Meadow in Kings Canyon

The King's Canyon itself is arguably the deepest canyon in North America for a short distance.  The confluence of the Kings River's South and Middle forks is at 2,260 feet, while Spanish Peak towers almost 8,000 feet above them (10,051 ft).

When you drive into King's Canyon from the west, the road twists and turns, down, and down, and down some more, until you're winding through the bottom of the canyon, with steep granite walls stretching high above you. It's a spectacular drive, especially if you're a passenger.  If you're driving, you'd better keep your eyes on the road!

We knew from the signs posted at the visitor center that there was an active forest fire burning in the park. As we neared Cedar Grove (one of the major visitor areas in the park), we smelled smoke, and soon even saw smoldering spots with smoke rising, just a few feet from the road. There were rangers and white trucks marked with FIRE, in key places along the road.

The Sheep Fire was burning on the south side of the road, while right over on the north side, there were numerous tents up in the campground. I know the rangers would get those people out if they were in danger, but I don't think I'd be sleeping too well at night, knowing the fire was that close!

All the responsible people we saw seemed professional, and in control. The fire update from that day (Saturday, August 22nd) wasn't quite so calm:

The fire spread across containment lines west of Cedar Grove on Saturday. The parks’ Crew 91 worked hard in steep terrain to construct a new fireline along the edge of the fire. They were assisted by the parks’ Helicopter 552, which ran cycles of bucket drops to cool the fire for Crew 91 below. The helicopter used the Kings River as a water dip site. This new handline is holding well."

This fire started naturally, sparked by a lightning strike. I was happy to see that it wasn't a discarded cigarette or non-extinguished campfire that was to blame. Though it's burning very close to the main road in the park, the campground, and other facilities, at the moment there are no threats to life or property. It has been burning for over a month (since July 16), and obviously they are watching it closely and taking preventive action as needed.

Forest fires are a part of nature, and occasional fires are necessary for a healthy forest. They clear out old wood, leaving space, sunlight, and replenished soil so that new growth can occur. Also, some species can only reproduce when a forest fire creates the right conditions for them. Of course there are risks, but either controlled burns started on purpose, or natural blazes that are allowed to burn, are good for the forest overall.

That still doesn't mean I'd be camping across the road from it, though!

National Park Service, Fire Management - Sheep Fire
Meet Crew 91 (currently fighting the fire)

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I just got back from backpacking in Sequoia National Park, which was gorgeous.  August is a perfect month for the higher elevations, with sunny warm days, blue skies, wildflowers galore, and cool evenings.  The main tourist areas were crowded, but once we got off the beaten path...  But that's another story!  (Coming soon)
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Related posts:

1. Taos, New Mexico - Rio Pueblo Gorge (video)

It was too hot for outdoor activities, and I could work up zero enthusiasm for the gym. The plus side was long days of getting work done. The down side was long days of sitting at a computer.

Boot camp? Really?

Then, a Groupon happened across my desk, for a discount on outdoor boot camp workouts, starting at 530am to avoid the summer heat. 530am? For a confirmed night owl like me?

I posted on facebook, "Am I insane...?", and friends confirmed that I was definitely off my rocker. To prove them right, I went ahead and signed up with Urban Athletics boot camp. Spoiler alert - I'm glad I did! Sometimes temporary insanity has advantages.

I wasn't sure whether the most difficult part would be getting up about the time I'm used to going to sleep, or the workout itself. Perhaps the testimonial quote on the website "Seriously the hardest workout I've ever had" should have given me a clue, but I was fixated on that pre-dawn alarm.

Day 1 (Sound of heavy breathing)

The first day was tough! I was exhausted after the warm-up, and it got harder from there. I can't even remember what all we did - it's a blur. There was a point where I felt like I was going to collapse on the grass, but then somebody passed me a relay hand-off and I just kept going. Miracles do happen!

The day after, I was SO sore. Walking down the stairs was a minor ordeal, and my arms were so sore I couldn't brush my hair. Just goes to show how much I needed it, right? After a couple of sessions, the pain went away - an unmistakable sign of progress!

