Day 3,106

Growth:

Staying close to my normal sleep schedule really makes a profound impact on how I feel. After going to bed after 1:30am I was still in rough shape even after almost eight hours of sleep. It took a while to get everything back to normal. Keep working towards a standardized sleep pattern – it will take work and sacrifice, but I will feel so much better as a result!

Appreciation:

This afternoon I had the opportunity to tag in and help collect sap for maple syrup with my father in law, my boys, and a bunch of my nephews. So much fun tramping through the woods with five gallon buckets to pour the sap into! While the activity itself was a great excuse for being outside and doing something physical, I think what I enjoyed most was seeing how the boys all interacted with their cousins and grandpa. There was so much laughing and joking, maybe some snowballs, and a bunch of work as well. Seeing them continue to grow their friendships with their cousins was awesome!

Presence:

Bonus outside time today! Becky and I took a chill walk through the woods up north with no set destination or agenda and enjoyed the fresh air. Thanks to being so far away from traffic we were able to hear so many sounds of wildlife – the drumming of grouse, gobbling of turkey, and so many other bird songs. The calmness of being outside always brings me joy.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,105

LOL – I’m totally exhausted. It’s almost 1:30am and we just got to Becky’s parent’s house. After Gavin’s track meet in Minneapolis I drove us about three hours as everyone else fell asleep. Sleepy time for me – and only five hours past my bedtime!

The day was awesome! Yoga, running, recovering from late night travel last night, time with Becky, time with Dominic, unexpected deep conversations, watching Gavin do well, and hearing the boys joking and playing in the backseat. Great times!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,104

Growth:

What a week of learning it has been! When I was reviewing my notes from the last handful of days I struggle to understand how we fit so much content into such a short period of time. It’ll take me a while to process all of it completely.

One thing that really jumped out at me was a very simple and all encompassing concept: the power of creating space to learn, reflect, and think like this. Many of the concepts learned weren’t new, rather wonderful reminders that needed a little space to come back up for air. In shutting down all the noise and busyness of the whirlwind my brain had time to better digest the concepts.

How much better would all of my action be if I strategically and intentionally created pockets of space to think and grow like this? How can I help my mind remember that being “busy” is not the same as being “productive ,” nor “creating space” the same as “being lazy.” Definitely one of the key takeaways for me this week!

Appreciation:

One of the best post training wrap up tricks I’ve learned is to package everything up before I get home. Review the notes, categorize and track the next steps. Re-write the key takeaways in a manner in which they are easier to share. Go through it all in detail while it is still relatively still fresh in the brain before I allow my mind to move on to the next thing. While it is really not an activity I look forward to it is one that really helps me better utilize the knowledge I invested time into learning.

Presence:

For whatever reason I’ve been very fortunate to have some very engaging conversations with my Uber drivers throughout the years. Today was a continuation of that streak. Our conversation on the way to the airport included discussions of life and death, surviving cancer, moving to many locations, watching movies in Wisconsin, seeing moose out in the wild, deer related car accidents, and seemingly every thing else in between. I’m not sure how it always seems to work out like this, but as per normal we were all laughing and smiling by the time the ride came to an end.

Thanks!!

PS I just wrote this and realized I’d left out the way my morning started, with an invigorating six mile run when I’d only planned on four. I so appreciate starting the day with my heart pumping blood through my body and exercising my grit muscles!

Day 3,103

Growth:

I wrote my blog out of prefer today and my last section changed this section as a result. Now I’m going to cover two growth ideas instead of one.

1) Working backwards changes our perspective and can lead to novel ideas!

2) The discomfort after a hard workout is something to be valued and seen as a reward due hard work. When we are not comfortable we are growing, we grow when we work hard. Discomfort can be our way of patting ourselves on the back for a job well done!

Appreciation:

My brain is exhausted today. The training session was more intense than expected, and in a very positive way. The fog in my mind as I type this reminds me of the awesomely wonderful discomfort after a hard workout. The discomfort is temporary, an early reward to show us our hard work is already leading to growth.

Presence:

During one of training exercises we were working on our own strategy individually. I caught myself getting a bit discombobulated by all the sounds, movement, and talking all around me. As soon as I realized I was having issues focusing I paused, put in my noise canceling earbuds, and enjoyed Time by Hans Zimmerman, the classical music theme for the movie Inception. As soon as the first piano chords were struck I felt very much at peace. Here’s to knowing and respecting how we each work best!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,102

Growth:

So much of my thought process shifts as I read. Just as my body does better when I watch my diet, so does my brain. Thanks to the ideas I’ve been reading lately my thoughts, emotions, & actions were all in a better place multiple times today.

