THE RIGHT PATH

If we are not excited about it, its not the right path. Abraham Hicks

Sometimes we step in a puddle, slip on the ice, trip over a rock on our trail, fall off our bikes, ride the wave on surfboards then find ourselves underwater, or we are flying high down that double black diamond cruising through that turn when we catch an edge and wipe out spectacularly. At times we go down harder than others on the path and journey of life. But we always get back up dust ourselves off and keep going. We may at times need to alter our path we are on, head down a different path or keep buggering on steadfastly down the path we started. We will eventually get to the clearing or open meadow and say wow! What a view, pause, reflect, look around, enjoy the beauty, soak up the feeling and then we say let's do that again! Maybe we head off to another peak on the next mountain range but we just keep going and when we do stop and look back we just might realize the best part was the struggles where we picked ourselves up after the fall.

 

CONTROL

 

There are very few things we can control. We can control how we choose to see things. How we choose to react to things. We cannot always control what happens to us or around us, but we can control how we react to it. We can control our point of view. We can control how we feel. How we see the world. How we react to circumstances around us. We can prepare. We can train. We can get in the arena. We can just get started. We can get out of our comfort zones. We can get on the surfboard and be riding the wave, then we may find ourselves underwater. Relax, accept it, rely on your physical and mental training and the wave will pass over us. We know what we must do. Do our best. Do the work. We cannot always control the stimulus, but we can control our response. We can control our own behavior, our own actions and reactions. We must focus on what is within our control and let go of what we cannot control. That is what other people do and think, that is their choice. Do what we can do and do it well in line with our virtues and values.

 

WORKED UP

 

What good does getting ourselves all worked up or angry over something or what someone said do us? A little righteous indignation over an injustice can be a good thing and anger can be a useful tool at the right time and place and when used in the right way to help keep us focused and on track when we need the fuel. But when we feel the anger boiling up within us or we feel ourselves getting worked up that is not the time to burst out or boil over. Save that feeling and energy for when we need it. Practice restraint. Exercise patience. Say hello their anger, I recognize you and I welcome you but now is not the time there will be a time later but not now. Let's move on together or try a different path for now. Then coolly calmly collectively calculate your path and plan and prepare for the future. We may just find the anger goes away or we overreacted for no good reason or we were mistaken. It also helps not to take everything personally because it's not always about us.

 

OVERTHINKING IT

 

Overthinking sometimes can create stress, worry, or fear. Some things are like a cold shower, we just gotta get in. After a while it is tolerable, even feels pretty good. Yes, we need to think through things, to diligently prepare and do the work. But fretting or worrying too much can be counterproductive. Calm, cool, confidence knowing you got this, you have put in the work. You have thought things through. You have prepared. You are ready to go. Avoid getting sidetracked with excessive worry or distraction. A little nervous energy, excitement, angst is a good. It keeps us focused on the task at hand and reminds us we very much care but be wary of the opposite end of the spectrum where we overanalyze, overthink and “what if” ourselves into inefficiency. Stay focused. Stay calm. Stay confident and know you are quite good enough and quite capable . Whatever happens you are well suited for the job because you are good at what you do, you are capable, prepared, and ready to get it done.

 

GET IN THE ARENA WITH THE BULL OF LIFE

 

It is better to be in the arena getting stomped by the bull then it is to be sitting in the stands or out in the parking lot from the outside looking in. Get in and get started. The best way to get things done is to get started. Say yes to what you want to do and no to what you do not want to do. But when you do say yes, do your best! Get out of your comfort zone. Do the work. Practice, prepare, be relentless in your pursuit. Do what is right. Pause, plan, think and then get in the arena with the bull. You cannot know what you are truly capable of unless you get in there with the bull of life and tangle. There exists a higher power, another force or forces that come through a mind, body and spirit that is well prepared and well trained for the bull of life.

CORE

 

Core being. Core of the universe. Core is the center of everything we do. Our core is the center of our body’s universe. Our core is the center of our being. Our core is the foundation of all our movement. We must work at our core. This is too important, no excuses. 9 minutes and 30 seconds a day. That is it that's all it takes. You can do more of course, but we must take 9 minutes and 30 seconds a day and work our core. Find any app on your phone that has a 30 second timer and do 30 seconds of:

·      Plank

·      Push throughs

·      Bicycles

·      Single side left bicycle

·      Single side right bicycle

·      Heel taps

·      Alternate leg raises

·      Leg pushouts on back

·      Russian twist

·      Boat pose push outs

·      Right side plank

·      Left side plank

·      Marching plank

·      Flutter kicks

Hint-best time and place is on your bathroom carpet before you get in the shower.