Routine (Getting into the swing/push/pull of it)

At this boot camp, every workout starts with a warm up run, then stretching, and ends with more stretching. In between, each session is different, incorporating plenty of sprints, lunges, push-ups, bench dips, jump squats, keg tosses, sit-ups, leg push-downs, plank jumping jacks, and more. Some days are on the flats, other days are hill workouts.

Our fearless leader

One of the things I like is that every workout is different, so you never know what to expect next. Paul Rose (our demanding drill sergeant, encouraging leader) mixes it up, and keeps it interesting. It's a friendly session, and Paul has a sense of humor that can sometimes even coax a laugh out of worn-out people doing "another set of bench dips?"

The other thing I like about every workout is that sooner or later, it ends. No matter how tired I am when I drag myself out of bed, or how tired I am after running up, down and around for an hour, I feel pretty darn good at the end of the workout!

Results (Ooooh - I can feel it!)

After 6 sessions, I could feel enough of a noticeable difference in my body, that I wanted to continue that trend, and signed up for a bunch more. Yes, me, voluntarily getting out of bed before dawn, to go get my butt kicked around the park - and paying $$ to do it! Temporary insanity again, or pure logical reasoning this time?

Food (To eat, or not to eat?)

When I got home on day 1, after seriously the hardest workout I've ever had, I was freezing cold, putting on layers of clothes and huddling under blankets.  And this is Arizona in the summer! I called a workout fanatic friend of mine, and he said it sounded like my blood sugar had dropped so much it was hard to stay warm. He advised eating beforehand (if possible), eating immediately afterward (including protein & carbs), and drinking Gatorade (the full sugar version) during the workout to keep my sugar level up. So far, that's working a whole lot better for me.

You'll need to experiment with food. It's hard to find anything appetizing at 430am. I open the fridge, and think "yuck, yuck, yuck...", but I need something, even if it's just 3 bites of cereal and some Gatorade. Some people do yogurt, others manage with nothing - see what works for you.

Lessons & Tips

Location, location, location. Some boot camps are inside, others outdoors. Of course, in some climates outside isn't always possible, but for an outdoors girl like me, every minute of it feels so much better in the fresh air, vs. inside a stuffy gym. The downside is it's weather dependent, and you'll be down in the dirt and grass doing push-ups and more. Put that detergent to the test!

Becoming a morning person (or not). Picking a workout time radically different from your normal schedule adds its own issues.  I tried going to bed early, but couldn't sleep, and hated giving up my nights (a favorite time of day)! My new system is that I stay up late and get ~3 hours sleep at night, then take a nap or two later in the day. It's actually an easier, flexible version of polyphasic sleep, compared to what I tried before. Of course, depending on your employer, afternoon naps might not go over so well!

Medical stuff, etc. Every exercise video in the world says to talk to a doctor before starting a new program, so I'll repeat that oft-repeated statement.  I'm sure it's good advice, even though I never do it. It would also be smart to talk to your group leader when you're considering a boot camp, and see if it's going to work for your fitness level and needs. They also have modifications available for people, if you need an easier version of an exercise, or have an injury to work around.

Ready for a change? If you're tired of your normal exercise routine and ready for a new challenge, give this a try.  Change is good in fitness, as it is in life in general. As Ellen Glasgow said,

The only difference between a rut and a grave are the dimensions."

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If you're in Tucson, I highly recommend Urban Athletics boot camp. (Don't let me scare you off!)  If you're somewhere else, then check Google to see if there's a similar program in your town. It's a great way to break out of that rut, and kick your fitness program into high gear.
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Related posts:

1. Fit for adventure: Gym-a-holic or Adventurous Wench?

A facebook  friend just reminded me of her birthday in the Greek Islands, when the waiter at this little restaurant ran home to get her some cake from his house.  And who could forget Margarita calling the quetzals in Costa Rica, or our opera-singer driver Massimo in Italy, or getting filmed for HBO in Times Square?  And of course, so many more... so many fun times, with so many wonderful women!

But anyone who grew up in an academic family like I did, knows that 7 years is time for a sabbatical.  It's time to get away from the normal, and do something different to renew and rejuvenate.

