Courage & Fear Archives • Page 2 of 21 • Andrew Crusoe

In Life, there is a remarkable Spectrum of Experience available to you.

And it’s on you to decide how you spend your time — and thusly your Life.

But there’s a next step, beyond consciously choosing what you do.

During my travels on Hawaii, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting a fascinating flock of people from all over the spectrum: business owners, artists, wanderers, massage therapists, builders, poets, and of course, vagabonds. Each of them show me a different color of the Spectrum of Experience, and invariably I find the ones who are the most unconventional are the ones I learn from the most. And believe me; saying that there are plenty of unconventional people in Puna is putting it lightly.

For instance, an elder woman of the island told me about a man who travels all over the world doing bodywork, healing people from all kinds of ailments. She said she had been bedridden from a car accident for years, and because of him, she could walk again.

I’ve also met people who simply live hidden in the jungle. The fact that this is illegal (despite the fact that most of the land is in varying degrees of complete uselessness) doesn’t even phase some people; and I know more than a couple people who have done this or are currently doing it. And those who live “hidden away” seem happy with their lot.

Not interested in living in the jungle? You could live in a meditation center. I know a handful of people who lived for months on end at a respected meditation center on the island. They help keep the place running in exchange for a place to stay, good food, and a pretty good meditation hall.

Obviously, this isn’t a great fit for everyone, but for the right person, a consciously-chosen atypical lifestyle can provide much greater growth opportunities (not to mention joy) than a traditional one. In one of my favorite examples, two of my good friends on the island make vegan ice cream for a living. They create some incredible combinations that I’ve never seen anywhere else. (Rose-Petal Pistachio, anyone?) They’re able to pursue what they love, which is making ice cream, in a healthy, locally-sourced way. And their business is growing beautifully.

People choose unconventional living styles all over the world, but I’ve never seen it as obvious and ‘on display’, at least in the US, than on the Big Island of Hawaii. There is a kind of admirable shamelessness about it, and it goes together perfectly with the entrepreneurial vein which runs through the island. There is an attitude of ‘I give from my abundance and you give from yours.’

So how do you choose which path is right for you? Which color of the Spectrum appeals to You?

Colors of the Spectrum of Experience

All of the people in the situations I’ve just mentioned, and indeed dozens of examples I haven’t included here, are bravely pursuing what they feel drawn to do. They aren’t blindly following the script laid out before them. While traditional society might have them get a predefined degree and find a jobby-job at any place that will take them, these people are forging their own way forward.

To be perfectly clear, I’m not saying that getting a degree is necessarily unwise. (I don’t regret mine.) Traditional education can be valuable (and quite necessary) in some fields, but be cautious about following the well-paved path. Who ever said that following a predesigned path ensured a happy destination?

In my experience, happiness and fulfillment isn’t so easily stumbled upon. In the USA, we operate on dozens of assumptions that we don’t even know we’re making. Who said that there was only one path to success? Yet thankfully, in this increasingly entrepreneurial world, the assumptions are changing.

And as tempting as it may be, I’m not going to bring up examples of people who have dropped out of college to go on to become successes, because that’s not even the point.

The point is: You are going to die.

You know this. You’ve been told this. But do you really get this on a deep level?

I thought I did — until 2012, when I had a near-death experience in a car accident. Calling it “surreal” doesn’t do the experience justice. The vehicle flipped. Twice. (I’m not one to half-ass anything, even a car accident.)

The vehicle was totaled, but miraculously we walked away from the accident with only a few bruises. There wasn’t even any guilt attached to the event. I wasn’t driving, and it wasn’t the driver’s fault, either. Perhaps I’ll go into more detail in a later date, but the practical upshot of this was that my concept of my own mortality shifted, in a big way.

Are you Wasting Your Life?

Of course, such moments are bound to change you, and I’m glad to say that it changed my perspective for the better (although perhaps not in all the ways you’d expect). Yes, I value life in a deeper way, but I also understand viscerally that it could end any day, at any time. I constantly remind myself to savor it. But I also feel much less judgmental when I see someone “wasting” their life.

After all, who am I?

Who am I to say how they’re supposed to spend their time?

When I was in college, I used to judge what people picked as majors. Social work? Welding? Cosmetology? I’m not proud of the fact that I felt a sense of disappointment when someone told me that one of the above was their area of study. I placed judgment on certain areas of the Spectrum of Experience.

But today, my attitude is completely different.

I’m not sure if it was the accident, living on Hawai’i for over year, or all that and more; but my values have shifted. Now I see how absurdly short this Earth Experience can be, and I say: Go for it.

If beautifying hair makes you bubbly, do it. If living in the jungle makes you joyful, do that. If all you want to do is make different flavors of vegan ice cream, please for glob’s sake DO THAT. (And thanks Sean & Ashley at Nicoco’s for their incredible vegan ice cream.)

Smarter Than Your Head

How much longer will we blindly follow The Program before we realize it isn’t a recipe for happiness? How many more years? How many more lives?

Have the courage to pursue your path with a heart. No one else’s. Because you will get good at what you do. Sure, it takes time, but the time is going to pass either way.

Don’t misconstrue this. If your heart calls you to get a Ph.D. in Astrophysics, then DO THAT. (And not just because I love astronomy.) Do it because, when you’re dead honest with yourself, you already know your heart is smarter than your head. Choose the part of the Spectrum of Experience that you intuitively feel is right.

If you have the courage to do that, your life will be utterly transformed.

