The Wayfarer Coach

What adventures lurk in your backyard?

CHECK THIS OUT: This Utah “pando tree” is between 16,000-80,000 years old, has sprouted more than 47,000+ clone shoots (they’re similar to aspen trees), and covers 98 acres! 😱

Who doesn’t love learning about the natural wonders of this amazing garden we call Earth?

Often they leave us mystified and in awe of the forces that came to shape them.

Adventuring among these examples of nature’s limitless creativity expands our minds, stimulates our natural curiosity, and inspires us to imagine beyond our current horizons. This is freedom.

What are YOUR favorite natural wonders that you have visited?

The world’s oldest tree? Genetic analysis traces evolution of iconic Pando forest A vast colony of aspen clones could hold clues about how ancient organisms protect their genomes from harmful mutations.

Looks where my adventure is taking me!! 😱. I LOVE the gorgeous landscapes we have been gifted in this garden we call Earth!

I VOTED! Hand delivered my vote to the ballot box.

More birthday fun…

I know there are FAR too many (bad) photos of it out there on the internet; and we really do fixate on it WAYYY too much IMHO… but…

FOOD is such a beautiful and amazing way to celebrate and connect with others…

Birthdays + Food + PEOPLE = SPECIAL DAY OF GOODNESS

Ever wonder how you’re supposed to know the difference between challenging yourself and knowing when to stop and turnaround?

Tip #1: Never let EXPECTATIONS run the show! Operate from your COMMITMENTS instead.

Expectations are like dreams; they are formed around what you desire to have happen. They are often formed without regard to conditions or other factors.

Commitments are rooted in what you value. Let them drive the action!

I expected to reach the top of the mountain. But, due to altitutde sickness and a snow squall, my commitment to my health and safety took over!

Tackled Colorado’s highest peak but didn’t QUITE make it to the peak… What happened after that made it worth it all!

Mount Elbert rises 14,440 feet (4,400 meters) about a 2.5-hour drive from Denver. I drove out the evening before and found a LOVELY campsite next to a beautiful creek.

The 10-mile trail to the peak of Mt. Elbert climbs more than 4,500 feet to the peak. I’m still nursing some problems with my foot, but the climb went well. Then, around 13,000 feet (3,900 meters) I began to feel the SQUEEZE in my head.

My mouth began to salivate. I felt nauseous: Altitude sickness.

Still, I thought I could make it.

I was only about 500 feet (150 meters) below the peak when I rounded a corner and came face to face with a snow storm! YIKES.

I decided to abort and head back down. BUMMER.

On my way down, I caught up with a 10-year-old boy and his Dad heading down whom I had passed on my way up.They asked if I had made it. I said no. They admitted they hadn’t either.

The little boy looked so sad; like he was going to cry. He was so disappointed not to have made the peak.

So I said to him: “Do you know what outdoor people who are really really smart and really really wise know? They know the right time to stop and turn around. They know that surviving today means you have another opportunity to try again another day!”

HIS FACE LIT UP LIKE the SUN! He looked at his Dad, and he said, “My Dad is one of those kind of people!”

It was then I knew the incomplete climb was worth it!

Sometimes I need to just enjoy what’s going on around me a moment and take a break from worrying about what’s coming next…

What about you?

WANNA GAIN MORE CONFIDENCE MAKING DECISIONS IN UNFAMILIAR ENVIRONMENTS?

Tip #2: Put yourself in unfamiliar environments! Also expose yourself to new situations and unfamiliar people!

Start small:

Take a different route to get somewhere like your job, or the grocery store. It DOESN’T MATTER if it’s longer or inefficient. You are practicing EXPANDING your world.

Go take part in an activity that piques your curiosity, but you’re nervous about doing!

If you’re a protestant, attend a catholic service, or vice versa… or go to a synagogue or mosque. Just walk inside and see what’s there!

If you’re the quiet and independent type, go somewhere where there are TONS of people. And if you LOVE being around people, go spend some time alone.

FLEX ANOTHER MUSCLE!