For me, that means it's time to shake things up!  I've had a long list of projects I want to pursue, and there's simply been no time to do them.  So it's time for a sabbatical.
We won't be running any group tours during 2011.

We may not always like it, but can't live without it

Questions??

Are you closing the company?
No way!  In fact, I'm using this time to grow the company in new ways.  The mission of Adventurous Wench has always been about "inspiring and facilitating adventurous travel experiences". There's a lot more that falls into that category besides running tours.  And you don't think I'd give up all those fun times with new friends in cool places, do you? 

Why are you stopping the tours?
We're taking a sabbatical from tours during 2011 in order to make some big changes.  This means pursuing new business opportunities, as well as shaking things up with our trip line-up before we bring it back.  If I could do it all at the same time, I would, but based on the past few years, I know that's not working - trip operations take so much time and attention, that other projects get left behind.

But I was hoping to go on the _____ trip next year!
I'm sorry!  I know we have people who want to take trips with us in 2011, and that made this decision even more difficult. But I'm afraid we won't be running any trips at all during 2011.

When will you be doing trips again?
After we finish our remaining 2010 trips, I expect the next trips we do will be sometime in 2012.

Will you be doing the ____ trip again in 2012 then?
One of the things I want to do is make some significant changes to our trip offerings.  When we resume running trips, I want those tours to be better than ever, with exciting new additions. While we'll still occasionally run a couple of our current favorites, the majority of our line-up will be new and different choices.

So will you ever run the _______ trip again?
If it's one of our most popular trips, there's a chance we'll do it again at some point.  However, the repeats of trips we've been doing the past few years will be dropping significantly. This means some may happen every few years, others won't be repeated at all.
Note: San Juan Islands, Santa Fe, Napa Valley, and Sedona are still available for 2010. After that I can't say for sure if or when they'll be back.  If you want information on any of these, click here...

What about my discount certificate?
Repeat travelers may have earned a certificate for a discount on a future trip.  Wait - don't toss this in the shredder just yet!  You may find a future trip you can still use it on.  Due to the sabbatical break, we will waive any expiration date on certificates issued so far, so you can still use it for years to come.

What are the new trips you're planning?
Part of what I'll be doing on sabbatical is research on this, seeking out more of the coolest destinations and activities.  We'll also be surveying all of you via our facebook page, and getting ideas and feedback from the Adventurous Wench Inner Circle folks, too.

What's going to happen to your website, newsletter, blog, facebook page?
We'll still be active on all of these, and encourage you to keep your subscription.  These will be key ways we communicate with you, both to get feedback on new concepts we're developing, and to notify you of new products when available. And of course, there's always something useful, something funny, and something good in every newsletter!

Why is the _______ trip still on your website?
This change in direction means there's a lot of work to do on the website as a result. It's just going to take some time to wade through all the necessary changes.

Do you want to sell your website?
Definitely not! I've gotten a flurry of requests for this recently, and it's not for sale.

Is this all because of the recession?
Not entirely, though it is a factor.  If business was still booming like a few years ago, then perhaps we'd be in a position to expand staff, so that we had the resources to continue existing operations and expand in new directions at the same time. That's really not a great approach at the moment, given the uncertain state of the economy.

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Do you have other questions we haven't covered here? If so, just e-mail me (deanna@adventurouswench.com) and I'll let you know. I'll also update this post with any common questions to share those answers with everyone.
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On the downside, no A report card so far!   On the upside, I've identified 5 simple rules to make sure your resolutions fail.

Failure is achievable - you can do it!

5 Simple rules to achieving failure

Don't allocate time in your schedule for new tasks.  Simple, and so effective!  I have a very full work schedule, that goes until after midnight most nights.  Why not add a resolution to do daily writing, without changing the schedule?  Saying "every day from 9 to 10" would be far too simple - introducing a recurring scheduling dilemma is much more effective. While this rule on its own won't guarantee failure, it's a big step in the right (wrong?) direction!

