September Check In

Hey friend, it’s been a little while. Hope you've been well.

The last few weeks have been hectic with traveling and transitioning to full-time employment at the start-up, Gardyn, that I recently joined.

In the coming weeks, I’ll share more about this company, its product, and how it has changed my life for the better in 3 short months.

But today - I want to catch you up on the past few weeks.

You might remember reading about the 12-Hour Walk, a concept that I wrote about in a newsletter from last month.

In short, it’s an all-day event dreamed up by endurance athlete Colin O’Brady.

Available to anyone, The 12-Hour Walk involves exactly that - going outside and walking for 12 hours, without the use of technology.

You can take as many breaks as you want, the only rules are staying outside and off tech.

A few weeks ago, on Sunday August 28, I set out with no phone service. No music. And no podcasts. Just me, myself & my thoughts.

Over the course of 12 hours, I walked from Bethlehem to Easton, PA. Just over 30 miles.

Truth is, with that much time to think, I was half-expecting to experience some huge new realization or idea. But the opposite happened - the walk was far more of an integration of things I was already aware of & thinking about.

Most notably, the idea of engagement with life.

Specifically— Less Expectations, More Engagement

The Inspiration for This Lesson:

One of the best books I’ve read in the past few years was “Greenlights” by Matthew McConaughey. He tells some captivating stories and shares some legit life wisdom throughout the book, including:

“The sooner we become less impressed with our life, our accomplishments, our career, our relationships, the prospects in front of us—the sooner we become less impressed and more involved with these things—the sooner we get better at them. We must be more than just happy to be here.”

Less Impressed, More Involved.

I thought about this idea a lot during the walk and reflected on times when I avoided taking action in life because I was impressed and/or fearful (of failure).

For example, I faked an injury to get out of the most important game in my soccer career.

I was so impressed with our team's undefeated record that I did not want to let them down in our final game. So I pretended to be hurt and we lost 1-0. 

Too Impressed, Not Involved.

Engagement vs. Expectation:

I don't know about you, but when I'm engaged with life is when I'm happiest.

Engaged, meaning, feeling naturally curious and drawn to something, but also taking action towards those things. In that way, engagement requires initiative.

Taking initiative is no walk in the park. It's often scary, challenging, and uncomfortable. But it's nearly always worth it (in my experience).

Expectation, on the other hand, is widely considered "the thief of joy."

Just think about it... even if we meet our expectations, we may feel satisfied, but we rarely experience more than that. We cannot feel true excitement or joy when we expect those things to happen because we saw it coming. In a way, expectation limits our capacity to feel & experience.

If expectations are not met, though, disappointment ensues.

Obviously, disappointment is never fun, so I've really tried to lean into avoiding expectations. Letting go of expectations is certainly easier said than done, but it is becoming a practice.

These are all ideas I've thought about before, but the 12 Hour Walk showed me how important they all are.

We cannot experience fully without engagement.

And we cannot feel true joy with expectation.

So moving forward from here, I intend to take more initiative and let go of expectation.

I hope you join me.

Your Invitation:

I totally recognize that walking in solitude for 12 hours isn’t for everyone. 

But perhaps you’re feeling stuck or seeking clarity around a big issue or decision.

If so, I’d invite you to consider what might come up if you took part in this adventure.

Walking, like driving or showering, allows your inner monologue to turn off. It helps new ideas to come through and has even been shown to improve creativity by 60%.

Just imagine what might come through in 12 hours of walking in a creative space.

Reframing Limiting Beliefs

Lastly, I cannot underemphasize Colin O’Brady’s key point about the 12 Hour Walk.

That is - the reasons why you think you can't complete the 12-hour walk are likely also the limiting beliefs holding you back in life. Uncomfortable, but true.

For me, it was time.

Between working two jobs, training for a marathon, and maintaining healthy relationships, I never thought I would have time to embark on this walk.

But we make time for what we value. And I just needed to make time for this event.

O'Brady outlines all of the common limiting beliefs that humans experience in his book aptly named "The 12 Hour Walk," which I'd recommend as a compliment to the event experience, if you feel called.

Whether or not the walk is for you, please remember:

Beliefs can always be rewritten. Reoriented. Reimagined.

At any point in time, you can write a new story of what is possible.

A Podcast That Reminded Me of A Big Truth:

248: The Best and Worst Foods to Eat for Mental Health | Uma Naidoo, MD 

Dr. Uma Naidoo is a Harvard-trained psychiatrist, professional chef, nutrition specialist, and best-selling author of "This is Your Brain on Food". 

The book explains how food contributes to our mental health and how a healthy diet can treat and prevent a wide range of psychological and cognitive health issues, ranging from ADHD to anxiety, to depression, and OCD.

This interview provides a great introduction to the book and provides some great resources, food & otherwise, for improving mental & physical health.

Food is either medicine or poison, the choice is yours.

Some of My Favorite Songs from August:

I appreciate you reading and hope you have an awesome week ahead. 

With Gratitude,

Aidan