The Wandering Soul: Merging Timeless Values With a Passionate Heart

What does it mean to be a wandering soul?

To some a wandering soul might sound flighty and non-committal, and in some instances this can be true. But the wandering soul that I am speaking of is not someone who acts in haste but, rather, it is someone who aims to fully honor their personal calling in all of its glorious colors.

The society in which we live seems to value order and structure above all else. It wants you to decide your major before you even leave high school, to determine your career path as soon as you graduate, and to anticipate and predict all of your wants and needs for years to come. But when you decide to veer off that path, suddenly you become an outcast, a black sheep, a dissenting voice, and a rebel without a cause. The unfortunate part, though, is that too many people make determinations about their life based on what they think they are supposed to do or supposed to want without actually taking the time to ask themselves if it’s what their heart truly desires. Society gives us directions and rules to follow but, unfortunately, too often we forget to follow the whisperings of our own soul.

Wandering may not come easily to everyone. And even the natural wanderer can feel lost sometimes. But when the path that you are taking is one of your own making, wandering won’t seem so scary anymore.

The thing about trying out new and different paths is that it allows you to gain more perspective and accumulate more knowledge from which to draw, as well as more confidence in your ability to create. For me, I always believe that I can achieve anything that I put my mind towards. I am "greedy" for life. I want to experience all of my desires and manifest all of my passions. I want to try something at least once to see if I will want to explore it further or do it again. I am thirsty for knowledge. I am curious about the world. I am eager to get to really know people. And I am enthusiastic about experiencing the best that life has to offer. But, most importantly, in all of it, I always center myself in the stability of my timeless values, the nature of my integrity, and the depths of the curiosity that my old soul desires to satiate.

Life is meant to be explored. And even if you are most comfortable in the seemingly mundane, there is always room to find out more about yourself and what you want out of life. It’s okay to want what others want. It’s okay to follow the tried-and-true. But if you are not doing it out of free choice or because you actually desire it, you are not really fulfilling your potential. The fact of the matter is, everyone and anyone can be a wandering soul, because to wander simply means to explore your true potential and dive into all that inspires the joy within you. Wandering to me means giving yourself the freedom to explore who you are, what you want, and what life has to show and offer you. But that only works when you have something grounded to come back to, when you are grounded in the integrity of who you really are, and when you are centered in something authentic and stable, such as timeless values and the simplicity of your own truth.

That is why I love and appreciate quality and attention to detail so much, i.e., because it is what stabilizes and grounds me to my truth. With all of the distractions that exist in society today, it’s nice to be able to come back to center and realize what truly matters. Being on the hamster wheel of life is only sustainable for so long. Consequently, there will come a point when you will just want to relax and settle into yourself and the quality of life that exists all around you.

I used to judge myself as being confused. I used to think that I simply didn’t know what I wanted. I used to believe that I couldn’t commit to anything. But then I realized, I did know and I did commit. I committed to my desire for exploration. I committed to my craving for knowledge. And I committed to my purpose and passions. But I also realized that anything that was ever important to me became my determination, which is what truly defines commitment to me. I never give up on the things that matter to me the most. I always give my all to every single one of my endeavors. And every time that I come full circle, I always bring with me a heightened perspective and new knowledge to take me to the next level. I have always committed myself to what I wanted, and I have always committed myself to being authentic. And, for me, that has always been good enough.

The thing about wandering is that, to do so, we must always have a grounding thread, i.e., something that remains consistent throughout our explorations and journeys. Because being centered in the peaceful calm of savoring each moment, this is what allows our zest for life to flourish. And it is exactly because of that strong foundation and our belief in the important values in life that we can explore all of the aspects of ourselves freely and without the fear of getting lost.

Being a wandering soul doesn’t necessarily have to mean jet-setting all over the world or moving from city to city. It doesn’t even have to mean switching jobs or relationships or even taking new classes. The true essence of a wandering soul is simply being willing to explore all aspects of yourself, right where you are. It’s about finding new perspectives from which to view your life and the world, and creating positive changes where change might be needed. It’s about looking into the depths of your soul and not allowing illusions, fears, doubts, or insecurities to create your reality. And it’s about finding the true meaning of happiness, not from some fantastical ideal, a future projection, or an exaggerated view of yourself, but from a place of authenticity and anchoring into the true value and meaning of life.

A wandering soul knows the value of keeping it real. A wandering soul knows the importance of following their heart. And a wandering soul knows the meaning of authenticity and, therefore, seeks it out wherever they go and with whomever they meet. To a wandering soul, their fundamental values do not change. And it is for this reason that they can feel so free to express the totality of who they are; because in doing so, they embody the very purpose and reason for being.

So, what’s your thing? What’s your passion? Go ahead, wander and explore the possibilities, first in your mind and heart, and then in your actions. But always remember to anchor yourself in timeless values so that you can always have a solid foundation from which to explore. Don’t always look for the quick fix or the apparent short cuts. And don’t fall for the smoke and mirrors others are trying to sell you. Recognize integrity when you see it, but also when you don’t. Don't try to rush the process or think that faster is always better. Do not compromise your values and, I promise you, the universe will reward your faith. And realize that as a wandering soul you will ultimately find your place, but often you will find that place within the journey itself.

Know that wandering doesn’t have to be about anything specific either. It’s simply a willingness to explore ALL of the aspects of yourself, in any arena, and to be willing to express your authenticity and true desires in every action, reaction, and every area of your life. You might wander in your choice of vocation or maybe in your education. You may wander in your current position and ponder how you might best express your full potential there. Maybe you’ll wander to explore the kind of person that you want to be and the kind of relationships that you want to have. From A-Z and beyond, a wandering soul always asks the questions in order to receive the answers, and a wandering soul is never scared to “go there” in order to find what they truly want and need to know.

Wandering has nothing to do with how much money you have in the bank, and it certainly doesn’t mean ignoring your responsibilities. Instead, it means being willing to explore the full extent of your heart’s desires while living by timeless principles. It means recognizing the integrity that you want to impart, but also want to experience all around you. It’s appreciating the quality offerings other people have to share, and ensuring that everything you offer to the world is of quality too. When you wander with mindful intention, you become a powerhouse expression of timeless values and an innovative spirit because you recognize what is truly important within the scope of what you want to explore. Integrity of spirit means being real with yourself and with others and appreciating the realness that you see all around you. It’s refusing to hide behind a mask of your ego’s making and being willing to accept yourself fully and share your authentic self with the world. Most of all, it is about being who you really are and doing what you came here to do while appreciating the authenticity of other like-minded souls all around you.

But I cannot stress enough, your core values must be unshakable because they symbolize the basis of who you are, and they support your authentic expression and contribution to the world at large. For, what you believe and honor in your life becomes your outward reality.

We all have choices. But it is what we do with those choices that shapes the character of our nature, and the tone of our life experiences. So, when we choose to honor integrity, trust, loyalty, authenticity, joy, quality, sincerity, beauty, and love, and we choose to embody these qualities too, this becomes our foundation. And this, then, gives us the confidence to wander freely to anywhere that we want to go, and anything that we want to do.

So, wander my friends into the depths of your soul, for there you will find everything that you could ever need.