Make your new tasks as big as possible. This fits hand in glove with the rule above.  It's not such a big deal if 15-minute tasks aren't scheduled.  But give yourself tasks that could easily take 1/2 day each, and then try to squeeze them into a full schedule - now we're talking!  You can easily expand the work with a couple of judicious words - for example, "write and publish".  Those extra two words add all the time needed to find graphics, quotes, links, do formatting and testing.  See what I mean?

Avoid setting clear priorities. The recurring schedule dilemmas are much more fun if you can also question the priority of your resolution several times a day.  Whenever you think about working on it, just say "is this really more important than issue X that is sitting in front of me?"  Every time you ask this question and the answer falls in favor of issue X, your failure probability goes up!

Add other big changes at the same time. Simply put, the more things you try to change at the same time, the greater your chance of failure.  So if you started the month with a single resolution, like writing something every day, find something else you can add to the mix. Perhaps this is also a good time to start a new exercise program.  And why not start getting up a few hours earlier, too?

So tired... Can't go on...

Minimize your physical capacity. The more energy you have, the more you can accomplish. For the purpose of failure, aim for the opposite.  One possibility I can recommend, is starting a kick-butt bootcamp workout, so early that you need to get up about the time you're used to going to bed.  The schedule change will mean you're always tired, and an aggressive workout can leave every muscle in your body aching.  With physical and mental deterioration like this, just watch your results sink through the floor!

Note: Be careful about working out. If done on a regular basis, it can actually lead to the opposite results, increasing your energy, focus, and capacity. When you're looking for the way to failure, avoid that consistency - you want big changes, all at the same time.

That's it! With these 5 simple rules, you can set yourself up for almost certain failure, on any resolution or goal. See how easy that is?

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Plenty of lessons learned here! I'm working on course corrections to try to salvage my monthly resolution, but I sure set it up for failure! I think I may have a hidden talent here, since I wasn't even trying - all these rules just came naturally!
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Related posts:

1. The number of times I fail?
2. New Year's travel resolutions and resolution aids
3. New Month's Resolution: Write something

2-pack vs. an iPod

From MyTagalongs come the Wear Once Panties. I've seen other disposable underwear that left me thinking "oooh... I don't think so", but these are different. First of all, they're tiny. Each pair is about as big as a lipstick, and the 2-pack is comparable to my iPod. Second, they actually feel like material, not paper. You'll know they're not silk, but hey, you're only paying about $1 each. Third, they're fairly comfortable to wear - not bulky or baggy, with thin fabric and a fit like real underwear (choice of bikini or thong).

Personally, I wouldn't stock up for a whole trip with these (because I generally believe in reusing when possible), but next time I'm checking luggage, I'll certainly toss a 2-pack of these in the carry-on. Just in case, you know! And for those who really believe in reusing, you could certainly repurpose the little zippered container to carry jewelry, paper clips, or those thimbles you're collecting.

Find them at MyTagalongs.com

Flats to go

Kushyfoot created Flats to Go - a folded pair of thin flat shoes, very compact, in a cute plastic case. These are what you'd call "emergency shoes". You wouldn't wear them for regular wear (the soles don't look like they'd last long if you did), but if your feet are aching after being in heels all day, or you have a case of the new-shoe blisters, then these could be a welcome change. Back in my high-heel office days, I might have kept a pair in my desk drawer or briefcase.

From a travel standpoint, you could use these to wear around the hotel if your feet are sick of the shoes you've worn all day. If you're a woman who packs 7 pairs of shoes for a trip, then you won't need these. But if you're trying to travel light with just one real pair of shoes, these could be a relief at times. If I was going to pack them, I'd ditch the plastic case to save space.

Massaging socks

Kushyfoot also has a wide range of socks to pamper your feet "with a massage in every step". They have a zigzag pattern woven into the soles to produce this effect. I tried their athletic socks. They're definitely cute and comfortable. Personally, I didn't notice the massage in every step, though perhaps I was focused on the pain in other body parts during that workout!

Find them at Kushyfoot.com

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I received a free sample of each of these products. In spite of this valuable booty, this post really is my honest opinion on them. I wouldn't think of doing otherwise!
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Related posts:

1. Spy vest - Product review (video)

Village ruins on Great Blasket Island

Most of the time when we visit ruins left by vanished people, they're so long gone that much of the life there has been lost in the sands of time, and is a matter of reconstruction and speculation by historians and archaeologists. Not so with the Blaskets, where the last residents evacuated in 1953. But even though it's not that distant in terms of time, they inhabited a very different world than our modern world today.

