The hat ties it all together.

I created this site back when I had it in my mind that I would write a novel. Thirty pages into it I began to get a sense for how large of a project writing a novel could be. Turns out, there’s something to this “experience” thing everyone talks about. You can’t just up and decide to start writing one day, and a year later have a successful novel. At least I couldn’t.

So, gradually, my attitude shifted away from thinking about how I could produce a novel towards how I could become a novelist. What life experiences, attitudes, habits, and desires would I need to cultivate to grow into the person I wanted to become? That was over 2 years ago… I’m still just beginning to figure it out.

I have learned some things, though. I believe that my life is my own. I can become who I wish, accomplish what I desire, and grow as I choose to grow. But there’s an important caveat: thought is nothing without action. To manifest my reality, I must make it the result of every action. Day by day, hour by hour, second by second… every action carries me either towards or away from my goals. And inaction is action… just in the wrong direction.

At first glance it seems a simple formula: clear vision + action = progress. But like many complex systems, the secret to life is compounded by parallelism, externalities, and time. So perhaps it looks more like this:

(moments in your life)((clear vision + action)^goals) – setbacks = progress

Math was never my strong suit. This life game, on the other hand, is something I’ve always enjoyed. I feel gratitude in such overpowering ways, sometimes, that I have to fight back the tears. Then I wonder, as a sense of sadness washes over me, why is it so good for me and so terrible for so many others? Do I deserve this or am I just lucky? How did I land on the upside of the coin?

Those questions haunt me. And the only answer I can come up with is this: so I can give more. I’m fortunate so I can create fortune. It must be my dharma, my duty.

So, I want to change the world. I want to grow and give. I want to fulfill the potential of this existence. That’s my journey.

This blog is an attempt to capture snippets of that journey and, more importantly, to share it with others. Because while each of us has their own novel journey, it is the collective that lends it significance.

Happy travels!!

-Augustin James Bralley