It is one thing to read, study, and visualize doing something. It is wholly another to actually do that same thing. While training is all well and good it is easy to think I know how I will respond. Today I had an opportunity to reality test how much my practice has helped.
When something unexpected happens I have a choice to make. All that practice paid off as the muscle memory went right into action and I responded in the way I wanted rather than reacting as I would have. In this scenario it made all the difference.
I was offered an opportunity to exercise my stoic practice today. In some ways I found success and in other ways I found opportunities for improvement. Pausing to think was great, not foreseeing and thinking through the possibility of the change was not so great. The opportunity to learn through real life exercise was priceless and will continue to help me grow and close the gap.
Rather than boarding a flight to an ocean beach I was wandering the woods in the snow. Quite the contrast, right? I was exactly where I should be.
Becky and I spent most of our morning at Pike’s Peak outside of MacGregor, Iowa. Due to the cold weather and snowfall we were amongst the few in the entire park. Once we were more than 100 yards from the observation area we never saw another soul.
I drew in breaths of fresh autumn air through my nose and concentrated on soaking in each exquisite little detail of the sights and sensations around me. The bright red leaves and even more scarlet berries of one type of plant. The drops of water resting on the waxy underside of oak leaves. Each little “brick” in the elaborate lattice work of the limestone rock outcroppings. The sensation of the cool winter-ish breeze and snow rushing against my face and tickling the hairs of my beard. The lighting of the woods shifting and transforming as the sun danced amongst the clouds. The music of Becky’s voice as we shared our joys of the wilderness. Each step. Each breath. Each individual second. Pure magic, pure joy.
Our morning was spent in a walking meditation in the stillness of the woods. Exactly where I was called to be in those moments.
If this were my last day I would go peacefully, full of joy, fully satisfied, and with a heart full of love. Today I have lived.
I often pause in amazement of the universe’s ability to provide seemingly exactly what is needed at exactly the right time. What I realized today is that it was less of the universe creating a specific opportunity as it is my eyes being opened to the possibility.
This morning I spent time with some teammates walking through the goal setting framework I created for myself for 2021. As I shared with them, I wanted to impose my will upon 2021 rather than vice versa. 2020 was a wonderful year for testing and growing resilience and adaptability, but it was largely reactive. My goal in 2021 was to live the year proactively while still exercising adaptability and resilience as the year threw challenges and blessings at me which were out of my control.
My goal was to live more intentionally, to focus on specific goals and dreams, to remember past lessons, to stop behaviors and habits which got in the way, and to create new thought processes and responses. I took time to focus on what I wanted to get out of 2021 to make progress towards or to reach some of my dreams. If I took time to focus my energy and mindset in the right directions I would have a better opportunity to accomplish what I wanted. If I did the same as usual I would have the best of intentions but would drift with the tides of life rather than propel myself towards specific dreams.
When putting the presentation together for my teammates over the past couple of weeks I had time to reflect on the first three quarters of the year. What an incredible nine months it has been! It has been far from perfect, yet it was lived so much closer to the year I’d imagined than I ever would have thought possible. Much progress was made towards each of my three key goals. Behavior was shifted towards the better. So many lessons learned through both failure and success. More living of values, more opportunities to understand why each value is important. Working towards dreams while also seeing both where I need to continue growing and where I need to move on to the next dreams.
As I started tonight’s blog with, my initial thought was intense gratitude for all of the amazing opportunities and chance meetings the universe offered up. A perfectly timed email from an author friend which led to the progress my book. The podcast I listened to at exactly the right time to help me start the year with intention. The reading of a short quote which opened my eyes to different thought processes on mortality, impermanence, and presence. A passing thought coupled with a short term business goal transforming into a speaking opportunity. Treasure troves of serendipity surrounding me throughout the past year… right?
And then I started to realize how shallow my view was. The universe didn’t just suddenly manifest these opportunities. They have always been there! What changed was me. I started to watch for opportunities and I saw them. They’ve all been all around me, surrounding me, screaming at me for attention, and I was too aloof to pay attention. Once my eyes were opened I could finally see what has been surrounding me this entire time.
The universe, The Big Dude Upstairs, God, or whatever name you want to call it, doesn’t just create opportunities for us at the moment we feel is the right time. They’ve created those opportunities in extreme abundance and have seeded our lives with them. The trick is that we must open our eyes, our minds, and our souls enough to see them.
