I’m sure by now you know how sappy and incense-induced I am, you’ve pictured me doing yoga on the beach at dawn, you’ve pictured me eating granola and yogurt and taking Singularity Vitamin Packs and so on – so it will come as no surprise, perhaps, that somehow I have Paulo Coelho as someone I follow on Plurk – you know, the Alchemist guy.

Of course, you might suspect but not be certain that I’m also trying to wade through whatever interminable and ghastly book Neal Stephenson has put out lately (I keep hoping for a repeat of Snow Crash but all I get is fake math and pseudo-philosophy, but it helps me sleep) or, more likely, whatever’s come out of Harvard that has lots of foot notes, a small font, and is popular among the egg heads at Harvard.

Whatever…the thing is, Paul posted on “Following Your Personal Legend” and then Plurked it, and there was a mention of Joseph Campbell, and I really love Joseph Campbell, so I read on, and got all gushy and yogic or whatever that feeling was (maybe it was dinner, who knows, I felt floaty and slightly dizzy).

And I thought I’d share with you the idea of Following Your Personal Legend, with my comments for its application to virtual worlds:

1] Tell yourself the truth: draw two columns on a sheet of paper and in the left column write down what you would love to do. Then write down on the other side everything you’re doing without any enthusiasm. Write as if nobody were ever going to read what is there, don’t censure or judge your answers.

This is YOUR Second Life. When you don’t like the boyfriend, or the community, or the beach house, or whatever….change it. You would in your actual life. Why do we make it harder in a virtual world?

2] Start slowly, but start: call your travel agent, look for something that fits your budget; go and see the movie that you’ve been putting off; buy the book that you’ve been wanting to buy. Be generous to yourself and you’ll see that even these small steps will make you feel more alive.

This is easy: read NPIRL, follow Bettina wherever she goes, revisit Svarga, whatever – get OFF your island and go remember why you stuck around in the first place.

3] Stop slowly, but stop: some things use up all your energy. Do you really need to go that committee meeting? Do you need to help those who do not want to be helped? Does your boss have the right to demand that in addition to your work you have to go to all the same parties that he goes to? When you stop doing what you’re not interested in doing, you’ll realize that you were making more demands of yourself than others were really asking.

Balance. While we’re on the subject: how many times have you used the word “balance” in discussions in SL? Be honest. A lot right? You’re not alone. EVERYONE on the Grid has talked about balance, I’m convinced of it. Let’s stop this bleeding of precious time. The next time the “balance” conversation comes up, just say “You know, the balance thing” and move on.

4] Discover your small talents: what do your friends tell you that you do well? What do you do with relish, even if it’s not perfectly well done? These small talents are hidden messages of your large occult talents.

This is why you’re here. This is why you’re in Second Life. We come for whatever reason, we stay because we discover that even small talents can have enormous impact. SL is teaching us the value of our individual talents. Use them.

5] Begin to choose: if something gives you pleasure, don’t hesitate. If you’re in doubt, close your eyes, imagine that you’ve made decision A and see all that it will bring you. Now do the same with decision B. The decision that makes you feel more connected to life is the right one – even if it’s not the easiest to make.

I don’t get this one. The closing your eyes part. Just get an alt, it’s easier.

6] Don’t base your decisions on financial gain: the gain will come if you really do it with enthusiasm. The same vase, made by a potter who loves what he does and by a man who hates his job, has a soul. It will be quickly sold (in the first case) or will stay on the shelves (in the second case).

Open Spaces. Enough said.

7] Follow your intuition: the most interesting work is the one where you allow yourself to be creative. Einstein said: “I did not reach my understanding of the Universe using just mathematics.” Descartes, the father of logic, developed his method based on a dream he had.

Whoa! Another rule that reminds us why we’re in SL in the first place!!

8] Don’t be afraid to change your mind: if you put a decision aside and this bothers you, think again about what you chose. Don’t struggle against what gives you pleasure.

I doubt this is an issue for most residents of the largest creative community in the world today, with a land mass the size of New York or whatever, every square inch of it covered with stuff we all made, even if 95% of them are malls.

9] Learn how to rest: one day a week without thinking about work lets the subconscious help you, and many problems (but not all) are solved without any help from reason.

This is referring to real life.

10] Let things show you a happier path: if you are struggling too much for something, without any results appearing, be more flexible and follow the paths that life offers. This does not mean giving up the struggle, growing lazy or leaving things in the hands of others – it means understanding that work with love brings us strength, never despair.

“Path” means “platform owner” or “world”. So, read this as: “Let things show you a happier platform or world: if you are struggling too much for something, without knowing whether the Lindens will change the price, be more flexible and visit the other worlds that the metaverse has to offer.”

11] Read the signs: this is an individual language joined to intuition that appears at the right moments. Even if the signs point in the opposite direction from what you planned, follow them. Sometimes you can go wrong, but this is the best way to learn this new language.

Click prims, they’re often interactive.

12] Finally, take risks! the men who have changed the world set out on their paths through an act of faith. Believe in the force of your dreams. God is fair, He wouldn’t put in your heart a desire that couldn’t come true.

And in a world where all desires can come true, remember that the same applies for the real one.