Author: Michael Kreiling

Thankful for Wedges, Gavin at RiverVault, & Yoga Intensity

Day 3,197

Growth:

I’ve already typed about yoga in the Presence section (yessir, I have completely written my blog out of order tonight), but it is really worth mentioning again (or for the first time tonight). Towards the end we were invited to go into Wheel as we were on our backs with our feet planted and hands on either side of our head. The move is to lift our hips up and basically hold ourselves up while arching our back and activating our hips and glutes as our shoulders hold up much of our weight also. As you can guess, this gets pretty tiring, especially after an already strenuous workout.

While in wheel I heard the voice in my head telling me how tired I was, how this was really getting uncomfortable, and how I should just lower myself down early. The second time we did the move the voice was saying the same things. In both cases I told the voice to shut up and I continued to press past the discomfort and stay up until we were instructed to drop. Both times the denial of that voice had me smiling.

Way back when I was helping Dad cut down trees I remember how he used to use a wedge to both help get the tree to fall correctly and help get a chainsaw unstuck. He’d pound that plastic wedge into the cut and then use the leverage to help point the tree a certain way or to take the pressure off the saw blade so he could get cutting again. In either situation this little wedge of plastic had incredible leverage over the massive tree.

One of my favorite books shared the concept of using similar “mental” wedges to help us gain control over our own actions. He said that each time we found a way to push against that voice in our head we were using a wedge to get more and more leverage in our lives. The more we push back against the voice that tells us to quit the deeper we pound the wedge to give us more strength to say no in the future.

Today I smiled as I realized each Wheel was an opportunity to drive the wedge a little deeper, a chance to grow. I made up my mind in both cases that the only way I was going down early was if my muscles literally gave up. I held, I shook, I burned, and I suffered, but I held. One more opportunity to prove to myself that I am stronger than I give myself credit for.

I’m thankful for using a wedge today, it made all the difference!

Appreciation:

Always fun watching the boys do the things they love! Today that involved me watching Gavin at RiverVault doing some pole vaulting purely for fun. While driving him to the meet I couldn’t help but smile when he said he really had no thoughts of hitting a new personal best, he just wanted to enjoy the time vaulting. Mission accomplished!

Not only did he do well vaulting, Gavin also really got into the 4th of July costume contest and won for his session! Always an adventure watching this chucklehead do the things he loves!

Presence:

Yoga tonight was a beast! My brain was initially a bit scattered as class started. Once we were about 12 minutes in my mind was absolutely no where but focused on the task at hand and the position of my body. Joanna had us bending and twisting in so many epic ways that I was dripping with sweat. For reals, at one point the studio was super quiet and all I could hear was the pitter patter of my drops of sweating falling from my arms and face and dripping onto the hardwood floor and my mat. It was intense!

What another profoundly awesome reminder of the power of exercise to keep up going!

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Journaling, Unexpected Family Time, & the Storm Front

Day 3,196

Growth:

Today was a wonderful reminder of the power of journaling. My blog post from four years ago popped up and flooded me with so many memories. Had I not taken the time to write my thoughts down I would have likely forgotten a day like this.

“Gratitude leads to abundance. Abundance leads to giving. Giving leads to joy.”

Mike Kreiling, July 4, 2020

What a different world it was only four years ago! This was quite the time capsule to open today: https://thankful4forty.com/2020/07/05/day-1376-thankful-for-seeing-more-correlations-to-gratitude-and-abundance-mindsets-and-returning-to-church/

Appreciation:

Becky and I were expecting to have a quiet house to the two of us after our hike this morning. As luck would have it we had both boys and their girlfriends for the majority of the day and evening! So many games and laughs, dinner as a family – all completely unexpected and greatly appreciated! Times like these are always moments I am grateful for.

Presence:

During our hike we reached a very scenic viewpoint just before the storm and rain rolled in. As I recorded the video below the wind picked up, the temperature dropped, and everything in the air seemed to shift as if there was an immense inhale. What a moment! Nothing quite like the moment the front rolls in.

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Sleep, Planning Ahead, & Shared Moments

Day 3,195

Growth:

When in doubt, get a great night of sleep! Seriously, life is so much easier after a rejuvenating night of sleep. well over eight hours today and I felt like a brand new person!

Appreciation:

In addition to knocking out everything I wanted on my task list for the day I did something Future Mike will be very thankful for… I wrote out my task list for Monday when I’m back in office. Rather than trying to get back on track after four days off I’ll be able to jump right in and have an awesomely productive Monday!

Presence:

There were several wonderful and engaging conversations with friends today. Each brought a big smile for slightly different reasons. So much love, so many smiles, so many shared moments!

Thanks!!!

