I drove for nearly 10 hours last weekend to get to one of my favourite places in the Vic high country – Mt Hotham. The thin and crisp air, being able to see sources of potential adventure all around you is inspiring and clarifying for me. To top it all off, I was there for a weekend with the For Wild Places crew; there to learn, connect, appreciate and explore this beautiful world.
But, I was going in to the weekend feeling overwhelmed. Overwhelmed for me is that I can’t make decisions and prioritise the actions that I know I need to do. Driving up, I couldn’t make decisions about ramping up a new business, other work commitments, the work I need to keep doing to rehab my achilles tendon, my half unplanned upcoming overseas adventure, how to solve the issue of my car battery that was playing up… yes some first world problems, but problems nonetheless.
I didn’t have a proper plan for how I was going to make the decisions I needed to. I knew that if I didn’t prioritise these actions, I risked my business not succeeding. I risked not doing quality work. I risked not being able to on adventures, and live the life I want to – that I’ve worked hard to create.
So, I arrived in a headspace not particularly conducive to the opportunity in front of me. But that started to change quickly.
Mountain sunsets are the best
On arrival on Friday, we heard from some inspirational athletes, with some very impressive accomplishments.
Lucy Clark set the Fastest Known Time on the Te Araora Trail – over 3,000km from the northern tip to the southernmost point of New Zealand. Lou Clifton reflected on a life spent appreciating and protecting the wilderness, taking up ultra running and being a superbadass athlete. How they both dealt with adversity (Lou finding out about her husband’s traumatic bike accident while she was mid race, Lucy dealing with the solitude and challenge of 70 days of pushing her body and mind to their limits) set the scene for our adventure on Saturday morning, and helped get me out of my minor funk.
So this was my first lesson – Change your context to see troubling things from a different perspective.
Sometimes, being with different people, hearing different stories, being exposed to different ideas and conversations helps you realise that the things you thought were big deals, are in fact things that can be dealt with. People have been in your situation before, they have made it out, and succeeded. Humans are incredible, we are all capable of more than we think. It’s not always easy – it’s not meant to be – but the fulfilment and reward comes from solving problems.
Roll on day 2!
On Saturday, we set out in the rain and low temperatures with the aim of summiting Mt Feathertop, Victoria’s second highest peak, via the stunning Razorback trail. While not huge in elevation gain (900m), when starting from around 1,600m the air is noticeably thinner. It was also the longest run I was attempting in the 10 weeks of rehab for my achilles, so I knew it was a bit reckless. But the opportunity to spend time on one on Victoria’s best trails, and summit Feathertop in the snow with an awesome group of humans was too good to pass up.
Crew ready!
There were around 15 of us on the trail, and the group spread out quickly. I love that in trail groups that as you slow down, take off, or stay steady, others around you are working in different rhythms – so you chat to someone for a while, they pass you, someone else catches up and there’s a whole new conversation to be had. With a burst of energy, you can flow across the trail, catch back up, and then stop to admire the view, munch on a snack and get a few spectacular selfies. Everyone is at their own pace, but you’re always connected.
I spent some time by myself, watching the clouds clear, embracing being out in the cold and wind, remembering what it’s like to move in different ways, and settling in to the thousands of micro decisions about where each foot needed to go next.
As Feathertop came into view, my worries took on new dimensions – I was able to see them in the context in which they belonged – solvable problems. No longer insurmountable.
This was the second lesson – you need to slow down to go fast. Sometimes the only thing you need to do is to give yourself the time and mental space so solutions can emerge. I didn’t go on the trail with a plan to solve my problems, in fact the opposite. I was relaxed and focused on the task at hand – moving, adjusting to the conditions, occasionally drinking and eating.
I didn’t solve everything, I didn’t come up with detailed action plans about how I was going to tackle each issue. What I did come away with was a few very clear and specific steps that I was going to take. This removes one of the procrastination barriers that I’ve written about before. In getting some clarity about a few of the actions I was going to take, suddenly everything else also seemed achievable.
And the third lesson is that some times starting small is all it takes to get out of feeling stuck. Progress builds momentum, and starting with small steps makes you realise you’re not, in fact, stuck, and that you are capable of actions. And this leads to achievement. A related principle is that you don’t need to feel good to start, but if you start you’ll often end up feeling good. I use this often in my running – when I’m scared of a big or hard workout, I sometimes make a deal with myself – just go out and do the warm up, and then see how I feel. Then the next deal is to do 1 rep, and see how I feel. You can see where this is going…!
Learning about the threats snowgums face from climate change with Cam Walker
After the 22k on the trail, the rest of the weekend passed in a blur of sharing stories, hearing from inspirational speakers about their challenges, achievements and the work they are doing to protect our beautiful country. I came away remembering why I love the mountains, the people I get to share it with, and with a renewed appreciation for how it can change my mindset and leave me feeling inspired and confident.
These lessons can be applied in any circumstance where you’re feeling stuck or overwhelmed; they sound simple but that doesn’t mean they aren’t highly effective.
If you’d like to discover if I might be able to help you get clarity on your goals and steps you need to take, book an obligation free chat and we can see if we’re on the same page*.
*Running across mountain ranges is not one of my criteria for working with people – you just need to be ambitious about the change you want to create!
