TIME OUT!
Hello STRU Friends!
How are you? Like, literally. Stop and think about the question. Deeply. More introspection. Lets try again.
So, How are you?
Well, I ask myself that question often and check in with myself frequently. And, when i’m down or hard on myself and not feeling my 100% best self….I do something about it.
This past week required an adult time out. A time for me to reflect, to grow. To think. And, ultimately I recognized extreme appreciation and recognized how grateful I am, and therefore this “time out” worked brilliantly.
I have a ton of moving parts and projects and while they are all moving ahead at warp speed, its not quite fast enough for me and I felt myself feeling “in between” or caught “waiting”. It is a process. I get that. I’ve done it before and I will do it again.
But, that’s the funny thing about emotions -- they can be illogical and go against our better judgement and intellect.
I’ve also been in a LOT of pain with my herniated disc and that is just no fun and been playing mind tricks on me causing me to worry about limiting my future activities and adventures (boo!).
So, I got on a plane excited for time alone, fresh air, and the opportunity to think, meditate, work on myself and get back to center. I intended to stay with my good friend, lets call him Lion Josh (a featured guest on our Podcast in his Bel Air home (Los Angeles) but circumstances and a bright idea re-routed me for 2 days (which I then extended to 3 days) to Palm Springs.
That alone was empowering.
Perhaps you can do it quickly and easily -- change plans on the fly and extend. While I can now (and appreciate it very much), that was NOT the case even just 24 months ago as a married man. So, I felt empowered and exercised that muscle.
The reason I stayed longer was magnificent. Joshua Tree National Park. Fellow STRU paying members @MattM and @ZackS get a huge shout out and thanks for their thoughtful (and timely) suggestion. IT WAS MIND BLOWING AMAZING. OUT OF THIS WORLD. PICTURES DO NOT DO IT JUSTICE. JUST GO. I especially enjoyed hiking fast- viewing myself as a healing athlete and doing “rehab” on my leg (and mind) as I hiked 11 miles day one and about 8 day two. I was there for sunrise both mornings and was energized, inspired, invigorated. Truly remarkable.
And, after thoroughly enjoying my total quiet time alone hiking for days, I made it to LA and have spent the last few days enjoying my friendships and reuniting with 3 fine lads, all Delta Chi fraternity brothers of mine from Cornell. One is an entrepreneur and divorced father of three (very similar circumstances to my situation), another is happily married father of three who is a successful Hollywood producer, and the last frat bro is also happily married father of 3 who is running for State Assemblyman in Huntington Beach.
And, so we grilled. And chilled. And laughed. A lot. We feasted. We rejoiced. We laughed some more.
Today, my final day in LA before flying home on the redeye, we are excited for a day hike in the Malibu canyons down to Zuma beach with a fresh fish luncheon.
So why share all this with you? Because I can, and want to. I know we all hit rough days. Weeks. Spots. Me too. I’m not immune. But, what I do that is perhaps different - and hopefully helpful to you at some point in time - is I recognize it and do something about it.
Planning this unplanned trip filled with flexibility and a sense of adventure and then surrounded by old friends has been lifegiving. I feel SO much different about myself, my life, my circumstances. It worked. Perfectly.
I am (for now) feeling great about myself and confident I am working towards my best self.
Do the work. Don’t be shy. Don’t pretend. And, then fix it.
Sounds simple, right? So, try it!
Have a great week friends.
How are you? Like, literally. Stop and think about the question. Deeply. More introspection. Lets try again.
So, How are you?
Well, I ask myself that question often and check in with myself frequently. And, when i’m down or hard on myself and not feeling my 100% best self….I do something about it.
This past week required an adult time out. A time for me to reflect, to grow. To think. And, ultimately I recognized extreme appreciation and recognized how grateful I am, and therefore this “time out” worked brilliantly.
I have a ton of moving parts and projects and while they are all moving ahead at warp speed, its not quite fast enough for me and I felt myself feeling “in between” or caught “waiting”. It is a process. I get that. I’ve done it before and I will do it again.
But, that’s the funny thing about emotions -- they can be illogical and go against our better judgement and intellect.
I’ve also been in a LOT of pain with my herniated disc and that is just no fun and been playing mind tricks on me causing me to worry about limiting my future activities and adventures (boo!).
So, I got on a plane excited for time alone, fresh air, and the opportunity to think, meditate, work on myself and get back to center. I intended to stay with my good friend, lets call him Lion Josh (a featured guest on our Podcast in his Bel Air home (Los Angeles) but circumstances and a bright idea re-routed me for 2 days (which I then extended to 3 days) to Palm Springs.
That alone was empowering.
Perhaps you can do it quickly and easily -- change plans on the fly and extend. While I can now (and appreciate it very much), that was NOT the case even just 24 months ago as a married man. So, I felt empowered and exercised that muscle.
The reason I stayed longer was magnificent. Joshua Tree National Park. Fellow STRU paying members @MattM and @ZackS get a huge shout out and thanks for their thoughtful (and timely) suggestion. IT WAS MIND BLOWING AMAZING. OUT OF THIS WORLD. PICTURES DO NOT DO IT JUSTICE. JUST GO. I especially enjoyed hiking fast- viewing myself as a healing athlete and doing “rehab” on my leg (and mind) as I hiked 11 miles day one and about 8 day two. I was there for sunrise both mornings and was energized, inspired, invigorated. Truly remarkable.
And, after thoroughly enjoying my total quiet time alone hiking for days, I made it to LA and have spent the last few days enjoying my friendships and reuniting with 3 fine lads, all Delta Chi fraternity brothers of mine from Cornell. One is an entrepreneur and divorced father of three (very similar circumstances to my situation), another is happily married father of three who is a successful Hollywood producer, and the last frat bro is also happily married father of 3 who is running for State Assemblyman in Huntington Beach.
And, so we grilled. And chilled. And laughed. A lot. We feasted. We rejoiced. We laughed some more.
Today, my final day in LA before flying home on the redeye, we are excited for a day hike in the Malibu canyons down to Zuma beach with a fresh fish luncheon.
So why share all this with you? Because I can, and want to. I know we all hit rough days. Weeks. Spots. Me too. I’m not immune. But, what I do that is perhaps different - and hopefully helpful to you at some point in time - is I recognize it and do something about it.
Planning this unplanned trip filled with flexibility and a sense of adventure and then surrounded by old friends has been lifegiving. I feel SO much different about myself, my life, my circumstances. It worked. Perfectly.
I am (for now) feeling great about myself and confident I am working towards my best self.
Do the work. Don’t be shy. Don’t pretend. And, then fix it.
Sounds simple, right? So, try it!
Have a great week friends.
