What are your Triggers?
It is amazing how this splendour, the chaotic beauty of the growth, how it all twines and mixes with the tress, the ground, the vines, with the leaves, with the water and the waterfalls, just breathtaking. I am grateful that I get to experience this and truly grateful that there are people out there that act to protect these places so that my daughter will too be able to experience this beauty. I digress.
The topic of my blog today that I thought I would share is related to simply going on a hike. Hiking in nature fills me with so much inspiration and motivation, there is something truly energising and powerful yet at the same time clarifying and peaceful. It is a form of meditation. It really puts you in the now.
Just on a side topic I had it on my vision board to go hiking in the theme of fitness. This was to increase my good habits and hopefully in doing so decrease my not so good habits. It took me 6 months to get into it. I have done it a few times now but then things came up, a wedding, my daughter was ill, and then after a few weeks of not doing it almost found myself breaking this only newly formed habit. How easy is this to do.
So this morning lying in bed, I usually do for 10 minutes or so, just to think, focus my thoughts while relaxing, another type of mild meditation I figure. The plan was clear and mission was simple, get up and go for a hike. So I got out the door and then along the drive, about an hour and a half in length, I started second guessing what I was doing. I played a little game of procrastination with myself.
Why, what am I doing this for, what else could I be doing, for what purpose? I was almost a point of turning around and heading home. But I didn’t I pushed on. This is what is interesting about habit building. Whenever you seek to change a habit there will always be points along the way, times when your sub conscious mind second guesses you. These are the times were I must remain strong, fight the sub conscious thoughts, and understand that what I am doing is a different from of my norm that may be uncomfortable but is what it is for a reason, and that is to grow. One of our fundamental human needs.
I have veered slightly of topic but am grateful that I continued on because this place is amazing, hectic and everything great. And as I trek on through this dense sub tropical forest the rain comes down on me making everything that little bit more special. The greens are greener, the waterfalls are flowing and everything just comes alive.
So hiking leads me to the topic of creating triggers. Triggers are things you do that just get you started, give you a boost, a kick in the butt, some form of inspiration to put a spark in your day. Triggers.
These walks for me are a major, major trigger. Now a trigger doesn’t need be a 17-kilometre hike, it needs not be a hike at all. We will all find our own triggers. The purpose I would like this post to achieve is to provide you with some kind of inspiration to go out and find your triggers.
Hiking, walks in the morning, or even a jog around the neighbourhood all set me off. These all act to increase the blood flow in my body and blood flow to my brain. Physical excursion really helps to release natural endorphins, a good rush of adrenaline for my day.
I like it to when you put your head under water and try stay there for as long as possible. When you final cannot hold the breath anymore you rush to the surface. That first breath you take is like no other. It is powerful and gives you a short burst of aliveness. Didn’t think that was a word but there you go.
Find things that get you pumping. I not often miss starting my day without exercise. This gets my body in motion, triggers my brain and gets me firing on all cylinders. From listening to many successful people this seems to be something very consistent.
While exercise is my daily trigger, there is a second level of benefit to going on a hike. You remove yourself from many if not all those regular daily distractions you face at home. This is also why camping and be such a great reduce stress.
Out here I am absolutely isolated and on my own, just my mind and I. There are no distractions but the sounds of the rain, waterfalls and wildlife. There is nothing to take the focus away from my own thoughts and a chance for me to bring out all my creativity. There are no past of future worries entering my head just a great focus on right now in the moment. The idea generation for me out here is huge.
This is a trigger for my creative side and also a powerful form of mediation for me. Already on this hike I have had a vision and an idea that has filled me with such excitement that if going home tonight this is all I achieve I will be content. Whether it comes to fruition or not it has made my day. Anything else that comes today is a bonus.
Triggers can push as beyond the norm and allow us to create more purpose in our life. They encourage our body to work as they are meant to and in doing so help us achieve greater things.
There are many ways to get us pumping and on fire, just jump in one, haha. Some people have a coffee, some do exercise, and some people meditate, some may go for surf. Whatever it is trust me when I say this it will change your life. Practice something every day you wake up and the end result will be significant. You will eventually find it hard to miss a day. I now almost consistently do all three of these things.
Another thing I consistently do after my workout, my green tea and writing is taking a shower. I will jump in a warm shower for a bit and clean off and then just to get my nervous system a shake up I turn the shower to cold. This really is something else. And something that takes a bit of getting use to. However now I can sit in there for longer and longer periods of time.
I know that this is it for me. After walking out of the shower the day is on. This is a little bit of a mind trigger for me however the actually affects it has on my body are somewhat scientific.
After my mate mentioned to me ice baths and how cold exposure can have amazing effects I reflected back to days camping. Wherever and almost whenever I go away I always found I started the day off much better when I when for a quick dip, in the ocean, a lake or creek whatever the case. I never really looked into it further other than it made me feel bloody good.
Cold baths are an extreme measure of thermal water conductivity and will have numerous effects and one is that it will increase the amount of calories you burn. I haven’t got there yet however from what I have read cold showers are a great secondary option. It may be obvious that the higher the time and intensity the greater amount of fat it burns.
This is definitely something I want to study further as the noticeable change it has on my body and mind for the day is truly impactful.
Whatever your triggers I would suggest you go out and find them. They really do make each day lived filled with much more energy, drive and purpose. And I think that is what life is about.
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