Episode #33 When you Hike, don't Forget to Trip
Whitney and my "getting to know you" phase included A LOT of hiking. I liked this because it's one of the areas of life that the deck is stacked in my favor :) As I was hiking along one day, doing my best to seem manly and fearless - yet compassionate, Whitney just started laughing. I wasn't sure why, so I asked. "You trip soooo much when you hike!!" Well, that was not EXACTLY the impression I was looking to make, but it made me smile nonetheless.
Years back I discovered that there were two kind of hikers - trippers and trail watchers. I learned a tough lesson about the dangers of being a trail watcher. Hiking with your head down and looking only a few feet in front of you may seem like the responsible way to do it, but there are three big problems.
1. It's easy to lose your way
2. It's miserable
3. You miss out on the most important part ...the world you're walking through.
As it seems is often the case, hiking lessons make powerful life lessons. After an immature decision to do a little head down hiking (a decision I still regret) I decided that I was going to be an eyes up hiker, and live an eyes up life. Sometimes it slows you down, sometimes it leads to an embarrassing stumble, but its the only way to stay on track, enjoy the tough times, and be present for your journey ...and as an amazing bonus, sometimes you trip and endear yourself to the love of your life!
Sometimes I try to convince myself that the best way through a busy season in life is to put my head down and grind. The trouble is ...ALL of life is a busy season and I want to LIVE it ...not "pass the time." In this episode, we'll dive into the importance of looking up from those "to do" lists and taking an approach that wins the LONG GAME!!