Stay on Offense Climb Mountains

Attacking Adversity

Bookish Weapon Number Twenty

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From now on I am going to see if I can tie my hiking post in with the book I am discussing. So this time I picked, “Claim Your Power, by Mastin Kip. It is a powerful book. There is no doubt about that. I got a lot out of it. Do I agree with everything in the book? No.

It is, as the subtitle says, “A 40 day journey to dissolve the hidden blocks that keep you stuck and finally thrive in your life’s unique purpose.” Here are some of the best ideas.

Finding Your Purpose

This was one of the best parts of the book. Kipp has you pay attention to your heart and then he says to remember when you were a child and ask the following question. “What is the earliest, happiest memory I can remember? Then accept the first memory that comes to mind. Then write it down and ask yourself the following: “Who was in the memory? What did I believe about life in that moment?” Then think a bit about that. Then ask what the next happiest memory followed by the same questions just mentioned. Then you repeat the entire process again and again and again. With the last one he has you list a most recent happy memory with the same followup questions.

Next you write down each of the five memories again. Then you go through a process of finding the emotions behind each memory. Then he drills down to your two “primary emotions.” You need to get the book!

Finally he has you fill in the blank for this statement: “I was born to_____myself and my Higher Power, and feel the ______that results while inspiring others to feel the same.”

How about that! Pretty powerful I think. I have done similar exercises where you go back to your childhood and I think they are very good at getting to who you are at your core.

This book is full of exercises to help you.

Your Soul’s Mission

Another section in the book takes you through the process of discovering your mission. It is very good. It s about how your purpose driven goals align with your Soul’s mission and discovering your special gift. He says it is what comes easy to you and I ask, what if nothing come easy to me? But that is another story. I liked some of the questions such as, “How can I turn my goals into a mission greater than myself?

If you, like me, say that nothing comes easy to you, one of the things you might consider which is not discussed in this book is a “talent stack.” It is a stack of skills that you might not find easy but you are pretty good at. If you want to know more about this stack check out the creator of Dilbert, Scott Adams. That is how he became successful.

Bookish Weapon Number Eighteen

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We are all going to die or as John Ortberg puts it, “Old Man Wrinkle is coming for everybody.” Ortberg has a unique way of reminding us of that fact and adding a twist or two in his book, “When The Game Is Over It All Goes Back In The Box.” That is one of the best titles for a book I have seen and contains a bookish weapon we can all use daily.

The title is a reminder that while we play this game, winning and losing at times, when it is all over all the pieces and the board go back in the box. It could be that the “box” is a coffin.”

Reality

“The reality of this world is that I was born into Someone Else’s kingdom. My life came to me as a gift I did not choose; it is suspended from a slender thread that I did not weave and cannot on my own sustain.”

Here is a meditation Ortberg quotes:

I am of the nature to grow old. There is no way to escape growing old.
I am of the nature to have ill health. There is no way to escape ill health.
I am of the nature to die. There is no way to escape death.
All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change. There is no way to escape being separated from them.
My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand.

Then he says Jesus added one more to this: “I am a ceaseless being with an eternal destiny in God’s great universe.”

He also adds this much needed quote from Bernie Siegle:

“I’ve done the research and I hate to tell you, but everybody dies – lovers, joggers, vegetarians and non-smokers. I’m telling you this so that some of you who jog at 5:00 AM and eat vegetables will occasionally sleep late and have an ice cream cone.”

Meaning

A vacuum cleaner is built to clean. A knife to cut. Ortberg says, “We are built for meaning the way Porsches are built for speed.” He goes on to discuss how all of us have what Martin Seligman calls “signature strengths.” And of course goes on to encourage us to use our signature strengths in the service of something larger than ourselves.

You are most likely familiar with the book “Mans Search for Meaning” where Victor Frankl points out that we can put up with anything if we have a big enough why. We can find meaning in even the worst circumstances.

Bookish Weapon Number Seventeen

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Gary Keller’s book, “The One Thing,” reminds me a lot of Stephen Covey’s book, “First Things First,” but it has its own twist and adds a lot. The idea is keeping your focus on one thing. That gets extraordinary results.

I liked the domino analogy. If you have a line of dominos, then keep hitting the first domino until it falls. The rest is easy.

What Holds Us Back

There are too many distractions and things other than the “me thing” that keep us from focusing. Also there are “untruths” that we base our decisions on. As you have heard, if you hear a lie long enough and frequently enough you believe it.

Keller says there are six lies between you and success. 1) Everything matters equally, 2) Multitasking, 3) A disciplined life, 4) Willpower Is Always on Will-Call, 5) A balanced life, and 6) Big is bad. Then he takes each one apart.

Discipline

This one reached out and slapped me in the face. I pride myself the I am disciplined in some areas of my life, but Keller says, “Success is actually a short race – a sprint fueled by discipline just long enough for habit to kick in and tale over.” Yes, habit! The gym is a habit. Hiking is a habit.

He goes on to say, “In fact, you can become successful with less discipline than you think, for one simple reason: success is about doing the right thing, not about doing everything right.” He says that “When you do the right thing, it can liberate you from having to monitor everything.”

So strong, powerful habits are more important than discipline, but you still need the discipline to get the ball rolling.