Thankful for a Decision Journal, Listening to the Weather, & an Epic Surprise Conclusion

Day 3,194

Growth:

Over coffee this morning a friend shared how he keeps a Decision Journal for work. Each time he and the leadership team make a decision they write it down, work through what they hope to accomplish, identify potential challenges, and any other useful notes. In six months after the decision they go back to the journal and compare their notes to reality.

I’ve heard of this strategy before, but I haven’t talked with anyone who has followed through on it to this level. As he shared his experiences with it I couldn’t help but wonder how much this practice could help me in the future. Definitely worth practicing!

Appreciation:

It was raining and cloudy as I drove to Eau Claire this morning. It was dreary and foggy as I went to Menomonie for a meeting. The clouds were just as dark as I went back to Eau Claire. The monotonous rhythm of the windshield wipers were hypnotic as I drove for an hour and a half lulled me almost to sleep. Even now as I blog I’m serenaded by the raindrops falling outside my bedroom window.

In days gone by I’d stay awake just out of spite rather than succumb to tiredness. Today I’m making the right call. I’m writing my blog from bed. I’ve got my book on my nightstand, and I’ve already said good night to the boys. As soon as I’m done typing I’m picking up my book for a chapter or two and then heading off to sleep. Sometimes I need to remember to take a cue from nature and get some extra rest.

Leia embodies how I am feeling right now 😉

Presence:

As I wrapped up the fiction I’ve been reading my breath was almost taken away by the surprise ending! Gavin never gave me any warning about a very dramatic U turn the story was about to take as it concluded. Honestly, I wish I would have watching my heart and breathing rates as I finished it, it was a nail biter!

I am such a fan of how well told stories can pull us in so completely and get our emotions moving.

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Several Knowledge Nuggets, Introspection, & Yoga Presence

Day 3,193

Growth:

Hmm…. There were a handful of nuggets today worthy of note:

  • An example of the beauty of forgiveness in the fiction I’m currently reading (Golden Son).
  • The act of writing uncomfortable notes about myself in a journal is more difficult than it should be yet also more rewarding than I think it will be.
  • Clarity, clarity, clarity. If we as leaders can be successful at only one thing please let it be in providing clarity.
  • Accept the world as it is, be the best us we can be, if our best self is meant to make a positive impact on the world we will.

Appreciation:

What a wonderful day full of introspection! There were many moments of pause and reflection. With a little space and some quiet the mind can really reconnect with the soul. One of the practices to which I give credit for days like today is asking myself the question “If I only had 10 years to live what would I stop doing today?” At the end of each day and then typing my answer. As I drift off to sleep it seems to open my mind to so much more and the next day I live a little nudge closer into the me I should be.

Presence:

One of the reasons I love yoga so much is the fairly regular sensation of being a beginner even several years into the practice. Tonight Mandi used a common pose with a subtle twist and shift that caused everything to feel brand new. My presence was immediately pulled into the tension in my outer hip as I had to really force myself to move in a way I’m not sure I have ever done before. Talk about 100% focus! In many ways it reminded me of log rolling.

Nothing like being knocked off balance to regain balance!

Thanks!!!

Thankful for a Thought Provoking Quote from Fiction, Productive Days, & More Time in the Woods

Day 3,192

Growth:

Sometimes some incredible ideas and thoughts can be generated by reading fiction. Throughout this year I’ve been taking more time to jot down some of the insights and quotes I’ve picked up from each book I read, fiction included. The fiction series Gavin turned me onto, Red Rising, hit me with a couple of great ones within the span of a page this weekend. Here is one of the nuggets I took note of:


“We all have our own tides inside.  They go in, out.  Not really ours to control.  The things, people that orbit us do that.  At least more than we’d like to admit.”

Pierce Brown, Golden Son

The quote really hit me between the eyes on a couple of levels. The concept of having an internal tide of emotion flowing through us was a new thought to me, so fitting in so many ways. I initially stopped reading after the “not really ours to control” part and re-read it several times. So true, there is an ebb and flow to my emotions that does feel out of my control. There is much of the moment by moment choice I can make, but the metaphor of a tide is so spot on, there is something deeper that sometimes it seems I need to swim stronger against or that puts the wind at my back. Throw in the last two lines and it grows even more true and accurate.

So thankful for taking the time to jot some of these quotes and notes down as I read, they provide wonderful fodder for future thought and contemplation.

Appreciation:

This has ben a wildly full and productive day. From waking up early-ish for a Sunday, to knocking out a quick walk after breakfast to wear out the pup, to getting stuff done around the house, to wrapping up the last details of our Grand Canyon backpacking trip, to church, to hiking, to making and enjoying dinner with both boys and their girlfriends, to spending time on the deck relaxing, to now typing up my blog it has been a nonstop rail to rail day. Busy as all get out, but a wonderful balance of productivity with a bit of present and future relaxation all built in.

