Vision Quest Online Program Introduction

“You are what your deep driving desire is.
As your desire is so is your will.
As your will is, so is your deed.
As your deed is so is your destiny.”
Brihadaranyaka Upinishad IV.4.5

Welcome to The Vision Quest Program.

This Program can be done over a minimum of one month and the intended outcomes of this Program are:-

- Vision Statement for time period selected
- Values Clarification
- Goals in the 5 areas – Physical, Mental, Emotional, Material, Spiritual
- A Personal Development Plan
- Establishment of 30 minute daily practice including:-
- learning to focus on what you did right
- acknowledging and rewriting your internal stories about who you are
- intention setting in the morning and review at night
- Knowing what it feels like to be FutureMe
- Grasping the concepts of ‘Getting Beyond Thinking’ and ‘Being Comfortable in Uncertainty’

Your Commitment

To complete this Program you need to commit to:-
- ½ hour per day of ‘Me time’
- 2 hours per week to do Exercises and Reading

You will also need a journal to write your notes in.

Background Theory

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.”
 Marianne Williamson

The Vision Quest Program is based on the premise that we are powerful beyond measure but may have simply forgotten how to embrace our magic.

Throughout the ages people have taken time to seek out their Vision or Purpose in life. Without a clear Vision or Purpose life can become simply a reaction to events as they occur. With a clear sense of ‘Why’ it is easier to put things into perspective, find motivation and work to actively create the life we choose to live.

This Vision Quest Program has been developed over the last 18 years of working with people from around the World. It involves thought provoking articles, exercises and visualisations combined with a daily practice and structured journaling.

The underlying theory is Ontological Philosophy (the philosophy of ‘being’), Quantum Physics, Neuroscience and Ancient Wisdom all blended together with real world practicality.

The 3 Big Questions

There are 3 big questions that we will all ask at some stage during our lives:-
1) Who am I?
2) Why am here?
3) How do I walk that path?

The answer to the first question evolves as we live our lives. As growth seeking beings we are here to expand consciously and spiritually.  By seeking our path in life we have experiences that tell us more and more about ourselves, and as we bring more happiness and love into our own lives we are able to create more happiness and love on our planet.

Imagine how different the world would be if everyone was doing what they loved?

The problem is that we are not given an instruction booklet when we are born. Life must be lived. The purpose in all our lives is generally only fully revealed in retrospect therefore we need to live life in ‘flow’.

The best way to find our purpose is by following passion and doing what we love - love ourselves first then BE love

We also need to embrace the mystery of the World and accept that we should never hope to completely ‘work it all out’. However, we should never stop asking.

So – why are we here?

To find our life path that gives us happiness and enables us to embrace love in all its forms – love of self, others, life, nature, earth

How To Get There?

We need to understand 3 things:-

1. The nature of Existence
2. The nature of Reality
3. The nature of Ourselves

1. THE NATURE OF EXISTENCE (Ontological Philosophy)
I believe therefore I am.
We construct our reality through our beliefs and stories. Our best hope then is to manage our ‘being’ and there are 3 worlds that we must walk in – the Past, the Present and the Future.

Our task in the Past is to uncover our deepest stories of who we are and what we believe we deserve from life. To face and release limiting beliefs from the past.
In the Present we simply need to surrender fully to the moment.

In the Future we need to dream a bigger dream and plant the seeds of possibility.

The Past
Fixed View of the World
Comfortable & Safe
We know everything
The total of our experiences, opinions, judgements
Right/Wrong
The stories we tell ourselves about who we are and how the world works
Offers only options not true possibilities

The Present
What is or is not
The present is the point of power where you have an opportunity to influence the world
The only place where actions happen

The Future
The opportunity to explore true possibilities
A Blank canvas
New anchors for behaviour – Vision, Mission and Values

 Most of us are living 90-95% in the same old routine simply reacting to events as they unfold. The aim is to shift to being 70% in the Past Present loop and spend 30% of the time actively creating the future we want.

The key issue here is WILL

To be successful at anything you only have to be able to do 3 things:-
1. Develop and Maintain a Compelling Vision
2. Transform the Past
3. Proactively Manage the Present

When you are not doing these things the result is poor performance as shown in the diagram

In contrast Peak Performance is shown below:-

2. THE NATURE OF REALITY

Quantum Physics tells us:-
- We are all interconnected by a Quantum Field
- We are all influenced by that field and constantly have an opportunity to influence the field.
- There is an observer effect that brings wave forms into being – that is – you attract what you observe.

3. THE NATURE OF OURSELVES

- The brain is a self organising patterning system. It is constantly looking for patterns which can serve us but also limit us. (We seek CERTAINTY)
- Neuroplasticity tells us we can reshape our brains throughout our entire lives.
- FOCUS strengthens the neural networks – both the carrot and the stick strengthen behaviour.
- Whole brain balance is crucial – left brain seeks certainty, right brain seeks flow.
- We have 3 brains – head, heart and gut.
- We can only consciously process 2000 bits of information per second where as scientists estimate as a whole we process many billions.

Putting It All Together

• We create our reality through beliefs and stories
• What we focus on expands both in the Quantum Field and the World
• We need to get beyond conscious thinking
• We need to become comfortable in uncertainty
• We have the ability to reshape our very anatomy by focussed training

The key then is to develop a clear Vision for where we want to go and then to align our ‘being’ and ‘doing’ with that Vision.

 
The 8 Principles Of Self Mastery

Given that we can change and shape ourselves and our lives to suit us. Ideally then we would:-
1. Train ourselves to tell a loving story about our self
2. Get out of our heads and be open hearted
3. Recognise that power is right now and be fully present
4. Seek our life purpose by following passion
5. Recognise we live in a cause and effect world so ACT courageously
6. Let go of the need for certainty
7. Focus on what blessings you have and be grateful
8. Embrace love in all its forms

The 8 Principles of Self Mastery

1. Believe in Yourself
2. Open Your Heart
3. Be Present
4. Follow Passion
5. Act Courageously
6. Have Faith
7. Be Grateful
8. Embrace Love

The 5 Areas of Vision

Mostly when we try to create a Vision we lapse into thinking purely about material things but life is not just about materiality. Leading a good life is all about balance. Having good friends and family around us, being physically well, mentally sharp, spiritually nurtured, and enthusiastic about life.

Vision has 5 key areas - Physical, Mental, Emotional, Spiritual and Material:-
- Physical - How are you physically and what are you doing to maintain it? Do you exercise? Do you eat specific things?
- Material - What do you have materially - car, house, toys etc.
- Mental - What would you be doing to nurture yourself mentally? reading, playing chess, having stimulating discussions with friends etc
- Emotional - What do your personal relationships look like, who is there, how do they see you?
- Spiritual - How are you feeding your spiritual needs? prayer, meditation, quiet strolls with the dog etc.

So Where Are You Now?

Over the next few weeks you will complete your Personal Development Plan and the first step in that is to do a self assessment of where you are now.

Go to the ‘Personal Development Plan’ document and fill in the Self Assessment pages. Note that as you do this you may give yourself a range out of 10 – i.e. good day/bad day.

When you have done that you can move onto Part 1