A Balanced Life

Let’s take one more of these six lies. Isn’t it good to stay balanced? Don’t be a workaholic! Don’t be an “exercise nut.” Don’t just “go hiking” ALL THE TIME. Keller says the balanced life is a lie.

He says instead of seeking balance, we should be seeking, “purpose, meaning, significance – these are what make a successful life. Seek them and you will most certainly live your life out of balance, crisscrossing an invisible middle line as you purpose your priorities.” Yes!

Consider this. If you are messing around with everything it all gets less attention or as he says, “shortchanged,” and “magic happens at the extremes.” It is the extra long climb that makes a difference.

I like what he says about time in this regard. “When you gamble with time, you may be placing a bet you can’t cover….toying with time will lead you down a rabbit hole with no way out. Believing this lie does its harm by convincing you to do things you shouldn’t and stop doing things you should.” Then, “To achieve an extraordinary result you must choose what matters most and give it all the time it demands. This requires getting extremely out of balance in relation to all other work issues, with only infrequent counterbalancing to address them.” Good advice!

Go Hiking If You Want To Feel Young Again

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Climbing a mountain every week is certainly not a comfortable way to spend one of your two weekend days. It would be much more comfortable to take in a movie or go to the beach. Mountains are steep. The uneven terrain challenges your muscles.

The Season

My hiking season begins the first of March and ends either at the end of August or September. The reason it might end in August varies. By the end of the summer it has taken its toll on my body. Every weekend no matter the weather or how tired I might be the night before, I head up the trail. It isn’t easy doing it every week.

One Sunday morning I sat in the car listening to the rain pelt the hood and really not wanting to get out of that nice warm space. But then I remind myself of one of the reasons I do it. To feel younger!

Be Bold – Begin It

Goethe said, “Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius and magic in it.”

Once my feet are on the ground and I am heading up the trail I feel like a twenty year old. Someone said my breathing resembles a stove pipe. Maybe it is because of Asthma I suffered as a child. Every once in a while I will wheeze if I push myself particularly hard, but the noise makes me feel like I am a train chugging along. Maybe it is an old smoke belching train, but still powerful. It might even keep the bugs away.

Of course when the hike is finished I feel that surge of youth again. Like “magic.” I did it one more time. I am still vital and strong. It combats those thoughts that older people have telling them that they should act their age or that they shouldn’t be doing such and such at their age.

Yes, hiking makes me feel younger, but it also keeps me physically younger as well. So all you chronologically “older” people get out in nature while you still can and go hiking!

Go Hiking and Climb Kendall Katwalk

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Depending on where you look Kendall Katwalk is between 10 and 12 miles round trip. I believe it is 12. It is an easy hike in terms of the elevation gain of only 2,600 feet, but it is a long hike, especially if you extend it. You can hike as far as you like on the Pacific Crest Trail and it is tempting.

So Easy

The trail begins flat and continues that way for a while. Then there is a gradual increase in gradient, never really getting “steep.” If you go early enough so you are hiking at sunrise you will see light shine off peaks in ways the take your breath away.

It is almost like strolling through a park until you get past the avalanche shoot. Then it gets a little steeper.

Rocks

Yes there are rocks, but not like Mt. Pilchuck. Still you really need some good hiking boots for these things. You will probably hear or see Marmots.

The rocks and the distance do wear on your feet, so even though it is not steep, it is challenging.

From Civilization To Wilderness

For most of the hike you can hear or see the Freeway. There are great views of peaks and even Mount Rainier. You can look down on the Snoqualmie Ski slopes. However, I never really feel like I am in the mountains until I get to Kendal Katwalk. Once you cross over to the other side it is a whole new experience and as I mentioned, you can continue the hike for miles. I have gone as far as Joe Lake, which makes the trip about 20 miles round trip. Extending it just a couple miles will bring you to a couple of beautiful lakes that make it worth it.

Go Hiking When Life Throws You A Curve Ball

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In his book, “Everything is F*cked,” Mark Manson argues that there is one thing that is constant in our lives and that is pain. Physical pain, emotional pain, etc. I may cover this separately at some point, but I have not finished the book yet. In any case he is right about that. Pain is a constant. Something is always around the corner.

The Other Shoe Drops

I was reminded of this yesterday when I found out I was getting a pay cut. Yes, I work for a living and write all this for fun. Anyway, I actually used something I learned from Hal Elrod’s book, “Miracle Morning,” and that is I used the five second rule. I got angry and scared for five minutes and then said, “Can’t Change It.” It helped a lot. I don’t know if I will ever get as good at it as Hal, but I am happy to have the tool.

The Hiking Cure

However, it is fantastic to have something to “reset” yourself besides mental gymnastics. For me that is hiking. It takes you away from your every day existence and places you into nature where you can forget your challenges, clear your mind and be reborn.

Then you can see the blessings in any adversity. In my case, I still have a job where others were laid off. It will push me to do a side hustle or two. Before this happened I was just too lazy to work another job or get creative enough to find additional income. As Tony Robbin’s says it is transformed from a “should” to a “must.” When you have a “must” things get done.

When you go hiking you flush these revelations out or you decide to move in a completely different direction. So go hiking when you see that curve ball coming your way.