Your 3 Things

Today you're going to tell me about you. Read on:

My buddy Joe Johnson being thrilled with life
Photo: Bob Legasa

There's usually a sea of activity swimming around us; outdoor pursuits, work, entrepreneurial endeavors, friends, chores, etc. But when it quiets down, I find certain thoughts come forward loud and clear; and they usually run the same gammut:

I want to be better.

It's not self-deprecating; on the contrary, I feel a surge of excitement the longer I dwell on this topic.

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, 

to front only the essential facts of life, 

and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, 

and not, when I came to die, 

discover that I had not lived." 

-Thoreau

Did anyone else have the following experience? Going back to the ol' college days, you'd see the course catalog and spend days, literally, looking at the different classes and diving into the course descriptions, filling up the max 21 credits each semester. For me, I found my schedule filled with climbing and skiing courses mixed with natural sciences and some creative classes as a reward. 

I've come to realize that we in the outdoor community are filled with a thirst for knowledge which generally spurs on a desire to improve- either ourselves, our talents or the communities we live in. As much as we have a hard time sitting still physically, we generally have the same problem not being stretched mentally.

Since many of you are new here, I want to learn more about you. I'm curious about the three things  you want to master. 

Here are my three (of many):

1. Overcome fear- at least a portion of it. Fear hinders me on harder lead climbs and specific ski terrain (chutes and ice are my nemesis). It's the type of thing I'm capable of doing... if I weren't so chicken. (Which probably makes my mom happy.)

2. Carve out a time to volunteer- regularly. It just feels good. (Is that a selfish reason?)

3. Get back on the saddle. While easily figurative, I'm being literal. After my bikes were stolen a couple of summers ago, my biking gear has been sub-par and made me feel less-than-excited about biking. Enough with the excuses. This is my summer to get back to it.

Your turn- let's hear your three. It can be anything - a skill, a dream, a goal, a need. What is asking for attention in your life- what do you want to accomplish?


Psst! Remember, it's gear giveaway week!

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P.S. 9/2/12 - I'm doing a series of ViSalus 90 Day Challenges to make my way to the greatest outdoor adventure race on earth in 2014. If you're looking for a way to start a business or achieve a health/fitness goal, check out the link!