I just finished reading a couple of books about life in the Blasket Islands, that provide fascinating views into the life on the island.

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The first is Twenty Years A-Growing, by Maurice O'Sullivan in 1933. This is a joyful book, full of the energy, enthusiasm, and high spirits of a young lad growing up on Great Blasket Island. As he says at one point,

An egg would not have broken under my feet with the lightness and gladness in my heart."

Just reading this book gives me a little of that same feeling! Whether he was off with a friend hunting puffins and rabbits around the island, exploring a cave, or describing the villager's excitement at scavenging timbers and supplies from a shipwreck, he always seemed to have a sense of optimism and joy.

Of course, the adults on the island didn't always share this happy view. In one conversation, Maurice tells his grandfather than the fishermen seem to have a fine, healthy life, and "there's no man on earth as contented as a seaman". In reply, his grandfather says "a man of the sea never had a good life, as I know well, having spent my days on it."

I visited Great Blasket Island after reading this book, and saw the whole scene through those youthful, exuberant eyes. As we walked around the island, and climbed to remnants of the Napoleonic fort at the top, I couldn't help but think of the fun he and the other kids had there, and it seemed like a fine place to grow up.

Twenty Years A-Growing was originally written in Irish, then translated to English. According to the Introductory Note (also from 1933), the author was mainly concerned with the Irish version, so that it would be read by people in the Blaskets, who would appreciate it more than we ever could. It's a sad irony that a mere 20 years later, there would be no one left in the Blaskets at all.

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And what of life for the adults? What was this isolated island life really like, for those who had to worry about feeding a family? Blasket Memories: The Life of an Irish Island Community explains a lot more about that. Published in 1982, this is a collection of manuscripts and interviews compiled by Padraig Tyers, with the goal of preserving as much of the island knowledge as possible before it disappeared.

He covers the history of the islands from early settlers (who had no boats, since there was no good landing place), until the days when they were finally evacuated. In between, much of the life was tied to nayvogues (called curraghs in the O'Sullivan book). These are small open boats, light enough you could carry them up onto the shore. The three miles to the coast of Ireland would seem like much more if you had to row it in such a seemingly fragile boat. Now imagine taking a cow to market in a nayvogue like this... (!)

The men did a lot of fishing for mackerel and lobster, and the women worked hard too, carrying loads of seaweed to the fields, and gathering turf for their fires. As the author put it,

Any man who had a good wife had a good workhorse. The man lucky enough to have such a wife was much envied. One fellow would remark to another: 'What a woman he got'."

The isolation and the sea posed many difficulties. For instance, if a woman was having difficulties in childbirth, they would send four of their strongest men to carry a nayvogue down to the water, row to the mainland, ride a horse to Dingle to fetch the doctor, and then all row back out to the island, no matter how treacherous the sea conditions. If the child was born OK during that period, the islanders would light a fire, so that the returning oarsmen would get the signal that they could slow down and ease up on the way back.

This book continues right up to the end, interviewing one of the very last people to pack up and leave the Blasket Islands, late 1953. He recalls the loneliness of closing the door the last time, knowing he'd not be back. He also acknowledges how much simpler things became after moving to the mainland. "I can go for a doctor or priest on my own, and not bother with anyone else."

This comes full circle as the book wraps up with an interview with the widow of Maurice O'Sullivan (Muiris O Suilleabhain). She paid one last visit to the island after Maurice died.

The place looked terrible, all the houses fallen down except a few at the top of the village, nothing to be seen, no welcome for anyone at a door or on a hill, or on a cliff, nothing but the seagulls. There's no doubt the seagulls have it to themselves at last."

