Post Dramatic Stoke Disorder (PDSD)

My friend shared about his unfortunate disorder after he returns home after an adventure together. He named it (PDSD) “Post Dramatic Stoke Disorder”. Here are a few of the symptoms we each suffer upon returning back home after an adventure together.

Symptoms: Amped heart rate activated by day-long muses and foggy daydreaming brought on by incessant replaying the memory of the adventure. Agitated gut, aching for meals in a mug, and explorer’s instant coffee packets. Restless sleep, longing for the lullaby of alpine air. Cold chills begin with the absence of friendship’s comfort. Memories of trail dialogues begin to distill into the juices of life and integrated into your being.

Treatment: Another adventure.

Trip Report: Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness

Returning from four days on the edges of Colorado/Utah border exploring the Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness. Here’s what I captured in my journal.

John Steinbeck wrote these words in his iconic American road trip book Travels With Charlie, “People don’t take trips—trips take people.” We -found ourselves taken up and in-on this desert ???? adventure. Spring reached the canyon floor, awakening vibrant life. Shadows tucked into crimson barrel cactus petals, emerald propellor wings of hummingbirds, bush cooked cattails in buttered sauté, silence as our companion. #keepgoing #worklifeplay

Dave navigating the narrow ledge traverse descending into Mee Canyon.

Length: From day hiking to 3-5 nights backpacking

Description: Located outside of Fruita, CO, known as a mountain biking wonderland, neighboring The Colorado National Monument, the terrain is spectacular. Trails are marked, but not heavily managed. Cell signals are reliable on top of the canyon, but not below. Rattlesnake Canyon, Mee Canyons, Knowles Canyons offers numerous arches, side canyons, and expansive landscapes. We trail ran Rattlesnake Canyon in the morning then backpacked into Mee Canyon for two nights, hiking our way to the Colorado River and back. Accessible water is the great unknown, so overpack and don’t plan on the intermittent springs. For our early May trip, surprised, we discovered plentiful water options. Trails are marked with cairns and there not many signs. This is not a National Park, so be prepared for a wilderness experience.

Season: Spring and Fall

Mee Canyon alcove providing shade and flat tent sites.

Rattlesnake canyon with dawn’s early light illuminating the underbelly of the arch.

Arches abound in the Black Ridge Wilderness.

What if we…

What if we…

invite simplicity back

find flow in life-giving rhythms and quiet moments,

remind our soul of connection’s promise and call an old friend

ask God for “help” now that our self-sufficiency isn’t enough

reclaim promises we’d intended to keep

listen longer

oil our rusty joints with movement

declutter our mind and garage

reclaim our attention

linger over meals

ask for forgiveness

leave love notes on pillows

wonder at the gift of our beating heart.

Keep going-

Aaron

Fine Craftsmen Pay Attention

Walt Herrington, penned, or maybe etched first in a wood beam-I cannot confirm, “Fine craftsmen don’t work only to get done, to get paid. They work in the moment. They work for a feeling that is rare and beautiful and ineffable. Wanting that feeling again and again drives and inspires them. ”

I write in moleskin journals with blank lineless manilla-white pages. In the beginning, the first pages feel like borrowed house slippers. My pen is dotting the final period on the last page, and now my teddy bear confidant feels too intimate to put on a shelf. Your craft, teaching students, yoga, writing code, directing a project, commanding troops, tending to patients. Choose to work today in the moment and pay attention to that feeling of beauty.

In the spirit of the New Year, I want you to meet a few craftsmen that I admire.

Leith McHugh said I have a PHD in Life and coaches women on their Identity & Story.

Scott Teems made new movie about Hal Holbrook’s depiction of Mark Twain.

Stefan Loble is always dreaming up half-baked adventure trips.

Rachael O’Meara burned out and it became her super power platform.

Morgan Snyder started writing letters to older men asking questions. A decade later, his book answering the question “What’s the one thing?”

Mike Field sees the ocean, art, family and adventure as one. One of Hawaii’s most sought after artists.

Carl Richards created belonging for tens of thousands of Real Financial Advisors. Who game him permission?

Fine craftsmen pay attention to beauty, nuance, dreams, art, questions, patterns and stories. They see. Here’s what I see.

Keep going-
Aaron

Soulful work that took me ten years to finish

“Be who you really are and go the whole way”.

