There’s SO much going on along the forest trails right now. WOW. So much aliveness and wildflowers and the like. I could take 100 photos per 10 feet!
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All the new growth! I would like to see some of the 100 pictures 
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Removing it from self-negotiation! Ahhh… so much easier.
It’s true I can not take the morning mile. It’s true it can become an Afternoon Adventure or an Evening Exploration.
What is also true is that if I decide NOT to walk a specific day AT ALL – that’s what I refer to as a Sacred Decision.
The Morning Mile is more than a habit. It goes to a core aspect of what contributes to my thriving lifestyle – especially my sense of wonder, connection to nature and weather, my territory and what’s happening with it, and it’s immense positive benefit to my energy flow and physical and emotional health.
By making it “matter to me” on many levels, it becomes something that if I were to not do it, it would need to be something I reflect on. It would need to be a response to what else was happening that made it clearly not the right day. That could be physical, weather, or we-space.
On day 171 straight, there have been a handful for days where I did deeply reflect and get guidance on if today was a day to rest and use my energy for other things – including replenishment. In each of those cases, what I got was that there was definitely a need on those days to be “more mindful” – meaning to not be on autopilot.
- Pick the path that is really right.
- Allow for turning back at any time, even short of the 1 mile.
- Be at a pace that is allowed to vary, slow, pause, stretch, breathe, savor.
See, a “habit” does have an automatic aspect. Emotional Freedom adds the layer of mindful consideration to it – removing the obligation while supporting that it MATTERS. Yes, healthful habits MATTER across my entire emotional world.
Love to you in your habits, and exploring what new ones you might add to your thriving life experience.
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What you wrote really resonated with me and is timely beyond belief! I don’t have anywhere near the “bandwidth” to say much more than, I appreciate your thoughts and thoughtfulness, always.
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I love this idea of stacking the reasons! I can think of a couple different practices where I know I will “feel better” if I do them, but that thought isn’t enough to motivate me. All it would take is 1-2 minutes to (a) sense into what “feel better” actually feels like in my body and (b) get really specific about what “feel better” means to me and document that long list!
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Right! Today was day 194. It was not about enjoying nature. It wasn’t about feeling all alive and vital.
It was about unwinding HUGE tensions that had built up in my body and mind. As one of the stacked reasons, it was available to me.
I did enjoy the creek I passed over twice.
I also needed 2.9 miles and not just one, because I was unwinding HUGE tensions.
Not completely, of course. I just cannot imagine being here with you writing this if I had NOT gone on my morning mile. And had a nappy nap. And a steamy shower. All also have stacked reasons.
Thanks! Appreciate the affirmation and enthusiasm!
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…and this wasn’t all the Morning Miles. It’s the 51,152 feet climbed that stuns me, although around here baby step after baby step one does end up covering a lot of altitude (and back down!)
My other tracking app says 689 miles. That’s a LOT of baby steps: 2,261,175 of them in fact.
387 days straight now, through weather and pains and always in my YES. Surprising, to be honest. Other than drink coffee, I don’t think I have generally had streaks like this.
Jem said tonight that she’s so glad I started this. She’s walked twice as much this year as last herself, too.
The big thing for me is how much I’ve seen, and been uplifted and re-grounded and re-inspired by. Even 20-30 minutes a day has been profound.
Onwards…
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Very inspiring Rick!! Congrats!!
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Mmmm, I don’t do the morning mile very often with others, although the last line applies when @Jem is walking a wee bit faster than me. Teehee…
Rick (Day 425)
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And in a different vibration… Breathing in I calm my body… breathing out I smile. Blessings on our way.
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Love this chain and this quote. Thanks, Rick! Congrats on the consistency and self care!
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I heard that if you can get a kid to walk just 5 miles a day they can be 35 miles away by the end of the week!!!
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It wasn’t THAT funny but I couldn’t just laugh or giggle without having 20 characters.
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This is another way of saying to make it really clear why and how this matters to you. As I come up on 2/3rds of 1000 morning miles, these ALL still play a role in making it a healthy habit for me:
Stack Your Reasons
When I have many reasons why I want to do something, each day one or more will feel activating – even if others don’t. Here are just some of the reasons for my Morning Mile:
- Vitality Re-activated!
- Expand my energy
- Experience Nature in its weather variations
- Get to be an Explorer
- See and sense what’s around me - sensory awareness
- Feel the earth beneath my feet
- Dance along the trail
- Listen to music
- Unwind my tensions
- Use my stored weight
- Build strength to be able to carry my daughter as she grows
- Process emotions that get clogged in my tissues
- Move lymph to support my immune system
- Have more temperature resilience (so I can enjoy cold, hot, wet, dry weather)
- Maintain my physical and sexual presence
- Have a positive, FUN physical experience I can do each day with an intention for 5000+ steps a day (without overdoing it)
- Live longer and healthier to be alive and vibrant with my partner and children
What is a healthy habit you have or want to establish? What makes it matter to you?
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Thanks for this concept of ‘stacking reasons’!! And thanks for listing numerous reasons…very helpful!
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Stacking the reasons . . . the WHY. I can just feel a shift in energy with this kind of foundation. Can’t wait to get started energy! Feels like a breadcrumb trail enticing me to begin .
One recent practice has been a daily 30 minute standing Qigong posture called The Dragon Stands Between Heaven and Earth. I just completed a gong, which is 100 days in a row. But I did it without stacking the reasons. I’m excited to see how my next gong (Sept. 22 equinox to Dec. 31) with a stack of reasons as the foundation, might be different.
Starting my stack:
cultivate Qi
enjoy the satisfaction of showing up for my practice
self nurture
download discoveries
building Qi for healing
Interesting that my practice is standing still vs walking. Eyes are closed. So all the visuals are imaginary. All the travel is in another dimension.
Another practice is my studio practice, painting. Going to create a stack for this practice next.
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Nice to see your post here Paula 
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