“Direction is the journey, the path, the waves that roll with the tides, long and purposeful.”

Last week, my friend and fellow FireStarter test-subject Jessica Swift and I connected on Skype to catch up and discuss what changes we were implementing so far after our websites and business ideas were wonderfully critiqued by Danielle LaPorte and Jonathan Fields on a live conference call with over 250 bloggers and entrepreneurs.

The conversation quickly turned from business ideas and blog changes to serendipity, leaps of faith and the idea of pursuing direction in life without a hardened, final “destination” in mind — which fell right in line with a journal entry I had written that very day.

I video-documented (above) what turned out to be a very cool experience while writing on the frozen shores of the Ocean State, my home, Rhode Island.

(On my end, some amazing opportunities have recently developed that I’m excited to soon share with you. It involves (finally) taking my cherished messages of becoming a quiet leader and leading “without followers” on the road, in front of live audiences. :) You’ll learn more soon.)

In the last couple of weeks, Jessica and I have both encountered remarkable events in our lives that you could call coincidence, serendipity, fate, destiny, the work of God… or, perhaps, the human spirit opening up to trust intuition and embrace love in its many forms.

Jessica Swift

Jessica: A lot of really serendipitous things have happened lately that are moving me quickly down the road to making it a reality– I happened to connect with the perfect person who can help me with all the aspects of manufacturing that I know nothing about, and we’re partnering up to create something that I’m REALLY excited about.

Jessica: I went to NYC on a whim a few weeks ago, to check out the gift show that happens there a couple times a year, and I met the person that I want to have as my mentor, too — completely out of the blue. I had this hunch that I was going to meet him while I was there (for no reason at all– I just had a strange feeling), and I DID!

Dave: I love how you described it as serendipitous

Jessica: It WAS serendipitous!

Jessica: I said to a friend the morning I left “I have a weird feeling that I’m going to meet Jonathan Adler while I’m in NY.” And then I sort-of forgot about it, until I turned around and there he was the next day!”

Dave: I’d like to ask more about the leaps of faith you’ve taken so far on your path, because to me at least, leaps of faith are perhaps one of the more interesting aspects of pursuing dreams

Jessica: It’s funny, because the leaps I’ve taken have probably from the outside looked irresponsible or irrational, but I’m really a responsible person, and I guess I know how to listen to my gut and intuition. Because everything has worked out so far.

Jessica: I think a lot of the time I even take the leap before I realize fully what the dream is– does that seem crazy?

Dave: Not at all. Interestingly, I wrote about this today in my journal. I wrote, “one may seek direction without seeking final destination. direction is the journey, the path, the waves that roll with the tides, long and purposeful.”

Jessica: Direction is the journey…. I like that

Dave: It’s tough to really articulate

Jessica: I always have a hard time when people ask me how I’ve found my path, because I just want to tell that that I’m just ON the path, I’m not finding it, you know?

Dave: It’s as if there’s a very indescribable dynamic between our choices and our purposes.. the purpose that knows better, and the choices which derive from our spirit, our “gut” instinct, our intuition, that is longing to find alignment with the purpose that already knows itself

Jessica: All we have to do is listen. And act, even if it’s scary.

The Art of Direction Without Destination

The art of direction without destination is listening, opening up, “feeling”, trusting and walking the path that your heart demands, whether or not we understand it.

Maybe our lives’ purposes are far easier to discover than we realize — maybe it’s not even about “discovering” so much as it is “pursuing”.

Maybe our spirits already know what we’re here to do in life. Maybe our hearts know all that we are individually capable of. Maybe we just have to trust our gut feelings, live with a mindset of positive attraction, be open to any and all possibilities, work our asses off, have fun and do good, meet and help lots of people, and let our destination make itself known only when we cross the finish line.

What do you think?