Day 3,705

Growth:

Sometimes I attempt to stay laser focused on a task. My brain naturally goes in many different directions all at one time, keeping that focus is something that I have to really work on to accomplish.

Today I was reminded that as long as I let my mind have a little wiggle room, just a little bit of slack, the meandering it does slowly leads e in the right direction – but only if I keep it on a leash. Giving it a little room to work leads to better thoughts and ideas, while letting it go wild leads to almost the same result as staying laser focused – an okay-ish result. The trick seems to be to allow myself just the right amount of leash to allow for flexibility without getting completely out of control.

Appreciation:

We’ve got our next couple of vacations booked! It’s been a little while since we’ve had one in the calendar, let alone two. Nice having those mini finish lines laid out in front of me, they always seem to motivate me to push a little harder through the ordinary. Vacation and travel are like the desserts after a big meal, they add a little extra awesome to life!

As I keep reading more and more about the adventures of others I can’t help but feel a little more excited to have some of our own ready o rock and roll!

Presence:

Between the snow in Eau Claire yesterday and the light mist and rain in La Crosse the scent of Autumn was strong this morning. I hadn’t realized just how much of an impact the little bit of moisture had on the leaves, bringing out the aroma that always reminds me of being out in the woods up north during the bow hunting season.

Scent seems to be the most often forgotten of the senses, yet when I take the time to notice it I’m always instantly transported back to past memories, always with a smile.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,704

The best way to really learn something is by coaching others on it. In order to do so effectively you must transition from surface level knowledge to a much deeper understanding.

One of the best ways to accomplish a difficult task is by talking about the goal with others. The added peer pressure applied to oneself after making a commitment to others helps to keep us on track.

Put both of these components together and we can more easily grow from a dream to reality – all while helping others. That’s an awesome combo!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,703

Whew – it has been a day! From the early morning run to a long and eventful day of work to an awesomely centering yoga practice to reading on the couch it’s been nonstop.

What sticks out most is remembering to take a deep breath, taking time to remember what is important, and making intentional choices while having contingency plans. Throughout most of the day each of those helped keep me on track, calm, and heading in the right direction.

Life throws us surprises, no question. The more prepared we are for them, the more clearly we know our destination, and the more disciplined we are in the practices that get us there more resilient we become, the more calm and successful we can be.

We can’t control what happens to us, but we can choose our attitude and we can choose our preparation.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,702

Nothing quite like snuggling up with an entertaining book on a cool afternoon, laying on the couch with the sunlight perking through the window!

After a very productive weekend it felt great to relax, lounge around, and enjoy some much needed downtime. As I read I paused s couple of times and considered what else I could / should be working on and realized just how much more I needed the downtime than I initially thought. Heck, I might even be in bed before 7:30 to read before going lights out early.

I enjoy being busy, being productive, but sometimes it feels great to chill. Cheers to the chillin’ today!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,701

What a day it has been! Almost nonstop time with Gavin, a couple of breaks while he was volunteering and while we split up to knock out chores around the house.

The rest of the time we were talking, hiking, joking, playing, and enjoying each other’s company. Talking about life, college, money, books, sports, and anything else that caught our fancy.

Finally getting to bed, was an amazing day all around with him.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,700

Another Friday and another grateful for a book blog!

Last week’s focus on The Alchemist was for very different reasons than tonight’s The Road, but that doesn’t change how much I appreciate either any less.

I’ve read The Road before, but this time it really hit me for deeper reasons than before. The connection between father and son was much ore evident the second time around. For some reason I caught myself thinking more from the perspective of the boy the first read, this time the role of the father really struck me.

So much to pull away form this, a very dark story for sure, but one full of insightful moments as a dad and as someone walking their own road. I’ll definitely be reading this one again!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,699

Growth:

Spending time in thought, reflecting on the past couple of years, considering goals for next year, thinking through what would need to change to attain them. Is there a more worthwhile investment in my growth for the future?

Appreciation:

When I made the decision to help guide some teammates through a process I use each year for planning my goals I wanted to help others grow. What I’ve found throughout rolling this out to them is how much taking the process to this next level is helping me further the depth I’ve been able to go into this personally. An excellent added bonus I wasn’t expecting!

Presence:

In only five minutes of quiet it is amazing how deep we can start to dive into some of the more deep questions about ourselves. We need only turn down the volume on the rest of life for those short five minutes to turn up the intensity in our future growth.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,696

Growth:

Quite possibly one of my all time favorite exchanges in a book… You’ve likely seen the scene in the movie No Country for Old Men, the quote is from the book that inspired the movie. This quote takes place in a gas station as the antagonist of the movie, Anton Chigurh, is considering whether or not to murder the attendant who made the mistake of attempting to start a conversation with Chigurh.

What follows is an epically insightful exchange on fate, the future, and existence. Mind blowingly perfect on so many levels.

“You need to call it,” Chigurh said, “I can’t call it for you. It wouldn’t be fair. It wouldn’t even be right. Just call it.”
“I didn’t put nothin up.”
“Yes you did. You’ve been putting it up your whole life. You just didn’t know it. You know what the date is on this coin?”
“No.”
“It’s nineteen fifty-eight. It’s been traveling twenty-two years to get here. And now it’s here. And I’m here. And I’ve got my hand over it. And it’s either heads or tails. And you have to say. Call it.”

Cormac McCarthy, No Country for Old Men

Appreciation:

There’s a moment of joy sparked when teammates live into the values as one would hope they would – not because they feel like they should – but specifically because that’s just the way they are wired! Seeing them follow through the way I would hope they would, all without ever being asked multiple times over the past couple of weeks has een outstanding!

Presence:

Yoga for the win this evening!!! Taking a break from “real life” to engage in sixty minutes of focused breathing, stretching, posing, and working, letting the mind go to free the soul. So chill to get into the flow, being as present as I will likely be in any moment throughout the entire day.

All that said, there was also our morning run in the very cold wind, a real feel of 15 degrees in the 12 mph headwind. The chill was a bit rough at first, but very centering for sure!

Thanks!!!