During days like this I sometimes think back to how many weekend days I wasted in my youth, sitting on my butt inside, playing a video game or watching TV, and not accomplishing anything. What I would give for the opportunity to have some of those days back. Alas, I can’t, and that’s okay. I can remember this feeling and be sure to maximize the remaining time I have. I can live into purpose, I can remember to relax but in a way which is still of benefit to my goals and dreams, and I can make the most of each today I am blessed to have. So much more joy is created in days of busy productivity like this than lazy days wasted on nothing.

Here’s to days like this to motivate me to live into my best self, the reminder of wasted days of youth as fuel for the fire, and for remembering to enjoy and appreciate each moment I’m blessed to live.

Presence:

So much outside time this weekend, so many moments of presence in nature! Our hike today was a sweet little jaunt through Great River Bluffs State Park. Becky and I took Leia and enjoyed some of the most prime hiking weather one could ask for. The sun was out, the sky was blue, the temperature was in the low 70’s, the light breeze was just enough to keep the bugs away, and the area we walked was just wooded enough that each step included a little bit of both sun and shade. All the birds, squirrels, and even a deer made an appearance as we walked. Such beauty and stillness in the woods!

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Having an Entire Wildlife Refuge Seemingly to Myself

Day 3,191

Due to high waters blocking off the main entrance, a secondary entrance which is only open during the weekdays, and an almost two mile walk to get to the main trail from the only entrance you can walk into and it felt like I had the entire wildlife refuge to myself. It was AWESOME!!! I spent the next almost four hours hiking with my 45# training backpack on – completely solo. The only time I saw another person was in the final of my 13+ miles, and they were about a half mile in front of me.

Throughout the hike I saw a deer (long before she saw me), a turtle, a bunch of frogs, a sandhill crane up close, a pair of swans, so many different types of dragonflies, a huge variety of birds, and so many different species of wildflower. So much relaxation in the woods, so much fresh air, so chill. Miles and miles and miles of serene solitude while hiking.

Thanks!!!

Thankful for a Quiet and Still Night

Day 3,190

Rather than my usual routine I am going in a slightly different direction. This evening I am home alone.

Some days are perfect sweatshirt weather, today was one of them. An awesome day in so many ways, but this evening it felt like a perfect night to crawl into my most comfortable and well worn sweatshirt and watch a couple of movies full of thoughtful emotion. A quiet and still night at home, exactly what my soul needed today!

Thanks!!!

Thankful for a Lesson from Archery with Dad, One Simple Question, & Calm

Day 3,189

Growth:

When I was learning to shoot a bow as a kid Dad gave me the advice to breathe in, breathe out, hold steady, and then release. This advice has served me well in so many aspects of life when I remember to heed it. Today was another example of something I almost ran with too early, but thankfully I paused to breathe first. With the clarity of a held breath I saw the target and it hit.

Slow the mind, remove any potential disturbance, focus, and then act.

Appreciation:

For the first few months of the year I was doing an excellent job of ending each night with a quick accounting of my day. It is a very short scorecard I use to grade myself before I go to sleep. After my trip to Patagonia I somehow fell off the habit. I’ve recently started it back up and I am so thankful I did! One of the biggest gifts it offers is the question:

“If I only had 10 years to live, what would I STOP doing today?”

The insights generated by this question, especially after an exceptionally tiring and exhausting day, are profoundly perceptive! My brain lets down its ego, sees that I’m not likely to immediately change, and goes with what was one of the biggest frustrations of the day. Taking the time to do this has really helped me see life so much more clearly this week!

Presence:

This moment right here… sitting on the couch, alone, typing my blog. No one else stirs in the house, there is no music, no television, or distraction. I can hear the sound of the ceiling fans, the light tinkling sound of one blade ever so slightly out of balance. In a sea of busyness of the day my mind is calm. I’m grateful for this quiet.

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Help from Teams, Express Peers & Cohorts, & Texting too Fast Leading to Hilarity

Day 3,188

Growth:

Nothing like getting the brain power of a couple of strong teams to really help shape a training and presentation for future groups! Over the past few weeks my teammates have all helped out to share ideas to improve a training we will be presenting in the next month. When I go through it live there will be so many slides which have been positively impacted by so many of my teammates. Their shared insights will definitely improve the effectiveness of the presentation!

Appreciation:

One of the things I appreciate most about the Express family is the way we all help each other out and share ideas, advice, and best practices. Today I had the opportunity to learn from one of the best and the insights he shared were awesome. Excellent insights, he really helped me look at my business in a different light.

Presence:

Gotta love when the thumbs are a little too fast for their own good when texting and spell check misses that while you technically spelled a word correctly it was not the word you intended. Who ever would have imagined that a mistaken letter could bring on a case of full belly laughs and crying from laughing so hard???

Thanks!!!