Remember to put intentionality into where I spend my time. Minutes, hours, and days slip by so quickly if I don’t pause and consider whether I’m intentionally using the them the right way. Stay focused on my goals – both long and short term – and act accordingly with urgency. Don’t let it slip away.
One day, my father, he told me, “Son, don’t let it slip away” He took me in his arms, I heard him say “When you get older, your wild heart will live for younger days Think of me if ever you’re afraid”
Avicii, The Nights
Appreciation:
Along the lines of remembering what is important – I am especially grateful for taking action to do just that today! Between scheduling a weekend for camping with a lifelong friend, choosing to be present and moving early in the morning, taking time to shut down everything except playing a game with Gavin, being focused and present in a conversation with Dominic on Facetime, being there for others as needed, and planning ahead for an adventure (maybe two) I spent a lot of time on working towards where I want to be going, on my purpose, and towards my dreams. Here’s to a day that was largely focused on moving forward with intentionality with a whole lot of fun in the now throughout!
Presence:
Taking the time to go for a five mile walk to start off the morning is always the right answer (unless I’m either running or hiking or yoga is an option). Getting up and getting moving, spending time without a phone or a screen, alternating between interacting with Becky and letting my thoughts drift. It’s almost a walking meditation, letting go of everything else and living exclusively in the now.
Regardless of the decisions I’ll make throughout the rest of the day I know I started the right way, I chose action, and I chose moving stillness.
An old though came back in the midst of yoga class this evening. While working on a pose I have never quite been comfortable with our instructor offered up coaching and an opportunity to try the pose again. I hesitated for a moment, went into a learner’s mindset, and then took her advice. Next thing I knew I was into it! So many times before I was afraid of failing, not trusting my body, not thinking like a learner.
When we are in a learning mindset we’re open to coaching, we take advice, and we are willing to try even though there’s a high likelihood of failure. When we are in an expert mindset we are often afraid of making a mistake, less tempted to try something different as we already know what works. At any moment we can choose either mindset. Why don’t I choose a beginner’s mindset every single time like I should? Definitely a gap I can work on closing!
Yoga for the win yet again!
Appreciation:
This morning I had an absolutely engaging client meeting! The conversation was a nonstop thrill ride of ideas, insights, and thought exercises. So many strategies were discussed, excellent questions asked by all parties, and a perfect example of how similar cultures in different industries can help each other via the common ground of shared values. Super excited to see where this leads in the future!
Presence:
This afternoon my teammates and I shared a handful of moments as we walked through our values, purpose, and what drives our business. During a specific part of our conversation I shared the story of my last hug with Dad. The love and support they shared as I shared my full emotion warmed my heart and was greatly appreciated. It was a moment I’ll remember for sure!
When two people are actively working together in a growth mindset the results are very productive. There is no judgement, no frustration, no ego, or any other types of obstacles. Only possibility, open dialogue, open and constructive conflict, and productive dialogue exist. So much positive progress when the growth mindsets are aligned.
Appreciation:
There’s a balance to be found between play and planning. Over the past 6 weeks or so I’ve been working out in the gym quite often and it’s been a wonderful mix of all types of new exercises. I’ve had the opportunity to focus on lifting for strength, for muscle, and for endurance in an extraordinarily wide array of all kinds of exercises focusing on pretty much all major muscle groups. This was exactly the play I needed to help me see weightlifting as fun again. There’s not really a clear goal other than just getting back into the habit and stoking my passion for fitness again. I’ve already seen some awesome results and have been feeling great!
Now it is time to focus on my long term goals. I want to be in the type of physical condition so I can be a 94 year old dude hiking and backpacking eight plus miles per day in the mountains. To get there I’ve got to get myself in fantastic backpacking shape now complete with a very solid base of skeletal muscle mass to keep me moving. Now is the time to take what I’ve learned from play, set a clear objective for the short term (3 months) and then set the clear path to get there.
Without play I wouldn’t have been motivated to work on the long term plan and would not have had so many more exercises to choose from. Without the plan all the play is great, but I would likely keep gaining muscle mass in places I don’t need for backpacking and hiking and would have a lot more weight to carry – all of which actively hurts progress towards my goal.
Today is all about balance – play and plan – a dichotomy that leads to success.
Presence:
Lots of road time for Becky and I today! Not only our long car ride, but we also had road time on our morning run. Throw in some trail time we had while we took Leia for a walk and it was a day of many moments shared together. I’m grateful for the extreme moments of presence shared together today – especially when we had exactly two seconds of sunlight peek through as we neared the exit for Lewiston. Even when we are doing some not so exciting adulting we can still be present and enjoy time together – and plan future vacations 😉
This was from a trip to San Francisco – we happened to catch a sunset in a low tide on the ocean!
Thankful for Forty 