Appreciation:

Training has been very insightful and my classmates are excellent people. Knowing myself well I decided to eat lunch very quickly and then left the building for a relaxing walk for thirty minutes. That quiet time alone was exactly what my brain needed to chill and prepare for the afternoon session. I felt refreshed and had so much more open brain space!

Presence:

My run this morning was fantastic! I’d planned for all city and residential roads but I was instead greeted with a lakeside park and a deer crossing sign. So nice to have that little bit of outdoors time!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,101

Growth:

As I showered up this morning I realized that today was your be a test, an opportunity for growth. There was going to be stress, changes, unexpected twists, and time crunches. I would have very little control of what happened to me, but I would have total control of how I responded. This would be an opportunity for me to work towards closing the gap between who I am and who I should be.

With that mindset I set my jaw and started my day.

The day did not disappoint! I was literally laughing out loud when our gate changed for the FOURTH time, a defeat first. When my stomach started to knot up as I did not know if I’d make the flight on standby or not I played Time by Hans Zimmer and was able to maintain the state of calm.

All throughout I remained in the good spirits I intentionally chose earlier in the morning. I passed the test!

What a gift we all have in holding the ability to choose our attitudes each moment!

Appreciation:

In reading Yamas & Niyamas by Deborah Adele I took many notes on the wisdom she shared. Amongst my favorites were:

“When gratitude and wonder sit in the heart, there is no need for excess.”

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but the ability to be afraid without being paralyzed.”

“Discontentment is the illusion that there can be something else in the moment. There isn’t and there can’t be. The moment is complete.”

This was definitely a book I will reread more than a couple more times.

Presence:

Rather than wasting the gift of bonus time I was awarded through my travel challenges I soaked it all up! The majority of it was spent reading and reflecting on the book. Some moments were spend in awe as I looked out the window of our jet as we lifted off and went through a few layers of clouds. In a particularly pleasant moment I put my book down, rested my head against the window, and I took a very peaceful nap. So chill!!!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,100

Short version tonight due to an extensively weather delayed flight my travel plans have been slightly changed pretty drastically. The details aren’t important, but what matters is that I have yet to lose my cool. I’ve stayed chill throughout, and will continue to do so until I either reach my destination or get back home.

When I had the opportunity to pause and consider my thoughts and emotions through self reflection I realized it was largely due to two reasons. First, I consciously chose calm. Second, I knew from past experience I could figure it out. Choosing calm helped me make better decisions and see better options. All said, just like everything in life, it was all figureout-able!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,099

Growth:

In re-reading Getting to Yes with Yourself by Willam Ury I can’t help but see some very interesting similarities to Awareness by Anthony de Mello. In both books there’s a focus on utilizing self awareness and observation as a tool for both growth AND creating emotional distance for ourselves from our initial reactions.

Pause, breathe, and be aware of my thoughts and emotions. Don’t change or attempt to fix them, just observe.

Appreciation:

Both of the boys had done pretty big sports days! Dominic got his first rugby starts and scored for the first time in a 7’s match. Gavin did very well in his 4x400m relay and set a new personal best in the pole vault. So rewarding to see and hear about them doing well in things they love!

Presence:

Starting my day with yoga and getting a nice hike in midway through the day was amazing! My mindset was started in a wonderful place and then I had a calm respite from work around the house on the hike. Such chill moments of presence shared with Becky.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,098

Growth:

Quite often there is the feeling that there is not enough time to do so many things in life I would like to. This morning was a beautiful reminder of how carving out space specifically to take on two of those activities at once can have a profoundly positive impact on my day – even though it may cost me some underutilized downtime. Waking up to run with Becky before 5am provides the opportunity to get exercise in AND have some quality time alone with Becky a few times each week. Sure, I have to go to bed a little earlier to get my 7+ hours of sleep, but all I’m really sacrificing for it is some screen time. I’d much rather make the most of the time I have, intentionally live my life in a way in which I do more of what I love, and only lose meaningless time.

Appreciation:

The more time I spend in thought, writing, and reading the more and more easy it is to see what I really want out of the life I have. As I reflect on my purpose and where I feel the most joy I find certain trends and common threads. The more I identify those themes the more I see how I can live more intentionally into them. In many cases it is a little difficult as I am fighting my own status quo to adjust my life towards where I want to grow. That said, the path continues to become more and more clear. For a handful of reasons I am so thankful for that level of self awareness as it is helping me live more into the person I would like to be and helping me work towards closing the gap between who I am and who I want to be.

Presence:

This afternoon I had the opportunity to have a conversation that reminded me very much of conversations I have had with my mentors in the past. Having the opportunity to share bits of their wisdom was very fulfilling as was having the conversation with my teammates. Nothing like an exhilarating and thought provoking conversation to start to wrap up the work week!

Thanks!!!