Six Principles to Live Life with Purpose

Six Principles to Live Life with Purpose is an anthology collection of blog stories edited and compiled by Trails to Empowerment community partner, Charlie Botting. The Six Principle philosophy of Nature Connection, Nature Conservation, Personal Development, Self-Sufficiency, Empowerment and Consciousness & Awareness is shared through the short reflections of multiple community members from around the world: Germany to the US, Ireland to France. In their own words, these community members share their experiences with the Six Principles, their successes and challenges and what they learned. The book is divided up into a section for each of the Six Principles, with stories that focus particularly on a specific principle, although the holistic concept of life in the wilderness means each story contains an element of each principle.

Nature Connection

These stories identify the different ways Trails to Empowerment community members experience a nature connection, such as through pack trips, wildlife scouts and mountain biking. The stories also share the philosophy of a nature connection, the benefits and importance of it and some studies that support this. There is always something new to experience whether that is travelling into the wilderness in a different season, into a different area or learning about different wildlife species.

Nature Conservation

These stories explain some of the ways we contribute to conservation such as road deactivation, wildlife population counts, white bark pine studies and invasive plant removal. The conservation concept of participatory action research is how we contribute our research to creating meaningful change in the Chilcotin Ark. The Chilcotin Ark, its virtues and biodiversity are introduced to highlight the importance of conserving this unique area.

Personal Development

Personal development is achieved in many ways, through our entrepreneur program, learning about ranch management, getting exposure to new philosophies and ways of life and embarking on unknown adventures into the wilderness. Everyone has the opportunity to grow and evolve and personal development is highlighted as a priority of joining the ranch community.

Self-Sufficiency

Harvesting our own food, splitting firewood, training our own horses and learning about mechanics are just some of the ways we are self-sufficient on a skill level. The mindset of personal responsibility is the mindset it takes to live a wilderness lifestyle which is also shared in this section of the book.

Empowerment

This principle is identified through Intentional Work, having a community of equals and ongoing growth and evolvement. Stories of development during community members’ time at the ranch and how they continued to grow and evolve after moving onto the next stage of their journey, as well as the ranch’s egalitarian culture are all examples of empowerment, as are learning new skills and overcoming challenges.

Conscious and Aware

Some conscious and aware philosophy such as the Consciousness Chart and acceptance are discussed in this section, as well as the lessons learned from horses in this regard. Self-reflections on decision-making and discussions on the type of people who are attracted to life in this community as well as the learning opportunities from hands-on experience are also included here.

Short biographies about each of the authors share what each community member did during their time at the ranch and what they are doing now, whether that is at the ranch or  elsewhere, give readers an insight into the opportunities and growth experiences available in the Trails to Empowerment community and while living a
wilderness lifestyle.

Six Principles to Live Life with Purpose is great snapshot of life in the Trails to Empowerment community in community partners’ own words. Whether you are considering joining us or want to apply these principles in your own life, this book will give you the overview you are looking for.

Six Principles to Live Life with Purpose is available in paperback and ebook on our partner, Fortress Books and Web’s website here.

Want to learn more about the Six Principles with an online course? Our Six Principles Bundle from our training partner, the Institute for Human Potential, will introduce you to all of our Six Principles and how to apply them in your life. Sign up here.

Want to experience some of these wilderness opportunities for yourself? Our Wilderness Lifestyle Experience, with our partner, Wilderness Trails, allows you to experience all of this and more – you’re only limited by your imagination. Find out more about the Wilderness Lifestyle Experience here.

Find more recommended books from the Trails to Empowerment community here.