Tag: Awareness

Thankful for Focus, Self-Analysis, & Another Morning Run

Day 3,649

Growth:

Cut out all the distractions, put 100% focus into the task at hand, be amazed at how quickly you can slip into a flow state – even when it is something you typically don’t enjoy! Working on a project today reminded me of how important all of those components are and how they all work in unison to generate a very fulfilling and productive result.

Appreciation:

Each night before bed I pause and fill out a scorecard for the day. Yes, totally nerdy, but 100+% more effective than I realized!

Knowing I’ll be tracking and scoring myself late leads to behavior change on its own, a very positive and worthwhile endeavor there on its own.

What is really interesting to me is how much that daily tracking has become an unintentional journaling process which is helping me learn more about myself! As I analyzed my scorecard results form this year I learned some very interesting things. Here are some of those:

  • Joy spikes with people + nature + progress. Your +2 days almost always include one or more of: time with Becky/your boys, outside time/hiking/van days, and meaningful progress (training teammates, closing new clients, backpacking planning, sunrise hunting).
  • Joy dips with screens, over-packed weeks, and “drift.” Your -1/-2 entries regularly mention doomscrolling/screens/games, driving/commutes, too many meetings, sleep debt, being sick, and negativity (politics, conflict, or misaligned teammates/clients).
  • Intentional eating ≈ better days. When you log +1/+2 eating, Joy is typically ≥1. When eating is -1/-2, your notes often include “felt gross,” “junk food,” or “no exercise.”
  • Sleep is a quiet accelerator. The happiest streaks show ~7.5–9.0 hours. Sub-7 shows up around “exhausted / grumpy / mid.”
  • Movement helps—but being outdoors multiplies it. Plenty of +2 days have 60–180 min of activity, but the best ones call out woods, hiking, sunrise, van days—not just gym minutes.
  • Creative time correlates with meaning. Your best stretches include 1–3+ creative hours, especially when you’re writing, planning trips, or building trainings that become shared experiences.

More on this to follow as we near the end of the year!

Presence:

Running under the stars, feeling the cool air in my lungs, moving early in the morning. The early morning run was another win today! Nothing quite like it – being outside, quiet time with Becky, the world is asleep. We move through the darkness and are serenaded by the frogs and crickets. What else does one really need to live a joyful life? Time outdoors in motion and present in each moment.

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Awareness and Action, a +2 Day Thanks to So Many, & Lost in Flow

Day 3,425

Growth:

All great transformations in life start with a very simple step, the awareness of a gap between who we are and who we could be.

If we don’t have awareness we don’t realize how badly we could use the change. We are don’t know that there’s a gap, a place to grow into. This can be such a frustrating moment, unhappy and not seeing a better path forward. We can even begin to feel helpless, constantly fighting against the tide.

Once we have the moment of awareness we can move forward, but can also feel so daunting or impossible. The gap may be significantly larger than we’d thought, possibly on the border of impossible. In its own way, this can be almost more demoralizing than not having awareness as it seems profoundly difficult to grasp.

Once we have the moment of awareness, once we can see across the chasm of where we are versus where we are we should be, we need to put our heads down and focus only on the single footstep ahead. See that spot twelve inches in front of us, will our foot to lift, our leg to move forward, and the foot comes down. One small step, but the greatest step after awareness – the first step! Celebrate it!!! We’ve made our trip across the gap a little shorter AND now we know we have the strength to take a step.

Now take another step, then another. Slow but steady progress, gaining momentum. You’ve got this. After s dozen or so steps look up to make sure you’re still headed the right way, and then head back down and focus on the twelve inches in front of you. In seemingly no time you will make significant progress.

All that progress, all started with a moment of awareness, all started with one tiny and small step.

Over the past 3,424 days I’ve taken tiny steps daily, pausing to reflect on what I appreciate. Each day is one tiny step forward, motion towards closing the gap.

Today I had a conversation with a friend that reminded me to pause and appreciate the momentum I’ve built over the past nine plus years. As I reflect on the journey my mind is blown. This all started with the awareness that I was not happy, in so many ways I felt empty, like a fraud, unsatisfied, always in pursuit of more. I was not in a good place mentally and emotionally. Awareness came first, the awareness of unhappiness and a gigantic gap on the other side of which was full of joy. I wanted to cross. It seemed impossible, but I took one step. And the another. And then more which led to today. The gap is still there, but I’ve made progress.

Awareness, action. One small step at a time leads to profound growth over years.

Appreciation:

Sometimes I get so frustrated I just want to quit. When I get in those funks they can be difficult to get out of. What I’ve found interesting recently is that every time I have felt this way recently I find that the reason for the frustration is something well under my control, something I have the ability to change. I just have pause, breathe, zoom out, look at the situation from afar, have awareness, give myself grace to be frustrated, and then change it.

