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Posted Wednesday, August 8, 2007
The Beatles, like so many others, sought out the answers to life’s questions by going to some mountain in India. That’s in my cards one day too, but for now, I settled for hiking and cycling around the mountains of Aspen. It was a lot of fun, just what I was looking for. But little did I know the mountains of Colorado can teach and inspire you in there own, rough hewn way.
“Where are you coming from?” Let’s say you’re hiking along a trail, and you come across a couple on the path and they say "This part of the trail is the worst of it because it’s steep, it has lots of shrubs and it’s very rocky." What’s your initial reaction to their comment? Do you let others influence your decision making in business through their lens? OK, hold that. How about if you are someone like my fiancée Julie who loves the rocky part or gets thrills out of a challenging hike. You can then view this part of the trail much differently – in an empowered way. Having a sense of empowerment and competence changes how you face what many might call “the worst of it.” Hypothetical question: Do you think this mindset leads to better results in your business?
Look for your own symbolic moments. Another example from my hike: When I came across a unique type of rock in the trail, I thought for a moment – maybe I was wishing that it was the end of the trail. Another perspective (an empowered one) could just as easily have been, the rock serves as a stepping stone to a higher level, and I’m here and ready for it. (Yep, this turned out to be the case!)
The River, or, let’s go a little beyond mindset. “There’s the river…what a challenge. I love challenges.” When you get on the river, you don’t know what's going to happen, but you definitely expect that something will happen - Sounds like life, right? Focus on your vision and destination – you’re ready. You’re repeating your vision as you’re wading through the river, thinking of the best way to reach your destination. Then slam, the current was starting to shift a bit, you didn’t catch it, and you’re down. Take away: Have your vision in mind at the same time you are engaged in the details of life’s challenges. While it is certainly difficult to focus on two things at once, the goal is, your vision is always there. You get to be present and connected because the river will throw you off when you least expect it. But your vision is the lens that you see the details through that will carry you through the waves, currents and branches.
Second take away: Avoid fighting the river. Let your intention to have your vision occur carry you to your desired results. We often fight the river (or life) because we are set on the way (the steps) that we are supposed to reach our vision or goal. We get stuck on the “way it’s supposed to look.” Instead, stay focused on your goal, be present, embrace the ride down the river and trust that the universe will support you in reaching your destination regardless if the steps taken to get there were completely different than you expected. You can always count on the universe to get you to your destination when you are clear about your intention – as people, we always figure out the “doing” part (the steps) when we are clear about the intention.
What’s your focus, or, how are you using the Law of Attraction? While riding my bike, I hit one of many bumps I was desperately trying to avoid, and fell chin first. Let’s save the ribbing for later – my fiancé gave me an earful. If I was being so careful, why did that happen? I think you know – it’s all about focus. I was focused on not falling, not hitting the divider that was in the bike lane. Talk about the mind and body being stressed. How flexible, how “dominating” would my mind and body have been if I were focused on the fun, what I wanted out of the ride? Focus on where you want to go, NOT on where you don't want to go. Focus on your vision and how you’re going to get there – that’s what puts you in optimum performance mode. Remember, “What you focus upon, expands.” Focus on “where you want to go” rather than “where you don’t want to go” because whatever you focus upon is exactly the thing you are going to receive. The Law of Attraction is always at work. What are you choosing as your focus at your company?
Eat before you get hungry & drink before you get thirsty. “How can this possibly relate to my success?” For two reasons: First, you never want to make dining decisions from the perspective of want. We all know what happens then. You are more likely not to eat the way you told yourself you would. Respect your goals. But also, get used to making all decisions from a sense of satisfaction. That’s the paradigm shift. Work from a place of urgency vs. desperation.
Stop and smell the flowers. People have been saying that for years, and honestly, I had trouble justifying it to myself. I’ll get around to that later…need to concentrate on success. But smelling those roses will support you in becoming successful. Aside from what you hear from your friends about “burn out”, there’s a much bigger reason. When you take your satisfaction seriously, when you value it, you value yourself. And if there is one thing that will always support you in almost anything you strive for, it’s holding yourself up as valuable. When you feel that way, it’s funny how things just turn out better. Furthermore, when you value yourself then others around get that they are valuable too – people will buy from you or will follow your lead when you make them feel important and valuable. What are you waiting for? Start smelling and sales will pour in!
You can have it all. Hold on, it’s not about possessing. It’s about recognizing your own ability to make things how they might work for you, and rejecting the standard “choices” others have created. Sound dramatic? It doesn’t have to be. It changes even the smaller things in life – like decisions when you go hiking! On my third day of the trip, I was pushing myself to stay inside because I had to work…that traditional Greek work ethic tugging away at me again. But here’s something that may not have occurred to my dad’s generation. Define the trip differently. Hey, there’s that perspective thing coming up again. It could be a lot of fun spending time with my fiancée, exercising and taking in some beautiful sights. But keeping my coaching mission in mind, I would look for professional insights.
And I think you can guess what came out of that “have it all” based view I had that day. Yes, the “work product” that this blog can be viewed as. But more importantly, examples of relatable events in life that take this philosophy out of the clouds and into the gravel. Sometimes going in chin first is the best way to learn.
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