Wintering Well #11
Sweet! Yes, it is raining and there is more rain in the forecast but so is spring, so for those of you who have journeyed with us thus far, congrats and a few closing thoughts.
Wintering Well was an attempt to help us with our daily nano-habits (I made that up, but you get it right?) because, drum roll please… our habits define us. What we actually do, says way more about who we are and what we are made of, than do our words. This is not a self-help forum but hopefully a call to action, for small meaningful change.
One closing thought, two concepts that merge into one final idea.
Let’s go.
The thought occurred to me this past weekend while snowshoeing with my dog, in a world of unlimited choices, “Why is it so hard to choose?”. I’m looking at peak after peak of untouched snow just beckoning me and any way I choose means that I will have lost the chance at all the other paths. I was looking for the perfect route back to the trail-head and wanted off the beaten path. This produced a predictable paralysis and kept me snowshoeing on an already tracked trail for way to long, until I made the move straight up a hill and into the woods. Yep, that was a good decision. Was it the best choice of routes back to the car? I’ll never know. Heck, it was good enough. I followed my instincts of which direction would lead me back to the trail-head, and eventually I found my way back. The point being, I knew the basic direction I needed to go and kept going.
Cruising on untouched snow is a joy. But cruising on untouched snow in a particular direction, or trajectory, is even more satisfying and along the way I gained momentum. Momentum is a good thing. Movement in a particular direction, with the felled logs, rocks, dense woods and other detours undoubtedly added some steps to the project. But what is important to note, is that the route doesn’t always matter. Sure, a best route back existed. But the one I chose did the trick and was a greater joy for me.
All because I had trajectory and momentum.
How much of our lives are consumed with trying to get it just right? How often do we forget that the trajectory of our lives is what matters and that most of our daily decisions can be good enough and get us to where we are going? When approaching our health how long will we look for the perfect diet, the perfect workout, the perfect stretching routine? What if we just decide and move that way, and keep moving that way, and keep moving that way some more, gaining momentum along the way. Will there be detours? Yep. So! Make only the necessary tweaks, keep your momentum and don’t forget your trajectory, where your path is taking you.
Sometimes we get bogged down in the quest for the “best” and miss a ton of what is simply good enough. Embrace these small, simple changes outlined over the last 10 weeks, and act. This new trajectory will produce momentum.
Trajectory and momentum are your knew best friends. Use them wisely.
So put on the snowshoes of life and get moving toward something.
Don’t get bogged down in the details. Decide and go.
See you in the spring (next week).
Cheers
ks