The Outdoors Are the Way In

And internal peace is the greatest gift to yourself and to others. 

My outdoor hobbies have evolved over the last decade or so.  I used to head out on the bike for training rides focused on hitting target heart rates and cadences.  Feeling the need to compete for nothing more than perhaps a gift certificate to a bike shop and a pair of gloves.  Same goes for fishing and hunting.  I was always looking for the end result, the big prize, catching fish or bagging a big buck.  Perhaps it was maturity that comes with age or the recognition that my mindset needed a big change.  I wanted to feel more relaxed, I wanted to be more communicative, and I wanted to be more positive in life. 

I began to realize that my anxiousness was being bottled up as negative energy which greatly affected my mood and relationships.    Mountain biking became my release for this energy.  Juggling all of life’s responsibilities often clouded my thoughts and thinking not allowing me to fully recognize that my thoughts controlled my emotions.  Fly fishing was the stillness I needed.  Standing on the water, intensely focused on a section of the creek, the sound of the water, the warmth of the sun on my back, the coldness of the water flowing by.  It was fly fishing that allowed me to slow down and process my thoughts and emotions. 

Overtime, and I mean years, I feel like I was able to change inside and out.  I changed my way of thinking to be more optimistic and in turn my emotional reactions followed. 

So here are my 3 big takeaways about how I worked towards this:

1.  Be present.  I will wholeheartedly admit fly fishing and the stillness of the outdoors allowed me to slow down and reflect on my feelings and emotions.  Once I became present with myself, I could become present with others.

2. Embrace struggle.  The realization that nothing in life is easy and you are not ever going to be perfect but are responsible for how you react to the imperfections.  It was by embracing struggle that I learned to enjoy self-improvement.  And the journey of self-improvement is called growth.  Growth never ends…embrace the struggle.

3. Responsibility.  Accept the fact that you are responsible for everything you do.  The acceptance of responsibility is a step towards feeling in control of your life.

For the record, I am still working on myself just like everyone else.  Like a great hike or an awesome bike ride…the journey is the most important part and I call this process personal rewilding.

Thanks for following along.