Is this it?!

As communities go to isolation, i notice colleagues, friends and community members expressing,

“I’m lonely”

Our technology does not cure it. Perhaps it is a symptom.

Some ideas I am exploring:

1) More walks in nature and being in presence.

2) FaceTime

3) Noticing more that I didn’t. Birds, sounds, spring popping up.

4) Slowing down and enjoying the moment instead of past or present dreams

5) Zoom calls with colleagues. We are bringing children and pets to meetings.

6) Listening, Listening, Listening. Asking folks to share how they feel. When asked, I will share that too.

7) This Drift Worksheet is helpful for me (from CLG)

Sending love and connection to you. I am open to more.

As the world, our communities, and enterprises navigate the rapid change in the world, I am seeing myself and others stuck in a story…

The story of the past – what things “used to be like”.

Feeling loss over what things, money, life was like even 1 week ago.

I am imagining my life, my family, community and the world is like a car that has:

Front Window
Side Window
Rear Window

The rear window is the past, what things used to be like. It was beautiful at the time, and now it is gone.

Side windows is where I/family/community is today. The present.

Front Window, is the immediate future that we can see right now.

I am doing my best to see the facts/beauty of today and am looking at the immediate future that is materially different from the rear window and attempting to accept/embrace it now.

What beauty will be here that perhaps I missed in my previous view from even a day or 1 week ago?

My old Aussie Friend, used to use this term…”Panic Merchant”. Defined as a person who buys and sells panic in the marketplace with other humans.

You might know a panic merchant (I can be one at times no doubt). They get enraptured by the newest thing/cause/crisis/celebration, or whatever the social universe is positing about and quickly buys/sells the story without looking deeper.

Often times a panic merchant will both buy and sell panic at the same time with their communication. Hence, being a merchant.

I try my best to not believe everything I hear, read and observe in our media driven culture. I also try not to be a panic merchant by remaining in presence and staying aware of my amygdala’s power.

Caution, Yes! Panic and spreading it, no thank-you.

I used to do a lot of camping in a tent, in remote places, that were cold at night.

I recall, my feet and feeling the coldest at the very early part of the morning before the sun peaked out over the mountain. Sometimes, seconds felt like minutes. When will the sky start to get lighter so I can get warmer?

I wonder if we are at a moment just before dawn culturally and as a species, or if we are not even close to dawn – maybe midnight has not come yet? Uncertainty creates stress AND opportunity.

I’m looking towards opportunity and connection.

Happy New Year.

Still enjoying my role as a travel servant at AirTreks. The Coronavirus is interesting issue to handle for global travelers no doubt.

I am the board chair for the Wayfinding Academy. This continues to fun, challenging and so much to learn in trying to start a new college.

Nori.com is working on building a carbon marketplace to reverse climate change. Nori interviewed me briefly in late 2019 as we participated in there carbon sale.

Kids, Kids, Kids – coaching soccer, learning from my children, guiding my children. I am having so much fun, fun, fun.

Learning – I’ve been studying the 15 commitments of conscious leadership and getting deep into it. My understanding of this is it might be considered a modern framework for the yoga sutras

Yoga, Yoga, Yoga.

Walk and Talks, Walk and Talks, Walk and Talks.

The Crime Rate Perception Gap

Another example of the gap between cultural perceptions and reality.

I am no longer the CEO of AirTreks International, LLC. After 18 years of running the operational company for the AirTreks and BootsnAll brand, I have stepped away from day to day and am focusing on strategy as the Chairman.

I am working on building a strategic council for AirTreks/BootsnAll. Know someone that is super strategic, wants to disrupt the travel and education space and can is highly collaborative? – please contact me.

…continue to work with The Wayfinding Academy in an effort to disrupt higher education.

…continue to work on the Travel Access Project in an effort to get a GAP year on every Resume.

…continue to explore investing in companies and a few start-ups that align with my purpose and core values

…continue to be actively involved in my 3 kids day to day lives at school/home.

…continue to be highly involved/interact with people in the EO and YPO chapters in Oregon/Washington

…continue to practice meditation and movement in nature as much as possible.

I hope and wish that however you are investing your time in 2017, that it is worthwhile and provide you the joy that you seek.

Via Matthieu Ricard

1 – Don’t Worry, Be Happy
2 – Training for a Happy Life
3 – Find your Flame
4 – Happiness for All
5 – Be of Service

Full Article:
http://www.gq.com/story/happiest-man-in-the-world-matthieu-ricard

I don’t have many thoughts on this.

The past 6 of 7 days, I’ve had my 3 kids, who are 4 years old and under all on my own. Just getting the post up everyday felt good and to participate. I would like to have listened in and participated to the daily chats.

I read a few of the posts, they were interesting.

I injoyed committing and getting a blog post out every day for 7 days. Something that I haven’t done in a while (I’ve been blogging/writing online since 1998)

I’m glad that happened and happy to have participated on the small level that I did. I’m feeling the good vibes. Hope you are too.

Day 7: What are you taking with you from this Challenge?

I’m 42 years old when this post is being written. At this point in my life, I am rarely surprised at myself.

I know that I am capable of just about anything, just like every other human on this planet is.

So the last time I surprised myself, may have been in High School as Freshman. I joined the swim team during the winter season after playing Soccer in the Fall. I was a decent swimmer, but 50 and 100 yard speed was not my strength…endurance was in running and swimming.

I trained the entire season which was not nothing at an all boys school that excelled in almost every sport. Christmas break was 2 practices per day (3 hours in the morning, and 2 hours in the afternoon) every day. It was a challenge to train that much when most of my friends were not on this intense practice regiment.

For the last meet we did a significant taper. At my events in the 50 and 100 yard races I beat my speed times by a large margin. I remember being surprised at how fast I had gone that one day.

I don’t remember being surprised by much of anything after that. Even 9/11, I was not surprised by. I had travelled around the world and felt the growing dislike of USA, and knew that some folks were just not happy with them and were liable to do just about anything.

Day 6: Tell us about a time when you surprised yourself. via the Your Turn Challenge