In 600 B.C., I think what Lao Tzu was getting at when he wrote that sentence was something like

Get comfortable in your own skin
Embrace all of your life including the muck, the mundane and the beauty
Once you learn to know and love yourself, both your superpowers and your imperfections, then stand up, be counted, and say, “This is ME”

Friends, at age 47, after prioritizing my heart, body, mind, and soul for the past decade, I’ve gone the whole way in writing my new book, Fire Your Boss: Discovering work you love, without quitting your job. It’s about making a ruckus at work-and in your life, getting out of your way, and being more human. Wholehearted. Courageous. Bold. Alive.

And I need your help.
Would you consider ordering a copy-a couple of copies today?
Why should you order my book?

We need more humans to wake up to their life, and my stories and my big heart will help facilitate that awakening.

Last nudge
Please don’t wait until January 14th when it’s released. In the world of publishing, pre-orders and Amazon reviews matter, which means that they get behind what already has momentum. The more pre-sales activity a book has, the more Amazon and other booksellers will promote it-which translates to reaching many more hearts and minds.

Keep going friends and much love from snowy Colorado,
-Aaron

PS. Yes, that’s me in the picture in the Superman costume circa 1979. My brother Matt is Batman ????. PSS. Join the analog revolution in 2020.

Podcasts I was interviewed on
The Secret to Work You Love Become Good Soil with Morgan Snyder
The Long Game Good True & Beautiful with Ashton Gustafson
Career Mastery Kickstart 2020 online summit Jan 6th-23rd

We’re Going Analog Together

The last frontier is your attention.

Let’s reject the unhealth of our modern world together and go analog together. Let’s slow down, savor more moments, and enjoy this gift of living by connecting. How?

I’m RUNNING AN EXPERIMENT by taking my email updates and going analog SNAIL MAIL baby!

For 2020, I am creating a quarterly printed snail-mailed newsletter.
That’s right like we used to do back in 1995. I might even find a local printing press shop to have them printed by real people, on real paper-stuff you can touch and smell and feel. Yep-Work Life Play field reports in your mailbox (yes, I mean the one you have to walk down the street to pick up). There will be surprises, stories, and reflections that last longer than a nanosecond swipe.

If this sounds like your cup of tea and you need an excuse to slow down in life and shut out all of the digital noise. Please fill out the form here and provide your analog snail mailing address.

Keep going,
Aaron

The Deterioration of Our Attention

Hey friends,
I’m reading a new book by my friend John about getting our life back in a world gone mad, and he had this phrase I want to share with you, the noticeable deterioration of their attention. He’s referring to the harm to our culture, our brains, and our inability to stay engaged and focused on the things that matter in life.

I ran into two friends this weekend who said, “Hey, I’ve not heard from you in a while.” and it got me thinking that I should share with you a few ideas I’ve been pondering.

I’ve purposefully stayed off social media in 2019, did not post new blogs and podcast episodes so that I could finish my new book that is releasing January 14th 2020 (pre-order available now). Shout out to Greg McKeown’s Less But Better mantra.

What happened during this process is my life got a lot quieter, and I witnessed my ability to focus on things that are important to me increased.

Earlier this year, I heard John say, “Our attention is the last frontier,” meaning that in our digital age, our attention is the highest commodity or remaining real estate on the planet. Give that a minute to settle in. What might appear to be for our benefit, connecting with old friends, sharing photos with family members, is also a very calculated business aimed at creating unrest in us resolved by buying something with a click or a swipe.

Attention and Intention

Wow-kinda heavy I know for a Sunday morning, and as I said, I wanted to reflect on what I’m learning from my digital reprieve. I received an email a few weeks back from a guy who I love his work, and he was announcing their 999th podcast episode in under three years “every day for 999 days”. My honest response was sadness. Sadness for the audience who crowds their every waking minute with podcasts and posts and sorrow for their team and the imagined weariness they must be experiencing from going that hard for that long.

Where is all this headed? Friends, what do you give your attention to? How much of your attention do you give away focused on things that are fleeting and unhelpful in creating a life you want to experience? I’ve learned a lot these past two years on these two words of “attention” and “intention.”

So here’s my push.

Go analog with me

Yep, I’m going to run an experiment, in 2020 to coincide with my book release, I am starting an old-school snail mail newsletter sent to your mailbox (the kind that’s attached to your house or the one you drive to once a week in your neighborhood). Why? I have a few things I’d like to share with you, but I want these ideas to live in physical form and be experienced in our real lives, not just the digital world. Say no more-sign me up.

I’m not saying I won’t create new podcasts/blogs or write digital updates. What I am saying is I’d like to give you an excuse to slow down, sip a cup of coffee or tea, and read a letter from a friend. Remember what that was like? Or maybe some of you have never experienced it. Let’s reclaim a bit of a bygone era together and build in more human connection.

