Hello
What a joy to have some free time and to be able to be writing here again!
Last summer, I finished a solo unplug trip to Sedona, Arizona.
I had an opportunity to unwind after our event and also reflect on the year so far.
I’m grateful for the experience and excited to share a few lessons that came through while I was there!
Simply put, for me, notifications of any sort distract me. Even those number badges on each app on my phone. So I turned them all off. For the first time in a LONG time, I wasn’t checking my phone continuously and mindlessly. The notifications create curiosity, validation, and “something to do,” but in the end, everything important is where you are at.
This came as an amazing reminder. I’m a doer. I always want to do something, improve something, achieve something. To do that, you have to take action to get the result. That being said, there has been so much going on in my life that my words started to become empty promises or lacked commitment. When I looked at what I was doing, I understood that WHO I WAS BEING was not aligned with the actions I was taking. The formula is BE-DO-HAVE. Being is the first step. A great reminder that once you are the person you want to be, the traits and habits come naturally to you.
I heard this on the Chris Harder podcast, and it stuck. Being solo for the first time in a long time, having no kids (at that time), and being away from Aly, I was in a very new environment. The first 24 hours was a battle. “I miss Aly and my parents.” “I wonder what they are doing.” “Is this worth it?” “What if I don’t get anything from it?” As you can imagine, the statements kept coming. I would repeat over and over… Be where your feet are. And it would bring me back to the beautiful surroundings AND purpose of the trip. I really got a lot from using it.
Growing up, my dad would go to the top of the hike and instantly take his shoes and socks off. I don’t know if there was a reason for it. I never asked him. Probably sweat, haha, but for me, I did it to ground myself. Anytime I was feeling a little less confident or comfortable, I’d take my shoes off and ground myself. The ground and your breath are resources always available to you, yet we don’t use them. Grounding is proven to bring you to the present again, but also to connect with the energy on the earth. I did this at the top of every mountain I went on and also walked around a lake with no shoes. Let me tell you this: the ideas just flowed.
I learned a great principle from my dad that goes like this. After chaos comes comfort, meaning after we get out of our comfort zone, we start to get used to our new zone. Then we get comfortable again.
I was sitting next to a waterfall and decided to dunk my feet in and write in my journal. I dipped my toe in… It was FREEZING. Then I dunked my feet. I felt the needles and blood rush. I sat with it. I let it go. Ten minutes later, it was warm.
If you want to grow, IMMERSE yourself, don’t dabble.
I really wanted to do a couple of hikes in Sedona. On the first hike, the parking lot was full. So I had to drive almost 2 miles to find more parking. The hike went from 1.7 miles to 5.5 miles. Instead of an hour, it took me 2.5 hours. My plans were ruined... but were they? What did I do? I decided that my goal was to see a great sunset on the rocks… So instead of walking another 4 miles to get to the next destination, I found the best happy hour in town with a view. I flowed with the reality of what happened… I ended up having an amazing beer, great food and sat on a patio overlooking the sunset and the red rocks. Instead of resisting, I accepted, and everything was great.
This was a unique one for me. Each day, I reflected, and I would ask myself simple questions. One question that I asked was, “What did I love about today?” Wow… What JUICE. I don’t remember the last time I asked myself that simple question. I find we are so set in our habits and emotions, and we are very focused on optimizing based on performance. But what about what you truly love? We will perform better if we do more of what we love, and on the OTHER SIDE, less of what we don’t. So ask yourself… What did you love about your day today?
This was deeper for me and based on a lesson I heard from a book, but I felt it more. We have infinite options and choices every day. Literally infinity. Everything is already there for your taking. So you aren’t necessarily creating anything, you are simply tuning into a choice that already exists. So tune in, friends, and tune into the parts of life you want to see.
To Your Success!
