Category Archives: Exploration

How old will you be when you get good at

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“How old will you be when you get good at_________?”

—Barbara Waxman, founder of The Odyssey Group

Image from Unsplash by CDC

Today’s quote is a fill-in-the-blank question without a list of possible answers. It is intended to stretch you in a wide variety of directions should you choose to pause your life to do some exploration.

As the new year begins, it is common for many of us to make resolutions and promises to ourselves and others about the goals and habits we want to pursue and realize.

What objectives are top of mind for you? What intentions lie below the surface that appear so lofty that you dare even considering them?

Unfortunately, many of us give up before we get good at most things. Next January we will likely do this exercise again, with the excuse that we are even older to begin such efforts!

EXERCISE:

Use your favorite search engine or AI App to research some of the world’s late bloomers and their stories where they started when they started and got good and great at many things.

How will you use their examples as an inspiration to start today to get good at (fill in the blank)?

 

My comfort in exploring and expressing new ideas

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“My comfort in exploring and expressing new ideas appears inversely proportional to my sense of stability.”

Arthur C. Brooks, American author, public speaker, and academic

Image from Unsplash by Hanson Lu

In virtually all sports, athletes do their best to begin and return to a stance of stability.

From these positions they can move powerfully and flexibly in any direction they choose. Because most sports move quickly, we don’t always recognize these rapid returns to regain their footing.

EXERCISE:

How does the concept of stability and coming up with new ideas relate to you in your personal and professional efforts?

Where does stability provide a strong foundation to explore and express new idea in your life?

Step out and explore the world beyond.

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Step out and explore the world beyond.

—Calm App Reflection

 Image from Unsplash by Iswanto Ari

If you are an extrovert, today’s quote might be your motto. You probably love getting out there, meeting new people, and taking it all in.

If you fall on the introverted side of the personality spectrum, you most likely feel more comfortable closer to home with only modest levels of interaction. Getting out into the world consumes your energy, and you often want to remain plugged into your own home charging station.

What if we imagined ourselves as a cell phone, knowing that unplugging is essential to tapping into its full capabilities?

Where and how would stepping out expand your horizons and enrich your life?

You can always return home to recharge after your adventures!

EXERCISE:

When and where have you been reluctant to step out into the world beyond?

Where would the risk be worth the reward?

To live only for some future goal is shallow

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“To live only for some future goal is shallow. It’s the sides of the mountain which sustains life, not the top.”

—Robert Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Image from Unsplash by Charlie Hammond

I’ve never climbed a mountain but I’ve learned through watching plenty of nature programs that very little lives at extreme heights.

For the tallest of the world’s mountains, climbers enter the “death zone” when they are over 8,000 meters above sea level. At this height, oxygen is about one third the concentration it is on the ground below.

When one examines more modestly sized mountains, we can readily see the tree line only goes so far before things shift to the cold frosty stuff.

EXERCISE:

How often do you take the time to fully explore and appreciate all the steps on your journey to the top? Where might stops along the way and even deciding not to climb all the way be the wisest approach to take?

“What small step can you take today that will put you on the path toward something wonderful?”

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“What small step can you take today that will put you on the path toward something wonderful?”

—James Clear, Author of Atomic Habits

Image from Unsplash by Hayley Murray

Each morning I take a three mile walk with friends from my neighborhood. Our time together usually involves discussing current events, our lives, and our various interests.

We unconsciously take the same 8/10ths of a mile circuit walking in a counter-clockwise direction.

Although we sometime comment on the state of our landscaping and repairs being made by our neighbors, the path we take is unremarkable, with the same inclines and curves we never seem to notice.

The other day one of our fearless leaders dragged the rest of us outside our development to visit a local park which provided a nice change of pace to the path we usually take.

EXERCISE:

Where in your life are you going in circles and not noticing anything particularly wonderful?

In what ways can you step off this path to investigate aspect of your world previously unexplored?

 

“You are the laboratory and every day is an experiment. Go and find what is new and unexpected.”

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“You are the laboratory and every day is an experiment. Go and find what is new and unexpected.”

—Joel Elkes, 20th Century father of neuropsychopharmacology

Image from Unsplash by NASA

How often do you feel bored? How have your daily habits and rituals caused you to feel stalled or stopped? Where have you entered a form of hibernation, penned up in your den, waiting for some better day to emerge?

In winter, many of us simply hunker down to wait out the cold, dark days. We often seek out comfort foods and warm blankets until the coast is clear to come out into the newness offered by mother nature’s unfolding of spring.

Imagine you had the opportunity to spend the winter months on the international space station where every moment counts. Instead of sleeping in, you would enter the laboratory of your days to conduct various experiments to unearth new possibilities and discoveries.

EXERCISE:

Where and how can you add more experimentation to your days? How can and will you use your precious time to discover something new and unexpected today?

Friday Review: Exploration

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FRIDAY REVIEW: EXPLORATION

What are your favorite topics to explore? When has exploration made a significant difference in your life? Here are a few exploration-related posts you may have missed.

 

“We all have the extraordinary coded within us, waiting to be released.”

 

 

 

“Life is like a camera. Focus on what’s important, capture the good times, develop from the negatives, and if things don’t work out, take another shot.”

 

 

 

“Who looks outside dreams; who looks inside awakes.”

 

 

 

 

 

The Wonders We See Around Us

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“We carry within us the wonders we see around us.”

—Sir Thomas Browne, 17th Century English Polymath

What does it mean to you to live an extraordinary life? Where do travel and adventure fit into your plans?

Years ago, I picked up a copy of 1000 Places to See Before you Die, and realized I was woefully behind making even a modest dent in the list.

Today’s quote points to the wonderland that is always available to each of us without ever getting into a car, train, boat, or plane.

EXERCISE:

Consider exploring your own inner wonders of creativity, love, spirit, faith, wisdom, kindness, and inner peace.
What other areas could you explore as you view other wonders in the world around you?

Unmapped Country Within Us

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“There is a great deal of unmapped country within us.”

—George Elliot, pen name of Mary Anne Evans, Victorian-era British author

Image of an ancient map

ancient map for crossing the ocean, from Pinterest

Have you ever met a map-maker?

It’s a profession not likely to be in the top-ten career tracks at our universities!

If you were to meet one today, they would most likely be mapping the unchartered parts of our world, including the depths of the seas, or the planets and moons of our solar system and beyond.

What if all of us were actually map-makers at heart, somewhat untrained, but still able to explore and discover worlds within us?

What possible adventures and new or interesting territories might lie ahead if you put on your “explorer” hat?

EXERCISE:

What actions and efforts can you take to become your own Magellan, Columbus, or Captain Kirk to better map out your inner world?

How You Climb A Mountain

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“How you climb a mountain is more important than reaching the top.”

—Yvon Chouinard, American rock climber and founder of Patigonia

Image of climber facing a mountain

Image from Unsplash by Daniel Burka

Are you an explorer? How often do you venture out on a quest or journey, to scale life’s mountains?

What are the factors that inspire you to put on your hiking boots and venture outside your comfort zone, personally or professionally?

How critical or important is it to arrive and actually reach the summit? How much attention do you usually pay to your individual steps? How often do you take in the scenery and the people you meet along the way?

EXERCISE:

Examine your level of excitement, anticipation, inspiration, curiosity, and passion relative to the mountains you are climbing. How can you discover far more rich rewards through the way you climb the mountain, whether or not you reach the top?