A Cabin, on the Side of Mountain, next to a Trout Stream
Posted on May 08, 2024 by Michael Brand, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
“You are an expert on yourself. And until you accept that, it will be difficult to ever identify your true desires, passions, and mission.”
I have been saying it for years. This has been my answer to what I want whenever I am asked this by myself or someone else.
“A cabin, on the side of a mountain, next to a trout stream.” I am not sure why or how I came to this vision except for the fact that it was just in me. As I answered this question more and more, it became more than just a nice thought. It became a mantra. There was no ambivalence. This is truly what I want – A cabin, on the side of a mountain, next to a trout stream. And from that point, I sought to order my life both directly and indirectly around reaching that dream.
What do you want?
Notice I did not ask: “What do others want for you?” or “Who do others want you to be?” or “What do others want you to do?”
So let me ask again, “What do you want?”
I am asking you, because you are truly the only person that can answer that question for yourself. Oh, other people can provide multiple choice options for what you should want, but that still doesn’t answer the question of what do you want.
Whenever I ask a person this question, I can sense when the person is answering from their true self versus them answering from someone else’s. When a person knows what they want they speak about confidently as if it is already theirs. When a person answers from someone else’s wants for them, they almost speak about their goals as if they are ashamed. Maybe you have felt the dissonance of answering the question of what you want with someone else’s answers.
The naked truth is this. Whether you believe it or not, you are an expert on yourself. And until you accept that, it will be difficult to ever identify your true desires, passions, and mission. Having a sense of fulfilment is challenging when we are fulfilling someone else’s dreams for us. Life satisfaction, vitality, and quality of life experiences are the normal for those who have cut through the noise and identified and working toward their own vision for life.
Coaching supports and defers to the expert in you. We are here to empower you to want what you truly want. In this way, you give yourself permission to seek after your own desires. If you are having difficulty cutting through the noise to hear your own life speak to you, than getting support through coaching can be a huge benefit. Working with a coach will help you identify your own life’s vision, goals, and desires and help you achieve them.
You already have what it takes to be successful in making your vision a reality. Your life is probably already speaking to you about what you truly want to pursue. What will it take for you to cut through the noise and embrace the vision, make it mantra, and see it realized?
I didn’t know how it would happen. All I knew was if I kept the vision before me, gave myself permission to go after it, and seek the support of those that want to empower me toward my own vision for life – not theirs – I could be successful at reaching my dreams for what I want somehow. I now live in a cabin, near two of the tallest mountains in the continental U.S. at the headwaters of the Arkansas River which has some of the best fishing in the world.
I am not a millionaire. I have not yet reached all my goals. But the path of life is more fulfilling when you believe in the expertise you have on yourself and take the courage to follow yourself and your own expertise. I always say- and it is a lesson I learned the hard way – if you do not set your own intentions, someone else will set them for you.
So what do you want?
