Dear Why Team member,
I hope this week’s message finds you well and encouraged to explore a powerful path to greater progress in life.
Clearly a powerful ‘Why question’ to ask is ‘Why do I do what I do?’.
At this writing, I just boarded a plane to Chicago. I enjoy being observant and noticed several grumpy passengers. I noticed how some were so quick to sigh from the mildest inconvenience. How unconscious so many of us have become of the incredible lives we are so privileged to live. We’re on an airplane, not a stagecoach, and we’ll be there in an hour, not two days :-)
I can think of no powerful a practice than that of gratitude. It is difficult to be charitable of spirit when we are focused on lack. There were those on the plane with an understanding smile and those who had an unconscious uncomfortable scowl. But best for me to put myself to the test - how am I carrying myself?
How am I behaving and why?
In addition to a ‘present practice’, and a ‘gratitude practice’, let’s include a ‘more self-awareness practice’. When I am invited into a coaching scenario, I begin to pay more attention to the words and actions spoken and expressed - our little sayings say a lot about our world view - and have a profound impact on the quality of our life experience.
I was once in line at a theme park behind a woman with a bandage on her head, I asked what happened and she simply said, I hit my head on a wall. It was a long line and about 20 minutes later she literally said out of frustration, “this line is taking so long I could hit my head on a wall”. I said to her, is that something you often say? She said yes, why do you ask? I just pointed to her head and she was flabbergasted, she had never connected her common comment to what had come literally to fruition;
Our words have power!
If you catch yourself sighing, ask why? Has your comfort been compromised? Some experts believe comfort is killing us. Isn’t that ironic?, hundreds of years of hard work to make life better only to find out comfort became too good, too contented and downright boring for many.
I love the saying that ships are safe in the harbor but that’s not what they were built for.
Tony Robbins pointed out how our primary problem is believing we shouldn’t have any problems.
How about we invite more challenges into our life to become stronger and more capable in our life?!
Why sigh when you can choose to smile in the face of adversity?
I know a young lady, age 12, who just started running Cross Country. After only her second race ever I asked what she thought about the hills - they’re hard she responded! I said, I’ve got a trick for you if you want to hear it. She turned to look at me: ‘what is it?’ You see, she’s particularly competitive and was excited to learn something that would give her an advantage. Knowing she has just the personality and gumption to do it, I said, In your next race, when you come upon a hill, just say out loud: “I Love Hills!”
A week later, her mother told me she had knocked a full minute off her time, coming in 3rd for her school. It’s pretty cool for a 7th grader to run varsity. You should have seen the smile on her face when she told me the story of her proclaiming out loud:
“I LOVE HILLS!” and finding the strength to pass the girl in front of her who hearing her say that, looked at her like she was crazy.
Is it crazy or wise to hack the hills of life with enthusiasm? You get to decide your attitude no matter the situation. Can you say out loud: “I Love Hills”!!? And if not, why not?!!
I have no doubt this young lady has not only gained an advantage in Cross Country but also in life.
How about we choose more challenge AND choose a better attitude, to make the inconveniences of life a non-event?! Weight training for example, makes the daily activities of lifting anything a little easier - same with the mind, lift more heavy stuff and we’ll stop sweating the small stuff.
This week, consider not just an acceptance of the hills in life but a love of them. Proclaim AMOR FATI, latin for Love of Fate, again, not just an acceptance of fate, but a love of it. Life will certainly give us hills - but do they happen to us or are they happening for us? How about we decide?!!
When we get after life, it’s a lot more fun and it feels a lot less like life is coming after us.
Sign up for something difficult, maybe literally a tall hill to hike, then proclaim when you’re on it: I LOVE HILLS! and see if you don’t experience a shift in perspective that can significantly improve your life.
Make it a great ‘I LOVE HILLS’ week!
Steve Luckenbach