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Our Ireland trips for women include a visit to Great Blasket Island, and it's lovely. If you're planning a vacation in Ireland, this is a wonderful place to include, and these books will give you a much greater sense of the place.  Even if you never expect to step foot on the island yourself, they give a fascinating window onto this vanished life.
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Related posts:

1. Ireland - Killarney carriage ride
2. Ireland: Beehive huts of ancient monks
3. Ireland says NO to EU

Satellite view of the islands

One of the highlights of our trips to the San Juan Islands each year is an orca whale-watching trip.

The San Juan Islands are a group of hundreds of islands, islets, and rocks located near Seattle, WA.  Most of these are very small - in fact, so small that many disappear at high tide!  The majority of islands are uninhabited by people, and many have been set aside for wildlife.  It's a very beautiful area, and a great haven for birds and marine life.

The archipelago is west of the US mainland, and east of Vancouver Island, so they're right along the boundary between the US and Canada.  This border location caused some interesting problems in the past, but that's a story for another day!  Right now, we're talking whales.

The water in this area is home to 3 pods of orca whales (known as the "residents"), and other orcas occasionally pass through too (known as the "transients").  Despite the name, the residents aren't in this area all the time.  Orcas (also called killer whales) travel great distances, and sometimes they head north to Canada, or take off into the wild blue Pacific.

Experts can identify specific whales by their markings and the shape of their fins.  Every whale is given a designation like L-87.  This means it's a member of the L-pod (the resident pods are J, K and L), that was given the sequential number 87.  Once a whale survives a certain amount of time, it's also given a nickname.  L-87 is also known as Onyx.

See whale list and photos...

On a whale-watching day, it's never sure what you'll see.  If there are whales in the vicinity, though, the boat captains will find them!  The captains stay in touch with each other, sharing information about where they've spotted whales, which direction they're heading, and how fast.

Orca whales seen on one of our trips

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Responsible whale-watching boats follow strict guidelines designed to avoid interfering with the whales, and that's something people take seriously here.  The resident orcas are listed as endangered, and irresponsible boating behavior is one of the many problems they face.  You'll hear a lot more about the whales, their habits, and their threats, from the on-board experts.

I just ran across a post by whale-watching expert and local San Juan Islands naturalist Monika Wieland, that gives a great account of an orca-watching outing.  She also includes some of the other wildlife that you're likely to see on the way, and has some good pictures, too.

Orca Watcher: Whales on the westside - but who are they?

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We take a whale-watching expedition every year on our San Juan Islands trips.  Every trip is different -- whales and other wildlife have minds of their own, and you never know for sure what you'll see!  We've been lucky enough to see orcas every time we've been out, and they're magnificent creatures!
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Related posts:

1. San Juan Islands - old friend foxglove
2. So there we were... with baby orca and big daddy
3. Killer whales and navy sonar

So how are those New Year's resolutions coming along? Still exercising regularly and sticking with that diet plan? If you're still on track with your resolutions, you're among a select few.

You may wonder why I'm writing about New Years resolutions in June! Well, this is my latest experiment - New Month's Resolutions, designed to avoid some of the pitfalls that plague the annual version.

What's wrong with New Year's Resolutions?

The problem is that far too often, by mid-January those good intentions have already fallen by the wayside. By the time June rolls around, it's hard to even remember what they were! Though I hesitate to cite myself as an expert, I do have years of experience with failed New Years resolutions!

Why is this so hard? Well, there are a bunch of factors, but here are few key reasons:

Too many.  Full of optimism and idealism at the start of a brand new year, we make a long list. "I will quit smoking, and read 100 books, and learn Spanish, and empty out the garage, and stick to a budget, and . . ."  That optimistic spirit feels great, and making a list like this feels fantastic!  Woo hoo, I can do anything!  Then real life hits, and pretty soon the first item bites the dust.  Then the second one falls off.   By then, it's time to forget about resolutions altogether.

Too much.  Learning from years of "too many", we decide to focus on just one to three resolutions, max.  Of course, if we're going to dedicate the year to achieving just a couple of things, they'd better be important, worthwhile, big-ticket items, right?  So this year, "I will get to size-0 and be financially free".   Of course, these are so daunting that we doom ourselves to resolution disappointment before we ever get very far.

