The Journey of an Apprentice Pilgrim: DIVINE FOOTSTEPS

By Felipe Chavarro Polanía

 

In the following pages, I present a heartfelt tribute to what many call vocation or purpose. Join me in the journey of a young man, Kadmiel, as he ventures through various trades in search of his true calling, reflecting the experiences shared by millions worldwide, as Vicki Robin eloquently conveyed in her book, "The Stock Market or Life." Some find their passion early on and follow a steady path, while others, like Kadmiel, zigzag through a dozen jobs, always moving forward.

However, this work serves a dual purpose. Beyond just Kadmiel's tale, it aims to awaken us from the slumber of life's vicious cycle. Most of us find ourselves trapped in the belief that work solely exists to pay the bills, inadvertently forgetting the essential question: What about our happiness? Vicki Robin's words beautifully encapsulate this scenario - if the daily grind truly brought us joy and a sense of fulfillment, the trials and inconveniences would be a minor price to pay. But increasingly, it's evident that money doesn't guarantee the happiness we seek beyond a certain level of comfort.

If this resonates with you in any way, this book is meant for you. It delves into the quest for meaning and happiness that many of us find ourselves on.

Choosing to tell this story rather than penning a philosophical treatise was inspired by the advice of my wife, Vanessa, and her insight was profound. Stories have a unique power to captivate our minds, as studies by Paul Smith have revealed. Our minds are indeed wired to process stories, making them easier to remember and appealing to readers of all ages, races, and genders. It's this realization that deeply touched me.

Throughout my life, the teachings of great authors such as Paulo Coelho, George Clason, Og Mandino, and Robin Sharma have left lasting imprints. They shared their wisdom through storytelling, and it is in that tradition that I present this tale. My earnest desire is for this story to ignite the Apprentice within you, encouraging your own pursuit of purpose and fulfillment.

To conclude, I leave you with Benjamin Franklin's timeless wisdom: "Do you love life? If you love life, do not waste time, for time is the essence of life." And the words of Terry Pratchett remind us that it is in our dreams that we truly find freedom, for the rest of the time, we often find ourselves seeking wages.

Thank you for embarking on this journey with me.

Felipe Chavarro Polania

• Language: English
• Publisher: FELIPE CHAVARRO POLANÍA INC
• Release date: Jul 20, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223981015

Book preview

WHY YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK

As a first step, this work is a tribute to what many call vocation, or the element. The pages that follow will introduce a young man who will enter into many trades in search of his true vocation or purpose. Which parallels my life experience, and that of millions of people as Vicki Robin explained in her book The Stock Market or Life: Some find their passion and path early in life and become financial planners or real estate agents or doctors or teachers for life. But more and more people, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, zigzag through a dozen jobs, moving on, moving on . . . but always moving on. This certainly ties in with Kadmiel's story.

Secondly, this work also seeks to awaken us from the deep sleep in which most of us find ourselves, being part of a vicious cycle that develops as we believe we work to pay our bills, completely forgetting to answer the question that really matters: What about our happiness?  To describe this scenario a little more, I will use another quote from Vicki Robin: If the daily grind made us happy, irritations and inconveniences would be a small price to pay. If we could believe that our jobs were really making the world a better place, we would sacrifice sleep and social lives without feeling deprived. If the extra toys we buy with our work provided more than momentary pleasure and the opportunity to help others, we would gladly spend those hours at work. But it is increasingly clear that, beyond a certain minimum of comfort, money is not buying us the happiness we seek.  If this scenario narrated above is familiar to you in any way - this book is for you!

Last but not least, why tell a story, rather than simply write a book? I actually wrote this story in response to a recommendation my wife Vanessa made to me some time ago. At the time, she assured me that a story, as opposed to a philosophical treatise, was the best way to reach my readers. So, after having this idea rattling around in my head, I decided to do some research on this fact and what I found completely persuaded me of her recommendation. First of all, according to intensive studies by Paul Smith (Book: Sell With Your Story) our mind is a story processor, and not as many of us thought a merely logical processor. Moreover, stories are easier to remember and we all like them, regardless of our age, race or gender. This certainly caught my attention in a very special way. Finally, I would like to say that the principles that have stayed with me most easily, I have learned from authors such as Paulo Coelho, George Clason, Og Mandino, and Robin Sharma, whose teachings are transmitted through stories such as the one you are about to read. Today my greatest desire is to use this story to appeal to the Apprentice within you.

FELIPE CHAVARRO POLANIA

... Stories inspire...Stories appeal to all kinds of learners...Stories put the listener in a mental learning mode...Stories give people the freedom to come to their own conclusions. Paul Smith (Sell with a Story).

Do you love life? If you love life, do not waste time, for time is the good of which life is made (Benjamin Franklin).

Only in our dreams are we free, the rest of the time we need wages. Terry Pratchett

DEDICATED TO

To my beautiful wife Vanessa.

To everyone who reads this book, and has decided to write their own story.

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The most important battle we have to fight is within ourselves. If we succeed, the fruits will not fail to manifest themselves, they will not be able to hide from the sight of others.

Felipe Chavarro

Rights and Credits

The Apprentice Copyright © 2019 Felipe Chavarro. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted, in any form or by any means, including: photocopying, recording or any other electronic or mechanical method, without the prior written permission of the author or publisher, except in the case of brief reviews used in literary criticism and certain non-commercial uses provided by copyright law.

This book uses various translations of the Scriptures, which were taken from the website www.biblegateway.com. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, the biblical text is taken from the Reina-Valera © 1960 Sociedades Bíblicas en América Latina.

Visit the author's website:

www.felipechavarropolania.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/felipechavarro/

https://twitter.com/felipe

Chapter 1.

THE AWAKENING

Kadmiel was born in Bosem, located northwest of Hadar, which was known to some as the kingdom of Sheba. Bosem was a rich province in many ways, with a mixture of cultures and ethnic and regional specificities that gave rise to a myriad of different customs. In addition to this great richness, the province had a diverse climate and landscape due to its diverse regions. For this reason, the province was held in high esteem in the kingdom, as it was considered to be the lungs for the whole of its land. Bosem was famous from north to south, and from east to west, as it had a wealth of natural resources, and a privileged geographical location.

However, despite its great wealth, Bosem was a country that struggled to stay afloat, for poverty was the greatest evil that afflicted its people, keeping them in stagnation and limiting their ability to progress and achieve success. So much so that poverty was considered by the citizens of Bosem, as a deity that was responsible for bringing almost all men to ruin, regardless of their efforts to progress. This deity, as many believed, was the inseparable companion of violence, and by the sovereignty of both Bosem was plunged into great confusion, corruption and poverty.

It was in this beautiful nation that Kadmiel was born. A little boy who from his childhood faced the same limitations as other children of his age. When he was only 5 years old, his father and mother went their separate ways, so Kadmiel was left in the care of his mother, who decided to move to the place where his parents lived. Kadmiel quickly forgot his father's absence, because his mother Sima, his sister Jana and his grandparents Rafael and Batia were always with him.

Kadmiel was a very curious boy, for while his mother went out to work, he used to sit next to his grandfather, and while the latter rested on a balcony at the top of the house, Kadmiel would persistently search for the answers to the questions that every boy has at an early age. As time went by, this practice became a habit, to such an