Tag: wellness

Thankful for Removing Labels, Yoga Practice, & Waking Up to a Cool Morning with Open Windows

Day 4,005

Growth:

We all face things, we all have different challenges. What’s interesting is that so often I can see things more clearly in someone else, that third person perspective, that I can then reflect back upon myself to see challenges I may need to work through better.

Today what caught my attention were the labels we all put on ourselves. Sometimes they are created by others. Sometimes they are self diagnosed. Regardless of how they got into our brain they can quickly take hold and cause us to unnaturally live into them. If we have a label it becomes a part of who we are and we can change our behavior accordingly. They are quite dangerous and can lead to stunted growth, a lack of clarity, a lack of joy and fulfillment.

When I catch myself labeling myself I need to remember to only label the ACTION or THOUGHT itself, not me. It is in passing, it can be changed, it is not a fixed core of who I am. If I slip and use a label remember that it is not a label of me. Take it off like a jacket, I don’t need to wear it like a pair of handcuffs.

Appreciation:

Yoga, wonderful yoga… For reals, I could blog about yoga almost every single night. The impact it makes on my well being is so positive and much larger than the one hour practice.

This evening was the first night in about four weeks that I was in class and it felt spectacular! All the bending and twisting and holding and breathing and sweating was able to wash clean the slate of the day’s busyness, all that existed in my mind was the pose I was in, only the breath I was taking.

As I creep closer and closer to the big 5-0 I can’t help but feel so much younger than that number, so much calmer and less stressed than a 50yo should be, and I credit so much of that to our ongoing yoga practice. It calms the storm, and fortifies the soul.

Presence:

Okay, this is kind of similar to a few days ago, but for a completely different reason. Waking up in my own bed with the windows open and the outdoor temperature sitting at about 50 degrees… Amazing!!! Nothing like waking up in cool fresh air, the temp just cool enough that you can kick a bare leg out from the blankets, but likely not much more than that. The sensation of cool air going into the lungs with the first waking breath of the day. I love this weather!!!

Thanks!!!

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 Jotting Down Yoga Thoughts, Being Tested, & Deep Yoga Squats

Day 3,368

Growth:

Listen to and write down the random yoga thoughts that appear in the midst of the calm after the storm. So many wonderful nuggets of wisdom when the brain is completely open and present like that.

See the next section for my yoga thoughts from this evening… I’m grateful for taking the time to jot them down rather than let them slowly flutter and drift away.

Appreciation:

This evening what kept going through my brain in Final Rest was – be grateful for the test. The opportunity to be tested is an opportunity to grow, to find our strengths, and to make the most difficult of decisions… will we learn from the experiences which put us into the test in the first place and make a change or will we default to what we have always done, the same thing which has gotten us in this position in the first place. The test is an opportunity to prove our growth, to learn and adapt, and to better close the gap between who we are and who we should be.

Being tested is a gift, something we can be grateful for.

Presence:

One of the most presence filled moments today was also in yoga (hmm… kind of a Monday night trend). During our class we were moved into a deep squat with our feet out wide and toes pointed out. We were challenged to get as low as we could while holding our arms out in front of us. As we held that position for what felt like an eternity I dove deeper and deeper into my breath. I felt the ongoing trembles of my legs. As each breath came and went I focused more and more on the burn in my legs, my toes gripping my mat, the sweat running down my face, and my breath, my breath, and my breath. Honestly, I have no idea how long we held that for, but it felt like forever. When we then stood up the release was glorious – until we were told to drop right back down into the deep squat for another couple of breaths. Nonstop presence, felt amazing!

Thanks!!!

Thankful for a Leadership Lesson Through Dominic, Scarcity in Doses, and an Unexpected Pose

Day 3,207

Growth:

Yesterday we helped Dominic plant trees as a part of his ongoing Eagle Scout project. There were many Scouts, parents, and siblings there to help and Dominic’s job quickly changed from planting trees to directing the volunteers. Then the media showed up and he was pulled in another direction, public relations. Throughout there were a couple of times when it was easy to see that he was frustrated with not being able to help to physically plant the trees. Several times I heard parents remind him that it is a part of leadership, changing from “doing” to “directing.” He smiled and understood, but there was still a dissonance between what he felt he should be doing and what he needed to be doing.

What an awesome leadership lesson for him to learn! We can’t do everything ourselves, we do our best work when we work with others. The role of a leader is to help show others the way and support them as they do their work. It is such a difficult change to get used to, but a necessary part of growth as a leader. I’m so thankful for the opportunity he had to learn this yesterday… and for the wonderful reminder it was for me also.

Appreciation:

Sometimes scarcity is a gift. The clarity of a tight deadline (or a couple) can really sharpen the mind to a razor edge. This week is a wild one to be sure! Thankfully I’ve planned ahead, gotten a lot loaded up, have prepped for potential curveballs, and have great people around me. Today was a study in productivity, focusing on only necessary tasks and going fast and furious. Tomorrow will be more of the same and I’ll finally take a deep breath on Thursday.

Here’s to the sensation of a deadline breathing down the back of my neck to help me kick into a higher gear to focus!

Presence:

At yoga this evening Jenn threw us a little curveball. After a very intense, hot, strenuous, and sweat soaked workout she had us pause flat on our backs for a moment.

“Take it in, the sensation of being flat on your back, your entire body relaxing into the mat. Take it in, enjoy it, be present in this moment.”

While the workout itself was kicking my butt and had my attention, I was very much focused on holding the pose or transitioning to the next while quickly swiping the sweat out of my eyes. This pause right in the middle, totally relaxed, was an entirely different type of presence. I was immersed in the sensations of laying relaxed on my back, allowing my breathing to slow back to normal, feeling my heart slip back to its normal resting rate. It was an amazing moment!

Thanks!!!