I had a life-changing experience on Sunday, and I want to share it with you. I hope that's okay 🙂

Thank you for reading this week!

I went into hiding for 3 days

On Sunday, I found myself deep in the Serra de Tramuntana mountains in Mallorca, Spain, staying in a tiny cottage with no one in sight. At 5 pm, I said "see you on Wednesday" to my wife and shut off my phone.

I needed to tune out all the noise and go into hiding for three days.

This marked the beginning of my solo offline retreat, a space I create once per year to connect with myself. The experience consists of reading one book, journaling, and listening to thoughts usually drowned out by the noisy world.

This year, I read The Surrender Experiment by spiritual teacher Michael A. Singer, a book I hadn't picked up in 10 years, which shares his journey of surrender.

50 years ago, he posed the question, "What would happen if I trusted in the flow of life and said 'yes' to everything that life brings me?"

My favorite line is the final sentence of the book:

Reading this book made me think of a time when everything lined up after I let go of my resistance and followed the flow of life.

When I was deciding on a college, I wanted to move to Southern California. Cal State Fullerton was the only school I got into in the area, but it wasn't one of the schools I hoped for.

Instead of following what life put on my path and visiting, I resisted and found myself regretfully choosing between Chico State and U.C. Santa Cruz.

That was until my mom said, "Why don't you just give Fullerton a shot? You've always said you wanted to move to Southern California."

"Fine, mommmmm."

So we went.

We were standing in front of the fountain at the campus entrance when I felt a flash of excitement. I turned to my mom and said, "This is the one."

One year later, I met Nicolle, my wife and partner of nearly 10 years at school.

Surrendering to the natural flow of life led me to my life's greatest miracle. Her. And I've felt a great peace ever since.

Remembering that experience while I was tucked away in the mountains made me realize I've stopped saying 'yes' to life in some areas.

In the past, I've had a deep meditation practice. And as an artist and author, it's been a magical space to connect with new ideas. But it's fallen out of my routine.

I've been thinking about it a lot lately and have felt the nudge to bring it back into my life. Even though I felt called, I kept telling myself it wouldn't make a difference.

But my retreat helped me re-embrace the idea that life's way is the way, so I started up my meditation practice this week.

The very first time I sat down to meditate, I got an idea for a piece of writing that has become my favorite thing I've written in a long time. It moved me to tears as I wrote it.

Where are you currently saying no to what life is putting on your path?

You might find the life you're seeking is closer than you think.

Book recommendation of the week

The Surrender Experiment by Michael A. Singer

See essay above for why I chose this one 😉

Thank you for reading. I hope to see you again next week!

Jordan Tarver
Author of ​You Deserve This Sh!t​ and ​Pursuit of Purpose​

p.s. ​Text "INSPO" to 707-289-7047​ to receive free weekly inspirational messages directly from me to your phone. Your data is always secure and kept private. I'll never charge you a penny. I'd love to have you!