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!
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!
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!!!
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!
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.
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!
Gavin’s pole vaulting coach shared a video quote that’s stuck with me for the past couple of days.
Let’s not forget who wins every single pole vault competition… The bar.
Be resilient. Learn to fail, or fail to learn.
@logan_vaultcrew
Every single pole vaulter ends their day when they fail to clear the bar at a certain height for three straight attempts. Technically, the bar always wins eventually and the vaulter always loses. What a wonderfully succinct way to learn that failure is okay so long as we learn from it AND get back up and try it again.
Appreciation:
Clothes shopping is not necessarily what I would include in my list of fun things to do on a Thursday night, but that’s exactly what Gavin and I did AND I actually had fun doing it with him. We joked around, enjoyed some chill conversation, somehow got the mission accomplished without frustration, and then knocked out some grocery shopping just for giggles!
There’s always something to get done that’s not the most exciting activity ever, but there’s still always a choice to make – what mindset will I do it in. I easily could have been frustrated and crabby, instead I chose to have fun and enjoy the bonus quality time with Gavin. 🙂
Presence:
LOL – I have to admit that one of the best moments of presence came this evening as I started typing my blog when a cute and adorable puppy kept whining and insisting that I rub her belly. She even went so far as to try tapping my hand away from the keyboard to get me to move my hand from my laptop to her belly. She was ultimately successful in her endeavor and I enjoyed the snuggle time.
There’s always a choice to make. While there may be more than one “right” answer, there’s always one that is “more right” than the other. One may be more profitable, but the other is right for the soul. Here’s to choosing the right one.
Appreciation:
Not gonna lie, the moments when I realize that I’ve lived into my purpose if even for a brief time… true joy. Today one of those moments appeared seemingly out of nowhere, such fuel for the soul. #brighteninglivesthrusharedexperiences
Presence:
Even in moments of stress we can choose to pause, breathe in fresh air, listen to the sound of birds in the sky, and feel the sunlight and breeze on our face. We can choose stillness in spite of stress, even if only for a moment.
So much of life goes better with a plan. For sure, spontaneity has its place too, but intentionality can set up so many profound moments of spontaneity by virtue of putting us in the right place at the right time.
Take time to set the strategy, prepare to be completely flexible, take advantage of the prevailing winds, and enjoy the ride in whatever direction you end up choosing and facing.
Appreciation:
The running conditions at 5am were less than ideal this morning. I’d much rather run in less than 15 mph cold winds.
Due to Gavin’s driving lesson I had get my weightlifting in at a less than ideal time later in the evening. I’d much rather be winding down at 7:30pm rather than getting my lift on.
Though both were less than ideal, I still did them. Not only that, but there was a bonus sense of fulfillment in doing both specifically because of the less than favorable conditions! Rather than making either activity impossible the conditions kind of compelled me to get after it to prove to myself how badly I want to reach my goals.
Here’s to the obstacles life throws at us. They can either stop us or inspire us, it is up to us to choose how we will react to them.
Presence:
On my drive to work this morning I could feel myself getting a little tightly wound and realized I needed a moment to pause. I turned on my Epic Vacation playlist, took a few deep breaths to center myself, and focused on enjoying my coffee. When I got to Winona I rolled into the cemetery, turned on Wheels by The Foo Fighters, and took in the view around me. My gaze settled upon the market below sharing the the birth of Greenleaf Woods and their death approximately 42 years later. This reminded me to be grateful as I’m already on borrowed time and to keep in mind what’s truly important in life. At that my tightness subsided and a sense of joy and appreciation overtook me.
What a gift the reminders of the impermanence of life can be!
Okay, I’m totally breaking from the normal script today. Instead of focusing on Growth, Appreciation, and Presence I’m focused on the awesome yoga practice Becky and I went to at Root Down Yoga. Due to Gavin’s driving lesson tomorrow night we moved our Monday Yoga Date Night to Sunday. Getting that time away for the two of us to share something we love was an incredible way to wrap up the weekend.
All of the teachers at Root Down are outstanding and all have their “normal-ish” practice that they take us through. I appreciate how each one throws out slightly different twists to keep us on our toes from practice to practice. With Jessie leading the class today I had a pretty solid idea of what I was in for, but I was totally mistaken in a really positive way.
When we walked into the studio we had fun talking with Jessie about my trip to Patagonia, something that will be more relevant in a moment. It kicked in some fun travel memories before I got to my mat.
Jessie’s class was totally NOT what I expected at all! She had a different rhythm and cadence that helped me stay focused. There were different poses strung together and my mind had zero chance to wander as all my attention stayed on my breathing and making the appropriate movements. Part way through she switched from leading a series of poses with our left legs after we’d started with the normal right leg starts earlier. Towards the end there was a new position I’d never tried before. By the end I caught myself smiling as I could only imagine what lay ahead!
Throughout the entire class she was her awesomely normal super positive, upbeat, high energy, humorous, and epically supportive self! It was the Jessie who always causes us to enter the studio with a smile of anticipation and leave with an even bigger smile of a great workout and more positive outlook.
That trail had so many similar twists and turns! It started in a cattle pasture, goes up a rocky hill, dips into a freaking rain forest, crosses over blue rivers whenever it feels like it, twists into an old growth forest, kicks into a rocky and almost Hixon Forest in La Crosse feel, turns into a borderline bouldering session, and then switches between sand, rock, and boulders until you make the final climb of well over 1,000′ of elevation gain in less than three quarters of a mile. Did I mention the views of a river valley, massive glaciers, and unreal rock formations throughout? By the end you are rewarded with one of the most spectacular views, a lake separating you from massive 8,000’+ tall sheer granite cliffs. The beginning of the hike gets you smiling at the prospect of the sights in front of you. The next six and a half miles keep you guessing about what is around each corner while you’re level of joy continues to increase. The final view leaves you speechless and in a state of awe. It’s an epic wild ride of joy and awe!
Today’s yoga session led by Jessie was so much like that! We started with smiles, worked along the path and enjoyed all the twists and turns and never knew what would come next, and were then rewarded with an awesome yoga session that increased our already high levels of joy.
Jessie Patagonia – Dude… for reals. That was EPIC today!!! Thank you for not only leading an awesome session, but for bringing back some incredible travel memories!!! You’ve got to start planning your trip to the other side of the world to experience why I’m only calling you Jessie Patagonia moving forward 😉 Thanks for sharing your awesomeness with us today!!!
Thankful for Forty 