Too vague.   So how about a simple resolution like "I will get in better shape"?  Sure, sure.   It's an admirable goal, really!  But it's way too vague on the subject of exactly what I'm going to do to get there, or even where "there" is.  Do I really need to go to the gym again, or how about if I just walk to the bank instead?  Or I could just eat a salad for lunch - surely that would count, right?

Too all-or-nothing.  This is the flip side of the vagueness problem.  Here we make a goal that's absolute.  "I will exercise every single morning before I do anything else."  This has some hallmarks of a good resolution.  It's definite, measurable, and achievable.   But it's also easy to fail.  One morning I'm sick, or groggy from a long plane trip.  The way this goal is written, I've already failed.  If that happens again, then I'm a double failure, and might as well give it up.

How's that list of resolutions going?

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An alternative:  New Month's Resolutions

Make a single New Month's Resolution at the start of each month, and make it something specific and definitely achievable within that month. If it's the kind of thing that requires a plan of action, then that has to happen in the first week of the month, leaving the other 23 or so days for implementation. If it's the type of thing that involves setting a new habit (or breaking an old one), then a month is a good amount of time. Some experts say that it takes 21 days for a new habit to really take hold, so a month should be enough to have it well-established.

If this works, then by making one simple resolution each month, it should be possible to get 12 of them done in a year. And what would the odds be on doing all 12 in a year if they were on one massive New Year's list? I don't know about you, but for me that would be somewhere near absolute zero.

The experiment

My body is telling me that it wants to get back to running, but unfortunately this time of year that requires either doing it on a treadmill (uninspiring) or getting up early in the morning (more inspiring, but trying to also turn into a morning person would make this a double-whammy resolution). I don't want to set this up for failure the first time out.

So instead, my resolution for June is to write and post 30 articles this month, either for this blog or for another site. I know I've let writing slide too long, so this goal does have value in getting me back in the habit.  I'm targeting one a day, but to avoid the all-or-nothing pitfall, I can miss a day and double up on another day, as long as I end up with 30 items by the end of the month.

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I'll keep you posted, and let you know how this turns out.  I barely got #1 in before midnight, but so far so good... one down, 29 to go!
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Related posts:

1. New Year's travel resolutions and resolution aids
2. How to make sure your resolutions fail

Don't wish it was easier; wish you were better. Don't wish for less problems; wish for more skills. Don't wish for less challenges; wish for more wisdom."

~ Jim Rohn

What will you wish for?

When times are tough, it's natural to wish they were easier.  Whether you're sending out countless resumes, dealing with a problematic relationship, facing business challenges, or struggling to pay the bills, it's easy to just wish those problems would go away, right?  Problems be gone!

Those wishes are natural.  But useful?  Not so much!

On the other hand, if you flip it around, and wish you were better, stronger, and more capable - that gives you something you can work with.  You can actually develop your skills, educate your mind, and build your strength.  Improving yourself in this way can help you get through the current set of problems, and also improve your ability to deal with other things after that.

Here are a few positive outcomes we can gain from our challenges:

Expand knowledge and learn practical skills. A friend of mine was laid off with hundreds of other high-tech professionals, when her company decided to outsource their IT.  She's using this time to take an intensive series of courses to get certified in a specific niche skill set.  It's hard to dedicate the time to this when you're working full time, so this is an ideal opportunity in that respect.  It also puts her in a stronger position in the job hunt, and is likely to provide long-term career benefits.

Develop new perspectives, lateral thinking, and creative solutions. When our standard approach isn't working, it forces us to search for alternatives.  This can lead to new perspectives and imaginative approaches we would never have thought of otherwise. An example I love is from Rory Sutherland's presentation at TED.  A group of engineers were given the task of improving the rail service between London and Paris. Their solution involved replacing all the tracks and shortening the trip by 40 minutes, for a cost of $6 billion. As Rory says, what an unimaginative solution!  For less than that cost, you could hire the world's top male and female supermodels to walk slowly through the train, serving everyone free champagne for the duration of the journey.  Happy customers, who wish their ride would last longer.

Continual growth. Challenges force us to grow and change, while a lack of challenges doesn't. If everything is peachy keen, we can get lazy, assuming that things will continue to run along fine the way they are.  How much progress would we make in our lives if we never had problems?  How much would we learn if everything we tried worked perfectly the first time?

