Tag: endurance

A great adventure book that will help toughen you up.

Yesterday afternoon was chilly in Wisconsin. The mid-October temperature dropped throughout the day. Dark clouds rolled in. The wind picked up. And I was outside mowing my 1.7 acre lawn in Mequon on my John Deere lawn tractor.

Suddenly the clouds burst open with rain. Big fat, cold drops quickly soaked my clothing. The wind whipped at my face. The obvious discomfort brought a big broad smile to my face, and I just kept on mowing.

You see, as I was mowing I was also listening to the tail end of the audiobook Astoria by Peter Stark. This amazing book tells the epic tale of the men and one woman who set off to establish the first American settlement in the northwestern United States in 1811 at what is now Astoria, Oregon. You may know Astoria better as the location where The Goonies was filmed. #pinchersofperil

This adventure had huge influences on the development of the Pacific Northwest, including the discovery of what would become the Oregon Trail and fertile ground to grow grunge music.

Astoria was the vision of famed fur mogul and real estate hoarder John Jacob Astor. Astor wanted to establish Astoria at the northwestern hub of his transcontinental fur trade where the great Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean with a roiling fist bump. This is just down the block from where the Lewis and Clark expedition spent a miserable winter once they reached the Pacific Ocean at Cape Disappointment. (Note to self: Don’t move anywhere that has the name Disappointment.)

The expedition dealt with unfathomable challenges as the overland party trudged across the continent with resistance at every turn. While others experienced the worst the sea has to offer as they sailed from New York City, south around Cape Horn, to Hawaii, and on to Vancouver Island. Things went bad. Really bad. Which is part of the reason this story hasn’t endured as a great American tale. But it is also the reason the story is so fascinating to read now.

Astoria is one of the top 3 adventure books I have ever read. It ranks up there with Stephen Ambrose’s Undaunted Courage about the Lewis and Clark’s adventure, and Endurance, about the fateful voyage of Ernest Shackleton’s crew to Antarctica.

Key Takeaway

If you like stories of survival, adventure, drama, business, or history you will love Astoria. This instant classic will also remind you that things could always be worse and that you can endure far more than you think you can. All of which makes a little cold rain on your lawn tractor feel like no problem at all.

*If you know someone who might enjoy this book, please share this review with them.

+For more of the best life lessons I have learned check out my book, What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? from Ripples Media.

8 Ways to reload your spring every day.

A good day is full of actions. Some physical. Some mental. Some social. But the progress you make each day is a result of the actions you take. But one good day is not enough. To live a good, good life you need to create good day after good day, mate.

However, a day full of action depletes your resources. That’s why it is important to reload your spring. (#snickering) Whether you are focused on your career, caring for your family, or training for competition, it’s important to come back day after day with great energy and effort.

To create a long chain of great days of action and progress you have to reload your spring.

8 Ways To Reload Your Spring

1. Sleep: A great night of sleep is the best thing you can do to reload. After a long day of activity, your spring is fully uncoiled. Your energy is expended. Like The Giving Tree, you have nothing left to give. No leaves. No branches. No apples. But overnight something magical happens. A full night of sleep reloads and resets your spring. It makes you ready to uncoil on another day of important actions, Jackson.

2. Eating: All that work you are doing burns calories. When you feel like a hangry, hangry hippo, it’s a sign that your spring is fully uncoiled. When you eat you are putting calories back in your system. You are refueling. As you reload energy into your system with great nutrition you are resetting your spring. Also, make sure to hydrate.

3. Hydrate: Make sure you are drinking plenty of water. Humans are basically walking bags of water. So rehydrate early and often to keep your spring at full hydraulic power. Start your day with a tall drink of water to make sure you hit the day fully recoiled.

4. Exercise When you exercise you are creating a better spring. You are putting more power into it. You are enabling it to uncoil over a longer period without losing strength. Plus, it makes you look more springy.

5. Socializing: If you have extroverted tendencies, you reload by spending time with others. For extroverts, socializing is like Gatorade. (But instead of replacing your electrolytes, it replaces your socialytes.) Make sure to add social activities to your calendar to regain what you have lost.

6. Solitude: If you have introverted tendencies, you reload in your quiet time alone. Don’t neglect this time. It will help you reset and prepare for another day among the Yappers.

7. Reading: Reading reloads your spring through education, inspiration and motivation. (Basically all the ations.) Learning new things helps you find new and better approaches to add to your weaponry. Reading exposes you to people who have done great things and inspires you to do more. Plus, reading provides motivation and reminds you of the reasons you are taking all those actions.

8. Faith: Faith isn’t just for George Michael and Tim McGraw. Tapping into and practicing your faith has the power to reload like nothing else can. Don’t miss out on its power to re-energize your system and bolster your resilience day after day.

Key Takeaway

Success is a result of putting your all into each day and then reloading. The better you are at reloading your spring daily the easier it is to sustain progress and deliver results. Whether you are the CEO of the world’s biggest company or the head of your household, make sure to reload your spring. It’s the key to bringing your best to each day.

*If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.

+For more of the best life lessons I have learned check out my book, What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? from Ripples Media.