Invite me to your town in 2020

As part of going analog in 2020, I want to come to your town and share my book with you and your friends. I envision an old school conversation about ideas and we react to them together over a meal, at a bookstore and maybe even in your home. I don’t have a plan, just a sense of what impact this type of experience could create for us together. Send me an email if that’s interesting. No promises that I can make them all work, but let’s see where this might go.

Keep going,
Aaron

*John’s new book is here.

Less but better, Winning Streak

Hey friends,

I was having a conversation with my wife yesterday, and she encouraged me to reach out to you. A lot has happened since I wrote back in January. Our youngest daughter graduated from high school, I finished my book manuscript, and I’m traveling a lot for my work with McKinsey.

A couple of months ago, I was feeling overwhelmed. I’d traveled eleven weeks in a row, was writing every weekend to meet my publisher’s manuscript deadline, and the stress was getting to me. Speaking with my coach Doug, he encouraged me to pause and take an honest look at anything I didn’t have to do. It reminded me of Greg McKeown’s “Less, but better” advice on how to make the highest value impact by focusing on fewer things.

Podcasting, blog writing, and social media became the candidates for my temporary essentialism elimination. During a workshop, I remembered Seth Godin posing this question, “Will they miss you if you’re gone?” His pitch was to focus on making a meaningful impact (not on the number of likes and followers) such that your tribe would notice (and care) if you suddenly stopped.

Radio silence

Graciously, I’ve heard from a number of you “Hey-you still out there? You ok?” Yes-I’m doing great and thanks for your emails, check-ins, and patience. Although unintentional, a benefit of my “less, but better” focus created a void that flushed forward this insight; my work makes a real impact in the lives of people like you. Thank you for helping me realize this.

Quick update
My book is due out in January, and it is a culmination of my life’s work on how to keep going in life and @ work. You’re going to love it. It is available for pre-order on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Later this year, I’ll resume podcasting and writing again. For now, I’m enjoying some soul care and celebrating completing my book. I have so many new stories to share with you, and for now, I will leave you with a few inspirational verses from Glen Hansard.

“So, roll the dice, boy
‘Cause my money’s on you
Take my advice now and put your money down too
Because there’s something in the eye you can’t pretend
And may your winning streak
May it never end.”
-Winning Streak

Keep going, you can do this-
Aaron

The Rugged Maine Coastal Cocktail

After returning from a trip to Maine, I’m dreaming of wild escapes (even if in my mind) back to that rugged landscape. I came across this cocktail recipe in Huckberry’s catalog for gear and inspiration. Huckberry claims this combo of Canadian whiskey, maple syrup and Lemon will fend off old-man winter’s bite. Here’s what they say,

Mix it up:

2 oz Canadian Whiskey
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Maple Syrup
Liberal dashes of Angostura Bitters
A bit of Soda water as you serve
Slice of Lemon
Mint garnish

Shaken, not stirred and strained over ice.

image-bleed — One of Maine’s 10 Best Lighthouse list and you better bring a blanket and a strong cocktail or thermos of hot coffee to fight the coastal temps.

Make a Cup of Coffee Outside

Understand one thing, your backyard is the best place to play. Years ago, I started firing up my small backpacking stove outside to brew up a cup of coffee. After a run, during a work day in the parking lot or on a short lunchtime walk, my little stove became my excuse to play.

I’ve won many suburbanites over to start brewing outside after they experience my fifteen minutes of tailgate bliss. Now I regularly receive emails, pictures and text stories about curbside adventures, coffee on the roof, brews made in the local park and java recipes in Alaska.

According to a recent snippet I received from Brene’ Brown’s book, Dare to Lead, “What’s more, according to Brown’s research, play shapes our brain, fosters empathy, helps us navigate social groups, and is at the core of creativity and innovation.” So the next time you are stumped on a work challenge, a relational situation or need a fifteen-minute reboot, fire up a cup of coffee or hot drink outside.

Here are a few stoves that will simplify your brew.

MSR PocketRocket 2 Mini Stove Kit

This little ball of flame is simple, cheap and lightweight. This is my go-to stove for urban adventures and short overnights. REI sells the kit for under $80.

Another popular stove option is the Jetboil Flash Cooking System. Made for climbers hanging on the side of big walls originally, now suburban adventurers like us benefit from this all-in-one cook system. Selling for $99 for the whole cook system kit at REI.