Let’s take a hike, shall we?
We are on a beautiful trail and our goal is to make it to the golden mountain top of “success” in business. Our path is long and varied, but dreams of epic vistas inspire the upcoming trek.
Imagine, your mind is like a back pack of thoughts which fuel you.
You’ve got Little Debbies, colorful trail mix, and teriyaki beef jerky.
Before you start hiking, you start munching some killer trail mix. It’s got sweet M&Ms, crunch peanuts and delightful raisins. You’ve got a balanced boost as you cruise that riverbed trail.
It starts getting hot.
Misquitos are buzzing about.
This trail is waaaay muddier than expected.
You forgot your water bottle.
You curse yourself for not bringing the water bottle, who doesn’t bring a water bottle? Not only may you never make it to the top, but also… people DIE from thirst.
Now, when you look up at that sparkling peak ahead, all you see are the miles and miles of brambles, jagged rocks, dry-mouthed dips and detours and you think, daaaaammmnn I need to get out of here and to the top ASAP.
You take a break. You need to refuel.
This time, when you look in your backpack…
The trail mix is NOT STRONG ENOUGH.
The jerky is hella weird, and ooooo Lil Debbies are looking soooo good. YESSS.
Gobble a few down.
You’re jacked on the sugar rush AND now the problems of the trail seem even more EPIC.
The mountain top is where the party is, F this trail and these damn rocks, it’s not fair, Everyone up there is so successful, strong and lucky. They MADE it. I need to move FAST.
You start spinning, racing around looking for another path without so many prickers and bugs. Look for shade. Look for a picnic spot. Look for a place to take some pictures and post on IG for a while.
You crash.
You take a break.
You find another trail.
You start over.
Exhausted. Miserable. Lost. You eat another Little Debbie, but this time it just hurts your teeth and you think you should just head back down to the car. A hotel bed sounds much better anyway.
Ugh.
But guess what?
You still have that trusty Jerky!
We get to decide what fuel we take from our backpacks.
Little Debbie thoughts are sugary, unsustainable energy. They rot your teeth even when they sound so nice. They spin you out into overwhelm, pressure and insecurity. They sound like, “Its never going to work” “Theres too much to do” “I need a break” “I need to get THERE now, bc life will be SOOO much better then”… Maybe you’re still moving, but you’re miserable in the journey, stalling out and diffusing so much energy.
But we have options.
We also have that trusty trail mix of thoughts with a sweet and salty mix…These sound like “this is exciting and lets do this!” “its possible I can climb there.” These get you moving and steady taking steps.
And then, way at the bottom of the pack, we have that freaky dried meat stick. It’s chewy and somehow eternally preserved. These are the tough and meaty thoughts like “I can do hard things,” “I am willing to feel like ass to keep moving forward.” “I have my own back, even when the trail takes a dip because my dream is worth it.” This type of fuel creates courage, grit and strength through the trials of our journey.
Our thinking is our fuel.
Notice what kind of fuel you keep grabbing.
We cannot get to the mountain top with thoughts alone, but be aware of the kinds of fuel that powers your movement.
Are you spinning out, burning out, bolstered then crashing, getting bored and quitting?
Do you have a mix of salty, crunch, sweet thoughts that keep us looking forward.
How often are you digging deep down and grabbing those tough meaty thoughts that create consistent daily work needed to press onward.
Happy trails this week my friends & Jerky On!
XO,
Lydia
Feeling stuck in the sugar rush of urgency, spin out and lost camper syndrome? Having a guide doesn’t make the hike less challenging, but a guide will give you a compass and help you ditch the Little Debbies.
Ready to grab a guide? let’s talk mama.