 

PATIENCE

Patience is a virtue. It has been said good things come to those who wait. Patience is a wonderful trait, but also must be balanced with the need to push on or push through when the situation requires it. Patience does not mean just sitting back and hoping for something “good” to happen to you of fall in your lap. First comes the work, the planning, preparation, practice. Getting started. Setting the wheels in motion, then being patient that the fruits of your labor will blossom.  Not unlike a farmer who spends great effort preparing soil for crop.  Planting crop, then waiting for the bounty to grow. This of course requires patience for the crop to grow, but so too must the farmer tend to his fields, particularly if there is some adverse weather or unexpected developments. Passivity and patience are not the same thing. Sometimes the pot needs to be stirred or mixed up, or others need to some “encouragement” to act. But patience is an important skill and mindset for sure. So to is the ability to know when to be patient and when its time to push.

 

THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER

 

If only I had this, or if only I had that.  Ambition can be a good thing. Desire can be a good thing. Ambition and desire can lead us to where we want to go, assuming we know where we want to go and that is where we want to be. These things can also be a distraction or an illusion. I will be happy if ..., I will be satisfied if... This conditional happiness can be a trap. Not to be confused with legitimate goals. The key is to love the process, love the journey, be happy in the present and the path we are on. If we are always chasing rainbows or walking towards horizons we will never get to or any closer to, we will lose sight of the beauty we are standing in the middle of. What we are surrounded with. It is like wanting what you cannot have, that forbidden fruit, it is because we can't have it that we want it. We do not really need it. We already got it. It is not about wanting what you cannot have, but rather wanting what you already got and being thankful and grateful for what we do have. Chasing the more can be rewarding if we love the chase, but not if we are only doing the chasing because we want the more, the greener grass.  It’s not having what you want, it’s wanting what you’ve got.  Sheryl Crow

 

FINISH WHAT YOU START

How many times have we stopped just short? We are working on a project, we are doing a workout program, we are reading a book and we just don't quite finish what we started. Kind of like not sticking to our “New Year’s resolutions”. Then there is the David Goggins approach of one more rep, mother&^%$#&. Goggins does finish what he starts, even if it takes driving back to the gym to do the 10th pull up because he stopped at nine, that’s great and has its place, but may be a little extreme for some of us in our day to day lives. We have heard, the phrase going the extra mile, it's lonely on the extra mile, as is usually the case though, there is a middle ground between these two poles, one “quitting ” or stopping short of what we started, and on the other end kind of extreme, put in more, put in more until we burn out, and that is just do the task at hand, finish what we start, do our job, do our best  Just finish. Nothing less. Finish the project one step at a time. Finish our workout program one rep at a time.  Finish the book. (unless it’s a real stinker then move on to the next one, life is short). It's about finishing what you started and doing your best. That is, it. Do what you say, say what you mean. Never give in. Never come up short. Just do it. Get the job done. Then move on to the next job and get it done. One step, one rep, one thought, one task at a time. Don't sell yourself short. Finish what you started.

 

 

DESTINY, FATE AND FORTUNE

 

“It's not in the stars to hold our destiny, but in ourselves”. William Shakespeare

“Accept the place divine providence has found for you”. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Destiny, fate, fortune, is it predetermined or do we make it or is it both? We certainly have choices in life over what we can control and what we cannot control. We may not always be able to control what happens to us or around us, but we can control how we choose to respond to it. (Victor Frankel-Man's Search for Meaning) We may have been born in a certain place, with certain parents, in a particular body, placed on a certain path, but then the rest is up to us, in ourselves through our actions and choices we make. Kobe Bryant may have been born into a certain body type, with a certain mindset, but, make no mistake, he was not gifted into being one of the greatest NBA players of all time, he was one of the hardest working players ever. Just like any other master of their craft (Robert Greene- Mastery) Read, workout, be kind, help others, make the best out of the situation right before you, our judgment of things, our point of view is all under our control. Which path or paths we choose and how hard we choose to work at it is up to us. Yes, we are dealt a certain hand, or given certain opportunities or obstacles, how we choose to pursue and overcome them is up to us.

 

IN A HURRY

 

I'm in a hurry to get things done, I rush and rush until life's no fun. All I really gotta do is live and die, I'm in a hurry and I don't know why. -- Alabama

 

Jumping from one fire to the next. Is that what we really need, or want, or is there a better way? We have choices, we can control our time, or we should be able to, right? Why do we do this to ourselves? Pack our schedules, or even when they may not be packed, we need that sensation we are “busy”, so we still rush and rush from one thing to the next or fritter away precious time mindlessly spinning our wheels or going through the motions because we “feel” we must.  But pause and ask are we busy being productive? Are we busy being productive at what we truly want? Or are we busy to feel busy? Seeking out that “feeling” we are really important, we are really busy today or are we frittering away the day without taking time for ourselves, time to think, time to contemplate. Are we just stirring the pot to create controversy, stress, because we need that feeling of strife or of importance or are we really standing up for what we know is right and what needs to be done. If it does not bring us closer to our end game and it's not in line with our values-- avoid it. Sometimes you have to say no to the mediocre so you can say yes to the great. Are you in a hurry and don't know why?