Of all of the lessons I have learned this year, this one will remain as one to remember for life. Opportunity is there. The exact thing I need is already waiting for me. It is up to me to keep my soul open to finding it, and my eyes will not be opened until I understand and focus on what I am truly looking for.
Today I am thankful for the abundance of opportunity surrounding us each and every single day – all of it just waiting for us to realize we are looking for it.
A frozen waterfall in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in January of 2021
Today was a day full of action and activity. Progress was made on many projects, there was a lot of forward motion, and even the things that didn’t work out actually kind of worked out. Everything seemed to go in the right direction, even if it was initially off a little.
There was one specific moment in the morning when I realized my head was spinning. It was difficult to keep a single thought in mind for a second, let alone through completion. I realized the spinning and stopped.
I put on my headphones. I moved away from my computer. I turned on a specific song and then set my phone down on the other side of my office. I sat in my chair and got into a comfortable position. I put my hands behind my head. I closed my eyes. I focused on my breath. I focused on each lyric of the song. I paused my brain and put myself 100% into the moment.
When the song finished I took in one last deep and focused breath. I held it for a moment, and then exhaled. I opened my eyes and smiled.
My world was at peace and I was able to focus on one task after another. Three minutes and forty five seconds which made all the difference today.
At Dominic’s soccer banquet tonight he received an All Conference award for Sportsmanship:
I am so proud of him! His coach recognized and nominated him for this award for the way he plays, owns his mistakes, celebrates others, shows kindness to opponents, and for his attitude. All comments that make me one heck of a proud parent. Congrats dude!!!
Wow!!! How awesome is this weather??? Comfortably hiking in a t-shirt and shorts at the end of the first week of November? This is amazing!
Throughout the day we’ve been working on maximizing our time outside. As I blog I’m sitting on our deck and enjoying the smells of fall leaves. Earlier we took the dogs for a walk in the sun. Lunch was grilled and eaten outside. We hit Perrot State Park to enjoy the perfect hiking weather. This has been AMAZING!!!
One of my biggest goals this year was to maximize my time spent outdoors. Unseasonably warm weather like this makes it all the easier to follow through on that goal.
Yesterday was a day focused on nonstop Zoom calls. I’m still amazed that I didn’t have teleconferencing nightmares last night!
Today was lined up very differently with a focus on a couple of face to face meetings in different markets. Out the door and on my way to Eau Claire before 5:30am, it was an early start. At the office my email pinged and I received a notification that the meeting I had left early for would be much more heavily attended via Zoom. I smiled to myself, rolled with it, and jumped on via Zoom instead. A little after 9:30 I received a text from my afternoon appointment. Due to the COVID news from OSHA he asked to re-schedule. I completely understood and we are meeting next week instead. No worries, that’s life sometimes.
In the span of a few hours my day had been completely changed. Rather than getting hung up on how it was supposed to have gone I went with the tide. I think of it kind of like my minimalist running shoes. When my foot strike lands directly on a rock I don’t tense up, that would hurt big time. Instead I let my foot continue its course but I relax and let me foot wrap itself around the rock. This simple move removes any pain and discomfort and allows me to keep my stride. Today I followed that lead and wrapped myself around the day rather than try to force my will upon the day.
I also caught myself getting frustrated with a very different challenge while I was driving up this morning. Fortunately my brain knew what I needed and out of nowhere a thought appeared… “how can I be grateful for this?” This is one of the two questions I focus on often in my book. I chuckled to myself and then flipped my mindset. Within minutes I was scripting out ideas for my next book! I got so pumped up that I had to pull over to jot down notes to myself to make sure they were saved. It was awesome and one of the most rewarding productive bursts I’ve had in a long time.
So what were the results of rolling with it and taking my own advice? One of the most wildly productive days I’ve had! The results spoke for themselves as I made significant progress towards a handful of goals. The day left me with a strong sense of accomplishment on a few different levels towards my purpose.
Life doesn’t always follow the trajectory I want it to. If I remember to roll with what happens, go with it rather than against it, and listen to my own advice from past experience I can easily adapt and thrive. Days like this are neither good nor bad, they are an opportunity for me to live into my best self. Today I was successful.
