Fearless Fly Fishing

Dear Readers,

This past week I spent fly fishing on the Williamson River in Oregon with my colleague and friend Dr. George Patterson and our Fly Fishing for the Mind group. George and I did a retreat combining fly fishing, the beauty of nature and discovering how to live a fearless life. The setting was the Klamath Basin, home to some of the largest rainbow trout in the world and in the high desert of the Oregon near Crater Lake National Park.

The crisp fall air welcomed us each day as we woke up to Qi Gong exercises, a hearty breakfast and a morning seminar on living fearlessly. We then ventured out to the river with our trusty guides to float the river, take in the fall beauty and perhaps catch a trophy rainbow trout. After a day of fishing we sat around the fire or watched the sun set over the river and shared our reflections and discoveries about ourselves from the day.

This retreat focused on the topic of my new book, Fearproof Your Life. Many transformations occured with the participants as we looked within to discover the secrets of living fearlessly. One participant reminded me of the power of willingness and an open mind to transform our lives. She came to the retreat with more fear than the others--of flying in a small plane, of leaving her sick cat, of meeting strangers far from home to do something she wasn't that accomplished at. But her fear didn't prevent her from coming, because her desire to be free of fear outweighed her habits that have kept her trapped in a world of fear.

Willingness opens the door to our hearts and minds, to discover the beauty of life that is revealed when we drop the veil of fearful thoughts that obstruct our view of a majestic world and the love of others. She became present to the moment when her fears subsided and she experienced her true Self. The first step in moving from a life of fear to one of peace is willingness. It only takes a small amount to make that first step, but the rewards for doing so are immeasurable.

Perhaps you will join us on our next fly fishing for the mind adventure to Patagonia, Chile next February.

Live Fearlessly,

Joe