Republican? Hang out with some Democrats! Democrat? Go mingle with Republicans!

SHAKE THINGS UP!

Repetiation can dull our thinking abilities and distort how we see the rest of the world (Some repetition is good when used as a routine in support of positive behavior). We can become mesmerized into an ever-smaller space and we become less adaptive and more fearful of the unfamiliar.

You don’t have to like everything you experience… but try to find something interesting or useful in the experience.

BE EXTRA-ORDINARY (outside of or beyond the ordinary).

I’m curious to hear from some of you about your experiences practicing stepping outside of your familiar environments…

LEARNING TO MOVE ABOUT WITH GREATER CONFIDENCE IN UNFAMILIAR SITUATIONS EXPANDS THE WORLD YOU CAN PLAY IN! IT CREATES MORE FREEDOM!

Remember the observation I suggested around escalators, elevators, and doorways? These are DECISION-MAKING MOMENTS. These are moments when we move from one environment to another.

In such moments many experience:
· Indecision
· Fear
· Insecurity
· Anxiety

These experiences hinder us from freedom. When we allow ourselves to withdraw, hold back, or be stopped in these moments, our world becomes smaller. Indecision, fear, insecurity, and anxiety decide FOR US how our future will be. STOP IT!

YOU DON’T HAVE TO GIVE IN TO THOSE NEGATIVE FEELINGS.

Welcome the unsettling experience!

Our emotions are intended to inform. They’re intended to alert us that a shift in mindset may be needed. They are intended to let us know how close we are to our desired experience.

**TIP: Begin to take note of how YOU behave around movement into unfamiliar situations. Begin to proceed with BOLDNESS. Be willing to MAKE MISTAKES!

When you get to the end of the escalator, DON’T STOP! Go forward and choose a direction, correct or not. When you enter a doorway, ENTER WITH BOLDNESS. Don’t worry whether you’re in the right place; you are for that moment!

Most mistakes can easily be corrected. And, if it wasn’t for your EXPECTATION of doing things right, you wouldn’t view it as a mistake in the first place. Call it EXPLORING.

This is about PRACTICE.

Take on a child-like mindset. Kids don’t worry about whether they’re going the right way. They can just turn around when it’s needed. Kids don’t worry about falling down, they just do… SURE maybe they cry, that’s allowed, but they get back up and move on!

Children are exploring the world and it’s constantly expanding for them… until they learn to fear things that are unfamiliar and new.

RETURN TO A CHILD-LIKE MIND AND WATCH YOUR FREEDOM EXPAND

It may seem funny talking about FEELING THWARTED!

Let me tell you, I’ve had several people connect with me offline about this and many relate to this experience.

FEELING STOPPED!

Feeling as though the PROBABILITY of achieving what you desire is in opposition to the POSSIBILITY you once believed in.

When we allow probability to dictate our actions then our world begins to shrink. Less seems possible.

Freedom lies in the direction of what is POSSIBLE.

I help my clients get connected to their POSSIBILITY so they are focused on what matters most. So they are not so easily THWARTED by what the world throws their way.

If this resonates with you or someone you know. Connect with me.

Feeling thwarted can be a downer. It can lead to a poor mindset that only invites more of being thwarted.

WANNA GET OUT OF THAT CYCLE?

Tip #1: Practice distinguishing between your STORY about what is happening and what is actually happening.

Often we create a mental narrative ABOUT our feeling thwarted.

I felt depressed that my age was leading to problems with walking… But I made this up. There is no evidence to suggest that I can’t continue walking healthily for many years to come!

What is actually happening?

Well, it turns out I found some physiotherapists (both in the US and in Germany) who helped me understand that I was suffering pain in my feet and hips originating from a flat right foot and imbalanced hip strength. That’s it.

That’s what’s happening.

Everything else is MADE UP!

Our minds can be funny! In the search for meaning we often create narratives that do not serve us but seem very plausible.

Practicing this ability is essential to experiencing more freedom in our lives and easily finding solutions.

Stay tuned for Tip #2 tomorrow!