Originally posted on Facebook HERE
Dawn of a new day. I can’t believe it’s almost August. Every day brings us unlimited possibilities, but how many do we really consider? Last year I was in the middle of a job change and it was so insanely busy at work I felt like I kinda “missed” the entire summer. So, I swore to myself I would do what I could to make sure I would take full advantage of this Summer. We have trails all around us, and country roads that are great for biking. We have a basketball court on our property. There are bands playing all over the place that I’d love to go see. As August approaches, I’m realizing – I haven’t biked at all. I haven’t really just gone out and shot buckets at all (which I love to do, too – and I know it’s a great activity for me on many levels). I haven’t gone to see any bands – even some fantastic shows that have been available here in Wisconsin this year – missed them all so far. Why?… because I haven’t been taking advantage of the inherent freedom we have to do whatever we want to with our time. I have a certain routine, and each day I tend to just follow that routine, somewhat blindly. Monday through Saturday is work. Sunday is off. Band practice Wednesday nights. Workouts Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. Yoga Saturday mornings. Every week… so, when I get up am I really considering all my options? We leave a lot of great possibilities on the table by not even considering them at all. It’s always easier to stick with what you know, but is that always the best choice? The only way to grow is to try new things. New things can be scary, and they don’t always work out, either. So, I’m going to really make an effort to try to utilize what I have left of Summer, and really – my life as well – and periodically step outside the box a bit. Maybe that’s something simple like shooting buckets after dinner instead of just heading to the TV. Maybe it’s more complicated – like taking a quick weekend getaway to an Airbnb, or trying another three week vacation like I was doing a few years back when I was writing books (I’ve been considering doing this to record a solo album for years, in a similar fashion to what I did to focus on writing). Maybe it’s an idea I haven’t even thought of yet because I’ve been so grounded in my routine. Funny how sometimes when an idea pops in your head to try something new it can get sabotaged right out of the gate, too. By your own mind. All the reasons you can’t do it will come rushing in. “No time for that”… “I can’t spend that much on that”… “My (spouse, work, family, insert whatever here) won’t like this idea at all”… and so we do what humans do. Stick with what we know. What we know was new to us at one time, though. And what we know increases as we add new experiences in, too. We’ve got a great day planned ahead for today, because it’s our annual supercoolfunday with the grandkids. A tradition started ten years ago now?… not sure. I look forward to some new experiences today, this summer, and the rest of my life. Be open to new things. Sometimes the best experiences in life are found just outside our comfort zones 😎
