Happy Labor Day to my friends in the US! I hope you are enjoying a day of rest and relaxation.
I just returned last week from an incredible family trip to Colorado. It was an opportunity to give a final nod to the laid back days of
summer and some quality family time before the busy school year begins.
It felt so good to just let everything go and be fully present with my family in the majesty of my new (albeit temporary) environment. I thought it would be a time to let my mind clear.
Little did I know how much I would learn about life and how it works…and from some 20-something mountain guys, no less.
Over the next few posts, I will share with you what they taught me during my week in the mountains.
These lessons apply to all areas of life, parenting, personal growth, and even business.
My hope is that these lessons speak to whatever part of you and your life needs to hear it.
LESSON #1: Don’t over-think the thing you want; just commit to it and do it
This first lesson came to me at the mountain fun park as I was trying to do a back flip on a bungee trampoline (seriously). As crazy as it might sound for a mid-life mom, I was intent on making this happen.
I watched as children as young as 4 effortlessly flip at tremendous heights, feet over head, again and again. I knew I HAD to do this.
Yet, my attempts were lame at best.
My legs were just nowhere near going over my head. Clearly my mid-life, bottom-heavy body had other ideas that did not match my intentions.
A bit embarrassed and ashamed, my time on the trampoline ended so off we went to explore some of the other activities.
By the end of the day, with the bungee back flip still on my mind, I knew I could not leave without this accomplishment.
With minutes to go before the park closed, I harnessed up and tried again. As I was getting my gear on, I told the operator my desire – that I wanted to do a back flip and how I was unsuccessful the first time I tried.
His immediate response was: “You were thinking about it too much”, as if he has heard this story a hundred times. Then he continued “Just let your head lead your body.”
I know he was speaking in a physical sense, but I got the deeper meaning here.
As I pondered what he was really saying to me, I realized I WAS over-thinking it. I was trying to figure out the mechanics of getting my feet over my head. Do I push off when my feet hit the trampoline and start the flip then? How far do I pull my knees into my chest? And so on…
What I learned is that none of these actions were required. I needed to forget about HOW to make it happen and just see the end result.
When I thought about leading with my head, as the young mountain man suggested, I took this to mean I should let my desire and commitment drive me. The desire, the commitment, when strong enough, can create the result. I needed to let my head (aka my desire) lead me to where I wanted to end up.
Well, the minute I realized I needed to stop thinking about it and just see myself doing it, guess what? Over I went!
It was simple, it was effortless, and it was fun!
Think about how this simple lesson might apply to your life.
* Do you over-think some of the things on your to-do list, when it would be simpler to just do them?
* Do you over-analyze how to deal with a parenting challenge, when instead you could just focus on how you want the situation to end up (and watch as the HOW takes care of itself)?
* Do you have a particular goal in life you want to achieve, but you aren’t getting too far because your questions are stopping you before you even get started?
Let me know how this lesson might apply in your life by posting your comments here or on my facebook page.
In my next post, I am going to share with you the second lesson I learned from another 20-something mountain guy, this time on a whitewater rafting trip on the Arkansas river.
