Summiting my Capitan – Day 4 on the blogging trail

"This is not an effort to 'conquer,'" Jorgeson said Tuesday on Twitter, from 2,000 feet (610 meters) up the side of El Capitan. "It's about realizing a dream."

Since I seem to have set off on a hiking metaphor on my blogging journey, I thought it fitting to pay homage to Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson, who captivated the attention of the world this week by making the first free ascent of the Dawn Wall to the summit of the 3,000-foot rock known as El Capitan in Yosemite National Park.

I caught a snippet of an interview with Caldwell and Jorgeson on NPR yesterday, in which the interviewer was asking Jorgeson what was going through his mind during that time period when he climbed and fell 11 times, before finally managing to scale one particularly difficult section.  You know what he said? “Resolve and determination.”  

Holy wow!  How many of us have that kind of persistence, determination and the courage to persist in and believe in the manifestation of our dreams when faced with repeated “failures”?  How many times do we give up on our dreams when the first obstacle rears its head, let alone the 11^th?  How easily do we pack it in when things don’t go as expected?

I’ll tell you something. Next time I am tempted to use “failure” as an excuse not to go forward, next time my foot slips and I go tumbling into space, next time I look ahead and don’t see the way up…. I’m going to remember those words, and those moments on the face of El Capitan, and take my cues from Kevin Jorgeson.

President Obama tweeted,  “ So proud of @TommyCaldwell1 and @KJorgeson for conquering El Capitan. You remind us that anything is possible.”

So remember beloved reader, anything is possible!

Lightening my load – a daily practice

It sure did feel good to leave behind that tiresome quartet of perfectionism, procrastination, judgment and worry by the wayside yesterday….. but you know what I realized this morning?  Those tricky mindsets have a way of sneaking back in while you are sleeping… ever notice that?

My conclusion? Sadly, it’s not a once and for all mental/emotional/psychological de-cluttering job. Just like that stuff keeps creeping back into our homes, cars, closets, desks….. you know the stuff I mean; well, so too does the mental junk.

The solution?

For me, it’s the daily practice of meditation. While I have noticed increased value from at least a half hour daily, even 5 or 15 minutes can be incredibly beneficial. And even though sometimes it seems like all that is happening is that my mind is chattering away like crazy, flitting from list making to what if scenarios to planning frenzies to "I’m hungry" like some hummingbird with ADD, the reality is that I’m a different person when I get up from my meditation cushion (actually, my living room couch). 

There is more room somehow, for that which is beyond me to make known its presence.  For that space between all those thoughts to open up, so I can feel the presence of Spirit. Space for Reality to reveal itself. For the holy to override the mundane.

And the other beautiful thing about meditating that I have noticed? I’m calmer, happier, kinder; more easily able to switch off the voices of worry, fear, whatever, and remind myself of my true nature, my unbounded, limitless, joyful Self.

And you dear reader, will you join me on the cushion?

Into the Wild – Day 2 on the Blogging Trail

On my recent journey across the Atlantic to England to bring my recently widowed mom back home to California, I read the book Wild by Cheryl Strayed, in which she documents her epic 3-month solo trek on more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Coast Trail at the tender age of 22.

Along the trail, she faces a multitude of obstacles, from wild animals to rock slides, a lost hiking boot, fear, cold, hunger… and yet she emerges triumphant and discovers joy, peace, courage and her own distinctive voice in the world.

What better or more inspiring metaphor for my blogging journey into the vast unknown!  One of Cheryl’s first hard earned lessons on the trail was that she had way over stuffed her backpack with every possible contingency, to the extent that she could barely get it on her back and literally staggered under its weight.

Being somewhat of an over packer myself, as evidenced by my heavy suitcase in the airplane hold, I am pondering…. What is my backpack filled with that is weighing me down? What can I let go of so I can walk down this path freely, without being burdened by unnecessary weight and baggage?

At some point in her journey, Cheryl meets a fellow hiker who pushes her to divest herself of a good portion of her unnecessary stuff, lightening her load considerably.

So….  here goes what I am chucking out of my backpack on this blogging journey.