After church and lunch Becky and I headed out for a hike. The weather was perfect and we both felt compelled to get both fresh air and a little exercise. Becky had noticed that there was a new trail opening this past week in Hixon so that was our destination.
The trail itself was certainly brand new. They had just knocked it our not too long ago and the smell of soil was fresh in the air. The path itself was nice and soft as it hadn’t been packed down by many travelers yet. Most of the trails in that area have been traveled many times by us, it was awesome being in an area we were unfamiliar with. Each new twist and turn showed us sights we hadn’t seen before. The autumn colors were fantastic and the rock formations we had not seen prior were very interesting. All in all, it was great taking a new path.
As it worked its way up to the top we re-connected with a trail that leads to a scenic overlook. We’ve been up there before, but it was a long time ago. The views of La Crosse may be amongst the best from anywhere in the city. We were able to see the power plant in Genoa a little less than 20 miles away. All along the valley we saw the various colors of leaves in the trees. Throw in the perfectly picturesque clouds and it was nothing short of beautiful.
Ahh… time in nature. There’s not much else in life I’d rather be doing, especially with my family and friends.
I have a tendency to make life so much more complex than it needs to be. Busy schedules, technology, financial management, business, and so on. There is so much I pack into life that is unnecessary and self imposed.
In the woods everything fades away. The noise of daily life is muted by the simplicity of existing in nature. Trees who’ve stood before I was born demand my attention. The rocks and hills I observe have existed long before man walked the Earth will remain long after I’m gone. The sounds of the streams provide a more beautiful music than any I would play on my iPhone. Everything I need is there in the woods, in the simplicity, and in that exact moment.
In that moment all of the busyness of life fades from existence. There are no deadlines and tasks, only serenity and wonder. My ego is replaced with the reminder of how small and temporary my life is compared to so much of what exists around me. I am lost in the moment at the very time I find my true self in the woods.
The simplicity of nature surrounding me is deafening.
Today that simplicity was shared with Becky and Gavin (Dominic was refereeing soccer games). The ridges we hiked were so amazing. I could bring a hammock and backpack and stay up there for days. The peacefulness provides a profound state of chill and introspection while my wonder and curiosity often lead me off the trail to observe interesting plants, rocks, and tree roots. Those heavily canopied maple and oak forests are some of the most magical places in the Driftless.
I’ve read portions of Walden by Thoreau but haven’t read it all the way through. When I went to order a copy online I happened across a book with that story as well as a handful of others. My plan was to read from Walden through the rest of the book, but last night I felt compelled to read the last story for some odd reason.
Laying in my hotel bed last night I read The Artist of the Beautiful by Nathaniel Hawthorne. I could hardly lay still in bed afterwards as my brain was consumed by the tale. The story has been on my mind all day long for a variety of reasons. I have a suspicion that it will haunt my thoughts the entirety of my life moving forward.
I do not want to spoil it for you if you have it read it before and will do my best to describe without giving anything away. If you’d ever like to talk with me about it in more detail I would be happy to.
While reading it there were many emotions stirred in my soul. Grit – the determination to see something through to completion. Self-worth – doing something specifically for oneself specifically because one can and also possesses a desire to do so. The stoic mindset of controlling only what one can control was seen throughout. Belief in one’s own ideals and a refusal to bend to the thoughts of the world. The beauty and simplicity found in nature. The passion that drives one to accomplish great things. Sacrificing desires for the grandest of dreams. The importance of living into one’s true self. All of these thoughts, themes, and emotions in one short story from a century and a half ago!
As I face my own personal trials and am at a crossroads of pursuing my true self this story has inspired me to be the best me I can and to trust and follow my dreams of creating something beautiful. I plan on revisiting this story often both as reminder and warning to help my choose and stay on my right path.
A little before noon today my mind was going a million miles a minute. I had an excellent conversation with another franchisee and there were so many thoughts rushing through my brain. Couple them with the insights and ideas from the last week and my brain was positively spinning.
I paused. I set my pen down and closed my laptop. I took a slow and deep breath… and then I went for a walk.
No music, no podcast, no audio book. Just me walking on a perfectly sunny day with no sense of direction or purpose other than letting my brain work everything out with no distractions.
Forty five minutes later I got back home, jotted down my notes, and was ready to start taking action.
What wonders a walk can do for the thought process!
Thankful for Forty 