Intangibles. Dealing with problems can teach us resiliency, flexibility, adaptability, self-reliance, and equanimity. The normal ways of dealing with things may not work any more, and trying to rigidly stick to the way we've always done things is not going to get us where we need to go. When you have to adapt, you do.

Confidence. It may seem odd that problems breed confidence, but it can work that way. Overcoming challenges gives us confidence that we will be able to overcome other challenges in the future.  The next time a similar situation occurs, we see it from a different perspective - "I've dealt with things like this before".  We know that we will get through this, we will survive, we will grow and learn from it, and we will be be happier and wiser in the future.

Viewed like this, we can be grateful for the problems that come our way.  Or if not really grateful, at least we can recognize the silver lining. We can use these challenges to develop our own strengths and abilities.  We can gain a long-term benefit from a short-term problem.

So don't wish for less challenges; wish for more wisdom.

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I'm currently working on our high-level business strategy for Adventurous Wench, and as I'm sure everyone knows, our current economic environment has plenty of challenges!  And thank goodness for that! 
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Related posts:

1. Challenges are gifts that force us to search
2. Brains in your head, Feet in your shoes

All that is necessary to break the spell of inertia and frustration is this: Act as if it were impossible to fail. That is the talisman, the formula, the command of right-about-face which turns us from failure towards success."
~ Dorothea Brande

Failure is impossible!

.

If only it were so easy, right? If all we had to do was "act as if", then why would anybody still be stuck in that state of inertia and frustration? Why wouldn't we all be exulting in abundance and joy? A simple look around shows that's certainly not true!

Yet, something so simple and paradoxical really does have power behind it.

"Acting as if" means putting all our efforts into this focused direction, without holding back, and continually thinking "maybe this really won't work", or "maybe I'd better not", or "what if I can't do it?". How much mental effort is normally wasted worrying about things that never do go wrong, and visualizing worst case scenarios? If you can focus your mental state forwards instead of circling in endless worries, you can make progress a lot more easily.

"Acting as if" means trusting that solutions to issues will appear, and that you will figure out how to make things work, even if you don't know all the details yet. This helps avoid the "analysis paralysis" syndrome, where you spend so much time trying to analyze every possible problem up front, that you never move on to getting things done. If you wait for all the answers first, you'll never go anywhere.

"Acting as if" means heading in your chosen direction, confident this is the path to the success you want. It's not about going a few steps down this path, then deciding "no, maybe I would be better off going that way instead", then later still "probably safest to go back the way I came and start over". This leads to starting down many paths, but never getting far on any of them! If you act as if, you can continue down a path long enough to see the results.

"Acting as if" means visualizing the success of our venture, visualizing the good things that can come from it, and getting that feeling into our bones through the process of acting. It helps us to achieve that winning mindset, seeing ourselves as successful, rather than losers. That helps develop confidence, which in turn can help us develop real results. Confidence leads to better results, leads to more confidence. It's an upward cycle, and you can jump start it with a little acting.

"Acting as if" means taking risks, as you would if you knew it was impossible to fail. Every undertaking requires risks of certain sorts -- whether it's financial risk, risk of trying something new, risk of being different than your friends, risk of looking foolish, etc. If you're afraid to take the necessary risks, then you're afraid to move forward. Act as if it's impossible to fail, and you take those risks, and get on the way.

"Acting as if" means pursuing your dreams instead of settling for normal, realistic, or status quo. It means that you get out there and go after what you want. Don't let anybody - family, friends, experts, or even your own negative thoughts, tell you that what you want is impossible. Of course it is if you never get started! But if you "act as if", and start moving down that road... Well, that's the way to get there!

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People often ask me how I started Adventurous Wench, or how I got to be so lucky to have a job that lets me travel all over, meeting people and doing cool things. It all starts with an idea, and then you have to turn the idea into reality. There's a definite leap of faith -- that critical period at the beginning, where you have to start "acting as if".
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Related posts:

1. The number of times I fail?
2. The man who never makes mistakes
3. The notion that we must be regular