Today there were several moments in which I saw clearly I was in a perfect position to live into my purpose, to live towards the goal which brings me the most joy and fulfillment, which almost can’t help but pull me across the gap to where I should be.

To all those who brought me a smile, warmed my soul, reminded me of purpose, and helped in so many ways to get out of my own way while simultaneously helping to guide me back to the right path – thank you. Today was a beautiful day, a +2 day, thanks to you!

Presence:

This morning I had a tight deadline for a client. It would be just enough time, but not so much I could take my time. As luck would have it Dominic happened to send a text “Some great hype up songs for your day!” His timing was impeccable. I closed my door, put in my noise canceling AirPods, and proceeded to “massage” my ear drums with wave after wave of excellent music. My field of vision narrowed to only the project and I truly crushed it. With only fifteen minutes to spare I took out the AirPods, inhaled deeply and let it roll in my chest, and turn exhaled slowly as I punched the Send button.

An hour or two of being in a total state flow, consumed by the task at hand without distraction. Glorious!

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Shutting Down Ego, Awareness of Direction, & Ghosts of Vacations Past

Day 2,990

Growth:

I met with a personal trainer today and he was asking a bunch of questions to help me build the right exercise plan. As we were talking I caught myself talking about how much I already know about weightlifting. In a stroke of divine awareness I realized what I was doing and apologized. I shared that the reason I was there was because my past workouts never quite did exactly what I’d wanted, and that was why I was talking to an expert – for THEIR advice. As soon as I flipped the switch from thinking I needed to not sound like I didn’t know what I was doing to thinking that I am a beginner and need all the help I can get everything changed for the better so quickly. I was picking up on things I’d never realized and was seeing a more clear and accurate picture of how everything works together.

Ego is such a bastard sometimes. In trying to not “look bad” I get in my own way of learning, the exact opposite of the growth mindset I work to cultivate. Here’s to realizing when the ego need to be shut down (almost all the time!).

Appreciation:

When I pause to take time to listen to the vibes the Universe is sending I’m surrounded by so many positive reaffirmations of heading in the right direction. Recently a couple of common themes have been slowly percolating to the surface and are helping me see how I really should shift in a couple of very positive ways – focusing more letting go (ego), remembering to take care of my physical health as I have nothing without it, and remembering to keep my purpose in mind as I choose actions. As I pause and listen (maybe observe is a better word for it… ?) the awareness really kicks in and helps me see the right line. Without diving too deeply into the details, I’m grateful for the awareness of the right direction.

Presence:

Over the past 24 hours there have been many ghosts of vacations past coming to visit! Gavin shared his treasure trove of vacation knickknacks last night. I dreamt of trips to Iceland and New Zealand. Gavin mentioned our trip to Iceland in a different conversation. During two different conversations I talked about two different vacation experiences. All around me were moments of presence in a conversation as a direct result of a past vacation experience.

If anyone reading this is questioning whether or not they should take a vacation – the answer is YES!!! Schedule a trip, it will blow your mind on so many levels, open your mind to so many new things, AND provide so many moments of presence in the future.

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Breakthrough, Awareness & Flexibility, and Balance Boards

Day 2,270

Growth:

So often it is difficult to see the growth from each rep that gets put in. There are seemingly no gains for quite a while when putting in work towards a long term goal. At some point enough momentum is created and the entire wheel seems to turn almost effortlessly. So easy to see the final pushes and credit them for the success, but more accurate to look at each rep that came before it as equals to the last.

This afternoon I was able to see the breakthrough. Honestly, I was quite surprised! Once I realized what had happened I looked back and saw I had taken so many more reps than I thought, they’d all blended together in my memory until I paused to focus on them.

When working towards a long term goal stay on target with the minor details and menial tasks. Stay focused, stay consistent, and trust the process. The breakthrough will come as a result of all the repetitions.

Appreciation:

My task list for the week is extensive but all with end of the week deadlines. I started on one of the larger projects today and cruised right past the finish line I’d set for myself for the day on it. My thought was to hit a certain point and then move on to the next project. Instead I went with the flow I was in and just kept rolling. Rather than switching gears I was able to keep the momentum going and accelerate through the end of the work day. Tomorrow I’ll head back to the other stuff on my list.

What I’m really thankful for is the awareness to know when I’m in the flow and able to keep rolling AND for working ahead on almost all of the other projects so I have the flexibility to stay on one task longer.

Presence:

I got myself a new office “toy” for my standing desk. My balance board arrived today and I’m already in love! Standing on it and attempting to balance brought me 100% into the present moment as I felt all of my foot, leg, and core muscles working and twitching to keep myself upright. Talk about a great sensation! My right achilles has been bothering my a little lately and the time on the board helped loosen it right up.

Thanks!!!