One Balanced Life

So I tried…I really did…sorta…I think in terms of discipline I will just have to keep practicing.

I am so ready for this week’s challenge for Back to the Basics Boot Camp: Week Three. Adventure. Sigh. A little bit more comfortable for me.

While last week was sorely needed this theme is so appropriate. In times of transition, one does need to play, mix it up, to try new things, and laugh a lot. I’ve written a lot over the years about adventure and “doing things different” and am always amazed but what can happen when people really embrace the idea. When we “do it different” we actually change brain chemistry and the end result is we change the way we see the world. When I talk about this concept with clients big ideas usually come up like: renting a convertible and driving up a coast, taking a solo trip, starting a business, or moving to a foreign country. While those things are of course important I often give a gentle nudge to think a little smaller too - a picnic with kids on the living room floor, a couple of hours alone in a resturant, driving home a different way, taking a class in something you’ve always wanted to but were scared to try (my disciplined sister is taking an African Dance Class).  I’ve also had clients and a friend recently who started sleeping with their heads at the other end of the bed. It doesn’t have to be huge. Little adventures can bring about as much change and joy as big ones.

Reflect on your day and what you could do to mix it up. While transition is unsettling sometimes doing things differently can help you gain clarity around the direction you need to head in or how you need to be in the world. Embracing the ideas of playing with the possibilities and having an attitude of adventure can bring clarity, focus, and intense joy.

As I write this I am almost giddy…I am heading into a much-needed weekend away…sans kids. And the funny part is my girlfriend and I have no idea where we are going. Just heading north knowing it will involve running, vision boarding, fishing, eating good food, and laughing. Sometimes it is freeing to not know where one is heading. That is the spirit of doing it different - to delight in where you end up - as one usually ends up exactly where they are supposed to be.