Multiple Option Thinking
Dear friend,
Last week after I wrote you from Hayden Lake, I hiked the Mickinnick Trail. It's a 3.5 mile one-way treacherous endeavor that rises more than 2000ft on the way to the top. It was strenuous. Also it felt like it took forever, thought it was only 1 hour and 30 minutes to the peak. No joke at 1 hour and 25 minutes I considered turning around, because I thought it would never end.
The sun was ablaze and a breeze was blowing, but with that kind of persistent elevation every next step seemed more difficult. And without much hope. What was deceptive about it was that I thought I got to the peak and the trail kept going. It went inland, which felt like I was now walking past the peak. I had to wrestle with my mind to continue on.
Isn't all of life just wrestling with our minds, particularly when we want to stop or turn back? Granted my body was sending my mind signals like "hey we're tired and kind of in pain, can we stop this now?" Thankfully I continued on and got the payoff. It was a big flat boulder I could sit on and look out over Lake Pend Oreille. It was rather stunning.
I honestly didn't go on the hike for the peak. I just wanted to be in nature and enjoy the beauty of that area. It was a fabulous trail with all kinds of trees, terrain and wildflowers. I think around the hour mark I shifted from being grateful for being in nature to wanting to reach the peak. It was subtle, but altered my experience.
FOCUS
I got faked out. I thought I was at the top and the trail kept going. The obvious take is that when things don't go like we think they are going to, we get frustrated. Sure. However, it also impacted my view. Same trail, not as pretty. It impacted my stamina. Every step felt harder. My emotions careened from delight to disappointment, enjoyment to expectation.
We both know where we focus gets magnified. If it's positive, the periphery is also positive and the negative diminishes. Same, same for the negative. It's not just the thing we attach our attention to, it's the surrounding elements that mutate as well. We miss that. I miss that. I think "why is this trail getting longer and harder" as if it's a reflection of the trail. It's not. It's the adjacent reality to my focus on the peak, that I didn't realize.
MINDSHIFT
What if this week you considered an area of frustration in your life? Look to see if it might be a peripheral effect, from a misappropriated focus on something else.
THOUGHTS ON THOUGHTS
What are you incredibly excited about? Answering that one question alone, reshapes the world we live in. I'm reading a book "The Life-Changing Art of Self-Brain Surgery." It's a literal brain surgeon talking about the physical alteration our brains go through by consciously directing our thoughts. The proposition is that we're both the patient and the surgeon. Using the latest MRI technology they have all kinds of data on how fast new neuro-pathways are formed and old ones die.
It's a captivating concept which has been around forever - change your thoughts, change your life. As I've been in this book, I've attempted to be more aware of my own thoughts. I've already practiced this for some time. But I'm attempting to be more granular while also expanding my purview of the multiple options of thoughts available. We truly live a "pick-your-own-story" reality.
MINDSHIFT
What if this week you decided to pause around a situation you already have a determined perspective? Give yourself two other different perspectives and imagine what the new results will be.
BOTH SIDES +
My beautiful blonde bride and I have had numerous discussions over time about one of us being "right" and one of us being "wrong." I'm generally opposed to such binary conclusions because life isn't either or. This practice of looking at our thoughts - feeling all the feelings it produces - and then give ourselves the chance to think the exact opposite thought. Or decide to refocus on a different aspect to see what enlarges and what diminishes.
If we let ourselves entertain both sides of a thought, plus an alternative, we will be the most joyful, fulfilled, at peace people.
Once I made it to the peak and the stunning view captured my attention, all my frustration dissipated. Once again I was focusing on nature and the real reason I started hiking in the first place. I wonder where you need to refocus? I wonder if your neuro-pathway is so engrained in one way of thinking that you are missing out on the beautiful trail right in front of you? I'm determined to cultivate thinking that is grounded in truth, fueled with optimism and nurtured through imagination. How about you?
SHIFTING
I hope this week you are able to recognize where your focus is serving you or hindering you. And the peripheral items that pop up give you an indication on where to shift. Think about your thinking and allow yourself multiple options. #ShiftAway
