Sometimes after the alarm goes off my mind churns, ruminating on thoughts. I slowly procure my coffee and lounge for just a few minutes reading a book. There’s an edge of nervousness as time stretches out. Pressure is mounting, all before breakfast! Just like readying ourselves for a trip, how we begin our day matters.
Beagle Channel
There’s opportunity every day to begin again. Where we travel throughout twenty-four hours is full of possibility. The sun rises. The air is fresh. Light spreads across the horizon. A plane touches down in a different place and perspective has changed.
Our mindset and physical health make the difference between a “good” or “bad” day, a happy or disappointing journey. Make sense?
Admittedly staying positive every second evokes fatigue. It’s not easy to always “be on your game”. The good news is that you don’t have to be “On” twenty-four-seven to enjoy an amazing day, one unforgettable outing at a time.
Like planning an itinerary, there are steps you can take to assure that you show up as you want, aware of yourself, your relationships and what matters most.
Let’s explore how we might most happily launch our journey day after day and what’s in our bag!
Determine the Essential
On expeditions to remote destinations (think Antartica and the southern Chilean fjords of Patagonia) there is some travel in smaller planes which means weight restrictions. Items must be culled, only the essential and little more.
Similarly, how we experience each day depends upon clarity of an intention versus too much in the bag.
Make your daily, weekly, and even monthly list and then decide the priorities. Step back and consider how you want to feel at the day’s end. What is driving your action? Identify the most important instead of allowing smaller (easier) tasks to garner your attention.
What do you want? Really give yourself the gift of answering this question.
Lush Anticipation
Even if you don’t jump out of bed every morning how might we look forward to the day? Take a moment and notice what in your calendar gives you happy anticipation. A vacation in the calendar is a great way to lift spirits.
Excitement almost always builds before travel. You’ve purchased air tickets for a trip in six months. Weeks go by and suddenly you’re a month away from departure. What will crossing the Drake’s Passage be like? What will life be like on an Expedition Ship (answer; amazing)? What will it be like surrounded by so much ice, so far away?
To anticipate our day we might imagine it, feeling well and our energy easily flowing to the tasks and events ahead. Wow- what will today’s journey be like?
Not there yet? OK. I get it. Sometimes the Winter Blues can hang around even when the sun shines, even when supposedly you have everything. Be gentle with yourself. Throw on some music and dance. Call a friend. Tend to your needs first so that responsibilities won’t feel like a burden and you can gain perspective on what’s true and what’s in your head. Smile.
A Quiet Gift to Yourself: Rest
Even the most social beings need downtime. When traveling we often do too much. FOMO is huge. Yet self-care is super important on and off the road. When we allow ourselves to rest, we “see” that much more, visit fully, and live in possibility. Although counter-intuitive to slow down, it’s during the moments of quiet that we uncover and sit in our best selves the most.
Make sure to begin and end your day with serene moments. No watching TV or perusing your phone right before bedtime or first thing in the morning. Turning off our digital lives sounds so easy; however we know it’s not! In the morning hold off looking at emails or texts. Do whatever you like to “do” to relax and re-charge, morning and night.
“Rested, we are ready for the world but not held hostage by it, rested we care again for the right things and the right people in the right way. In rest we establish the goals that make us more generous, more courageous, more of an invitation, someone we want to remember, and someone others would want to remember, too.” – David Whyte, Consolations
As we travel our daily lives lets enjoy the pauses with presence of where we are and who we’re becoming one day at a time, one easy sojourn, from here to there, under the sun and moon, the blue skies and starry nights.
Connect with me to explore your Launch towards Big or Small, in Travel and always On The Spirit Road.