 

INNER STRENGTH

We all have it. Some people may be better at tapping into it or going deeper than others, but it's in there somewhere. Where does it come from? Fortitude, persistence, resilience, relentlessness, justice, wisdom, courage, temperance, patience, strength, whatever label we choose to put on it, these are just wording we use, what counts is what we do and how we act. We may never know the exact answer whatever, wherever divine Providence or the universe has placed within us or whatever we have grown, developed, cultivated ourselves or both, we are all capable of things or so much more than what we ever “thought” possible. The choices we make based on our values is the foundation for everything we do. The hero and the coward, they feel the same inside, they just make different choices on how to act or what to do. Which do you choose? I choose courage. I choose truth. I choose justice. I choose to do my best no matter what the circumstances may be. I don't know where our “inner strength” comes from in the end, but I do know it's there and I am going to use it to the best of my ability.

 

OUTSIDE

 

Go play outside.

We spend more time inside, whether it be in our houses or cars, than we do outside. That's backwards. Being outside is the best medicine. Fresh air is better than a pill bottle. A mountain stream beats a beer any day. A walk in the woods. Run in the park. Stars at night. Sunrise in the morning. Sunset in the evening. Full moon. Crescent moon. Waxing and waning moon. Sitting on a park bench. Sitting under a fir tree in the park. Watching the birds fly above. Seeing a bear (from far away). Watching an eagle fly. Swimming in a lake. Surfing on a wave in the ocean. Skiing down a mountainside. Fly fishing in a stream. Floating down the river. Sitting around a campfire. Hiking the trails. Running anywhere. Walking anywhere. Look up. Look around. Natures medicine.

Go play outside.

 

EFFORT

 

A surplus of effort could overcome a deficit of confidence. Sonia Sotomayer

 Everyone has that self-doubt, anxiety, fear, apprehension, excitement, whatever label you want to put on it.  A more positive spin is excitement. I choose excitement. Some people are just better at hiding it than others but many of us lack confidence, are worried inside, or downright fearful. But a funny thing happens when you, do the work, practice, put in the effort , our “anxiety” dissipates and our confidence grows. “I got this”. The best elixir for nerves is preparation. We are all quite capable, and when we work at our skills or practice our craft, or prepare our presentation, speech, opening statement whatever our current project is as we prepare, a wonderful side effect of preparation, is reduced stress, lower anxiety, increased confidence. Ask any Olympic athlete before their event or Tom Brady before the Super Bowl, if they are nervous? Typical responses is heck no, I am excited, I am ready, let's go. That mindset comes from having put in the effort. Preparation. Effort.

 

BUST THROUGH RESISTANCE AND FIND YOUR GROOVE

You don't need to see the whole staircase, just take the first step. Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

A journey of 1000 miles starts with the first step. Lao Tzu Just get started and magical things will happen. Fredrich Nietzsche Fight and bust through resistance to tap into your true potential. We tend to stop and top out at 40 percent or less of what we are capable of, but we are truly capable of so much more than we imagine if we just believe and keep going.  Get in the arena. Teddy Roosevelt. Get through the first two miles and find your groove. Things start to happen, doors open, opportunities present themselves if you are open and aware of them. If you sit back and wait for the “right” time or “perfect” opportunity you will end up sitting on the sidelines for a long time. Prepare, plan, think, decide and move on. Surround yourself with a good team. Be open and honest. Do the right thing. Make reasoned, contemplated, well thought out decisions, but keep moving forward with relentless forward progress. Sometimes progress means pausing, thinking, regrouping, taking a different path, then just taking the next step, but it all starts with getting  going and taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase.

 

IN THE ARENA

 

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man that is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.

                                                          Theodore Roosevelt

 

SNOW

Snow can be those thick heavy flakes or those light fluffy kinds. No two snowflakes are alike. Some people go through their whole lives and never see snow, some people see it every day of their lives. Snow can cover everything, cover your driveway so you cannot leave. Cover the roads so the roads are slippery and treacherous. But you can work and shovel your sidewalks, driveway, clear the roads, so you can get around in the snow. Snow can be piled up high all around you, but bare in spots you clear away. You can get buried in the snow. We can play in the snow. Ski, snowshoe, snowmobile, build a snowman or an igloo. Snow melts in most places, it can snow one to two inches or one to two feet. Snow is cold. It can be sunny and snow all around you at the same time. Snow can blow in your face so you cannot see. Snow melts when it warms up, snow goes away when springtime comes, and snow returns when winter comes around again. Snow is a lot like life, heavy at times, light, and fluffy at others. Life traps us under a heavy snowstorm and life is joyous, light and playful as we ride on the snow. Snow melts and we are warm, sunny, and cozy. Then we go through the same cycle again and again. Hopefully!