Item No 1 - Perfectionism. Weighs a ton, don’t need that.  Need I say more?

Item No 2 – Procrastination.  Oh boy, the accumulated weight of all those “I’ll do it tomorrow’s”; whoever knew they loaded you down so much?

Item No 3 – Judgment. As in “what on earth do I have to say?”, “I don’t really have anything to offer”, “it’s not good enough” or worse yet, ”I’m not good enough”. Ta ta, nasty judgments.

Item No 4 – Worry. “I’ll run out of things to write about.”  “No one will read it.” No one will like it.”  Worry, I really don’t need you.

Phew, that feels better. Perfectionism, procrastination, judgment, worry… I leave you by the wayside to compost. I take a deep breath and I look up to the mountains and the sky, and it is a good day to be on the trail.

Making the Unknown Known – Day 1 of my new blogging journey

        

 

The desire you have to be something, to do something, is a mental echo in your mind of the Spirit which already exists within you. It is an impact of your divine and spiritual self upon your mental or psychological self. It is the Spirit in you seeking an avenue of expression through you.

-                           ~ This Thing Called You, Ernest Holmes

           

I’ve been feeling that restless yearning for some time now… that still quite voice seeking expression, whispering in the early dawn hours, calling to me of some unknown mystery that wants to reveal itself. Inspiration, ideas, half formed thoughts whirl around my mind, yet without the discipline of actually sitting down to give them expression with pen and paper, I have come to realize that they are just that….. glimpses, whispers, mere hints of what is seeking to come forth.

Hence my new discipline of committing to an hourly early morning start –my customary thirty minutes to one hour of spiritual practice of meditation and inspirational reading, followed by an hour of writing. And then of course, actually posting what I write – that is the accountability piece.  Actually, it is so much more than that.  My new commitment to a daily blog post 5 days a week is really my contract with Spirit so to speak, my commitment to that divine partnership of co-creation.

 And so it begins….. I have no idea really where we are going, Spirit and I, on this blogging journey. But I’ve packed my backpack, donned my hiking shoes and I’m setting off – my compass, that inner voice which speaks to me when I am quiet enough to listen; my travel companions, the inspiration which surrounds me in nature and in my fellow explorers on this planet earth journey.  Destination: the Unknown.

It is my dearest hope that this blog journey brings you, beloved reader, inspiration, encouragement, a marker on the way perhaps, to your own journey to make the unknown known as only you, marvelous, unique, irreplaceable you, can do.

  

How to keep the sunshine feeling as your tan fades

Ahhh, summer! Having just returned from a wonderful week of river swimming and rock hopping with my family, I’ve been wondering how to keep that wfabulous feeling of relaxation now that I’m back to the multifaceted demands of life as an entrepreneur.

Here are a few tips that have helped me to avoid the post-vacation blues and maintain that sunshine feeling.

• Relive a favorite vacation moment – Visualization is a powerful tool, and simply taking a few moments throughout the day to picture a favorite scene from your vacation – especially one that involves nature – can “trick” your mind and body into thinking you are still there. Breathe in the scents, feel the breeze on your skin, the warmth of the sun on your face. I brought back a favorite river rock to hold to help me recreate the feeling.
• Celebrate – we often vacation during the week of my daughter’s birthday, so for us vacation also involves celebration. But there is always something to celebrate and bring some of that magic into your life – be creative. How about pick your favorite fruit and have a Mango Monday with mango smoothies for breakfast and a mango salsa on your dinner? Or pick your favorite color and have a Fuscia Friday and dress accordingly. Make up your own reasons to celebrate by keeping a gratiutude journal.  The opportunities are endless once you give your imagination a free reign!
• Try something new -  One of the things I just love about vacations is the experience of going somewhere new, trying a ndifferent activity, a novel food, a new way of spending time.  So how about signing up for a new meet up group, driving a different way to work, learning a new hobby?  Novelty keeps us alive and you never know what you might find around a new corner! 

As summer gives way to fall and the kids go back to school, it is easy to get caught up in the flurry of activity and let stress creep back into our lives …. So remember, take some steps to bring a little vacation magic into your daily life!