When you are passionate and congruent with your work, you’ll be far more effective, and people will respond. They’ll see that your attitude is in a higher realm (a realm that most people experience rarely, if ever), and it will electrify everyone around you. Remember that everything you see is temporary. Your possessions, your relationships, and yes, your body, are in a constant state of flux. Everything is transient, on some level. It’s just a question of the timescale you take most seriously. But if you come from a place of congruency and something in your life changes (which it inevitably will), your fundamental vision, your Path with a Heart, will guide you beyond that.

Follow the Path with a Heart. Or, heck, if you don’t like that label, then just follow your gut, and it will work out in the end — often in ways you can’t predict.

Perhaps this got you thinking. Perhaps you’re angry or annoyed. All of those are good. After all, even anger is a higher consciousness-level than apathy.

If you support these ideas and want to see them spread, click Like or Retweet below and share this article! And if these ideas don’t resonate with you, then you’d best move on, because it only gets more interesting from here on out.

I’ll leave you with one of the final photos I took on Hawaii:

“Potential minus Commitment equals Zero.”

Are you completely congruent with how you spend your time? If not, when does Now become a good time to change that?

During my adventures on these Hawaiian Islands, I have witnessed some remarkably unconventional and intriguing ways of living—ways that aren’t nearly as common on Mainland USA.

The single most profound difference I’ve encountered on these islands is the social agreement known as Work-Trade. Before I came here, I’d never work-traded anywhere. Heck, I don’t think I’d even heard of it before, but it turned out to be the best way for me to live cheaply on the Big Island while I wrote my 2nd book. No joke.

If you’re not familiar, work-trade is a type of living situation where a person (i.e., a work-trader) does a certain type of work in exchange for lodging. This is especially common on Hawaii, where jobs can be scarce. But even beyond that, many people choose work trade for the community benefits it offers. Nowhere else in the world have I seen so many intentional communities thriving than on Hawaii, and many of my friends here believe that community living is the future (not to mention the past, too).

Before I came to Hawaii in April 2013, I thought work-trade would be a fantastic way to save money. After all, helping people with their technology in exchange for free rent, laundry, and internet service sounded like a stellar idea.

What I didn’t know at the time was how much of a growth catalyst this would be for me. I’d never lived in community before, and I was in for a bit of an adjustment. I’ve managed condense what I’ve learned into the five tips below, that, when applied, can highly improve your experience.

Five Wise Tips

Be Totally Crystal Clear what your agreement is before you begin. If the agreement is 24 hours per week, please be sure of which days that entails, and exactly what that work will be. Some managers are more free-spirited than others and just want someone there to hold space, while others will micro-manage you. It’s up to you to clarify what is expected of you before you begin.
Realize that agreements are up for negotiation as long as you keep an open ear and behave honorably. Some places will charge you a security deposit (or give it some other name), and I was able to cut the deposit of my first place in half by doing some extra work in exchange. Normally, this wouldn’t be a big deal, but in a place where jobs and clients can be tricky to find, saving a little extra cash is helpful.
Run the Work Environment through your gut. Do you feel good about living on the same property with the person who will also be your boss? Having your manager also be your landlord is perhaps the largest mental shift associated with work-trade. Working with someone who you get along with is great in a job situation, but it’s just about mandatory when it comes to work trade. You will see that person most every day, so test for resonance before you agree to anything. If you get into an agreement with someone who simply doesn’t get you, anguish will result. However, if your manager understands what you have to offer, and you both do your part, a beautiful, highly-supportive relationship can result.
Be sure you want to be part of that Community before you arrive. If the community is relatively transient, obviously you’d better be equanimous with unexpected personalities coming and going every few weeks. Do you resonate with the culture of the place? Do you enjoy the people there now? Have you noticed new people arriving that you also feel good about—or don’t? In a place with a high turnover rate, like a hostel, this is can be a double-edged sword. Know yourself.
Be prepared to share Utilities like kitchen, laundry machine, and bathroom. If you haven’t had to do this before, it can be a bit of an adjustment, but usually the least of concerns, which is why I’ve placed it here at the end. If you are the kind of person who is interested in community in the first place, you will most likely adapt to this quickly.

Overwhelmingly Positive

Overall, living in a various work-trade situations has been overwhelmingly positive for me. Once I adjusted, I found the work-trade situations on the Big Island to be intriguing and of a relatively low time commitment (usually less time than a part-time job).

If you’re able to land a place that really resonates with you, it can be the best decision you’ll ever make if you want to really delve deep into a place while travelling, especially in Hawaii. You’ll expose yourself to new growth experiences, many of which you can’t anticipate. Living in a community, no matter how small, has the effect of exposing elements of yourself that you can improve on, as well as revealing your greatest strengths.

A Final Word of Warning: Once you start doing this, it may be difficult to stop! When I started house-sitting in mid-2014 after living in community for over a year, I found the adjustment to living alone rather pleasant at first, but then I came to miss living in community. The social support to be found in community is powerful, even if it’s just one or two other people.

Even now as I write this, I am on the eastern side of Maui, typing inside one of the most terrific living rooms ever: a fully-enclosed geodesic dome, complete with couches and a guitars along the edge. My friend’s farm here in Hana is a wonderfully eclectic mix of sacred architecture, abundant fruit trees, and creative souls — not to mention a wonderful home base for my brief time here on Maui.

Seems I just can’t get away from community, can I? 😉

Andrew Crusoe

Tropical Sci-Fi & True Hawaii Adventure

Category: Courage & Fear