three days later my entire face peeled a layer of the old, dead skin – symbolizing the removal of the mask I had been wearing to hide my truth!

As I write this blog approximately three years after that moment I stepped into my authentic self and shared ALL of who I was with the world for the first time – I recognize more than ever before how important it is for others to do the same. As we approach the beginning of 2013, there is a HUGE need for everyone on this planet to break free from their own self-imposed limitations and reveal who they truly are.

Gone are the days of suppressing what we truly feel due to the fear of judgment and ridicule from others. Gone are the days of putting on a mask and covering up who we truly are, to fit into someone else’s paradigm or system. This New Year brings forth a new energy and a new reality for ALL of us. A reality where revealing our deepest truths, desires and gifts is a MUST!

Take Action Challenge:

Are you suppressing your greatest desires and deepest emotions or are you expressing yourself freely and limitlessly? Are you trying to fit within someone else’s paradigm or are you creating your own?

For the next 7 days, muster up all your courage, let go of all your fears, and step out of your comfort zone. Do something you have wanted to do, say something you have wanted to say, or show something you have wanted to show – without worrying about what the world will think! Remove the mask and reveal your truth to the world… and watch how life responds!

Your new life is waiting… are you ready to embrace it?

Photo Credit: Max Elman

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Michael Eisen is an inspirational speaker, author and the founder of the Youth Wellness Network (YWN), an organization dedicated to inspiring and empowering youth across the globe to live happier and more positive lives. YWN specializes in creating and implementing wellness programs in schools and organizations, while providing additional programs and training online (ywnambassadors.com).

After positively transforming his own life at the age of 19, Michael is now on a lifelong crusade to share with other young people the principles, strategies, and practices that gave him the strength to start living a more joyful and healthier life. He contributes a fresh, young, authentic voice to the field of wellness, and is rapidly becoming a youth-wellness expert.

Michael's first book, Empowered YOUth: A Father and Son's Journey to Conscious Living, co-authored with his father Jeffrey Eisen and published by Hay House is now available for purchase online and everywhere books are sold.

To learn more about Michael and the Youth Wellness Network, join him on Facebook, follow him on Twitter, and visit youthwellnessnetwork.ca.

For more information, please visit youthwellnessnetwork.ca

This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. Very inspiring Michael, thanks for sharing your profound experience. While I think it’s great for people to take on your action challenge, I might also suggest consciously working at inducing transformative experiences, such as through making attempts to have out-of-body experiences, developing our clairvoyance, doing energy work or meditation, etc. We shouldn’t get caught up in techniques or forcing an experience, but working towards the type of experience you had can bring forth profound results quicker – and can be quite empowering. As you know, the experiences or perceptions that come forth free up our energy quite a bit to be who we really are and to do what’s most important.

  2. Jack, thanks for your comment! I believe that techniques like my 7 day challenge serve as an opportunity for people to start seeing how they are living their lives. I realize it will not create sustainable changes in peoples lives but it may just create a small shift that gets them exploring themselves and their lives more – and thus coming across other methodologies you mentioned. I have been on my journey for 8 years now and I can tell you when I was first starting there is no way I was interested in exploring out of body experiences, developing clairvoyance or doing energy work. I needed to work my way up to that along my journey. I needed to open myself up through simple practices first that opened my mind to a whole new world that I could be living. Thanks again!

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