Getting a Reset

We just got home a few hours ago from a fairly grueling trip back from LA. It certainly wasn’t the most grueling travel day I’ve ever had, but when you endure a 2-hour flight delay with two six-year-old boys, “misery” is an appropriate word to classify it. Nevertheless, it was a great trip. My talks went well, it was amazing to catch up with old friends, and we created some wonderful family memories.

All that being said, I’m toast. This trip took a lot out of me, and I’m stepping back into a lot of intensity. Lots of client e-mails to send, a large client project to engage in, people to catch up with, and a 4-day work trip in Texas next week to do some on-site client work.

This brings to the forefront the idea of getting a reset. If I’m being honest, I’m not great from a day-to-day perspective for getting breaks. Life often sweeps me away, bouncing from one thing to the next. Don’t get me wrong, these are all great things…..there’s just a lot of them. One of the best ways I know how to get some reprieve is to get what I call resets. These are periodic intentional acts that seem to provide me with a degree of rest, relaxation, clarity, and recharge. Here’s my list:

• Bike rides: For me, there’s nothing that clears the mind and gets the blood flowing like a good bike ride. I can sometimes find a way to sneak in a 10-mile ride during the week, but I absolutely love getting a 20-mile ride in on a nice Saturday afternoon.

• Massages: A few years ago, I decided to splurge with my personal spending money to get a membership for a monthly massage. I didn’t know how much I would enjoy it, but wow! This easily turns into one of the most anticipated days of my month.

• Sensory Depravation Chamber: Picture a large metal coffin, filled with 10 inches of 98-degree water, with 1,000 pounds of salt added to it, while also being completely light-proof and sound-proof. This makes for a surreal but amazingly relaxing experience. Your body floats on top of the water, but because of the temperature, you can’t tell where the water ends and your body begins. It’s one of the most unique experiences I’ve ever had……every time I do it. Some of the best ideas of my life have come from time spent in this chamber.

• Retreats: About once per quarter, I’ll get a hotel for a few nights where I’ll isolate myself from the world. Sometimes I go to a different metro and sometimes I’ll stay in my metro. I’ll experience some good meals, read books, write, sleep, brainstorm, and maybe even catch a movie at a theater. This is probably the best source of reset for me right now. I anticipate these getaways for months.

Well, that’s me….what about you? How do you find resets in your life? I’d love to learn some new ideas and find ways to keep getting better on my journey. Please hit reply to your e-mail or drop a comment below. I’d love to hear from you!

Life Advice Sunday

Let’s play a little game. I’m going to give you one brilliant little piece of life advice that’s changed my life, then I’d like you to return the favor. One of you may say something that will change my life. Maybe the advice I’m about to give will also move the needle for you. There’s only one way to find out, though. You have a few different options if you choose to accept my challenge:

1. If you get this blog via e-mail, you can simply reply to the e-mail and type your response. These e-mails come directly into my primary inbox. Opening your e-mails is one of my favorite activities each day!

2. If you’re on the webpage (or click into the webpage from the e-mail), you can leave a comment in the comment section (which lives below the post).

3. You can DM me on social media, text me, send a carrier pigeon, call me, or tell me in the grocery store.

Again, I want to hear from you! Your advice is valuable. If enough of you respond, I’ll even publish a compilation of your brilliant advice for all to see.

With all that said, here’s my one piece of advice for you today:

When someone asks us to put something on our calendar for a future date, we often say yes by default. It’s not that we want to do it, but when the event is off in the future, we don’t have to actually mentally or emotionally deal with it at the moment. Here’s the hack. Pretend this same event is for tomorrow. If they asked you to add the same thing to your calendar for the next day or so, what would your answer be? If the answer is “no”, you need to say no. Why? Because soon enough, the event will be tomorrow……at which time you’ll probably not want to do it.

This simple little tip has saved me so many times. I used to say “yes” to practically everything. The “yes” never felt difficult or burdensome, but the later consequences did. This one is a game-changer!

Alright, your turn!