I thought maybe you could too.

*   *   *

In the summer of 2007 I climbed my first mountain. It was Mt. Saint Helen’s . . . → keep reading]]> This post was originally published four years ago. It was an event and a feeling I haven’t forgotten, although sometimes, day-to-day, I could use a little reminder.

I thought maybe you could too.

*   *   *

In the summer of 2007 I climbed my first mountain. It was Mt. Saint Helen’s our local active volcano. When I wrote about that climb, I wasn’t ready to admit I was hooked, but I was. There was something so elemental about standing on top of that mountain. It’s hard to describe that feeling of awe. I just knew I wanted to experience it again.

So, last year I took the Basic Climbing Education Program through The Mazamas, a local mountaineering organization. I climbed Mt. Adams and Middle Sister, both awesome experiences. But the one summit I really wanted to reach was Mt. Hood.

When you live in the Portland area, Mt. Hood, takes on this iconic role. The weather is gauged on whether or not you can see the mountain, you take visitors there, photos of downtown Portland with Mt. Hood as the backdrop are ubiquitous.

A climb of Mt. Hood last year was abandoned because of the high avalanche danger. I continued training. Conditions looked good this past weekend, so we tried it again. I really wanted to stand on that summit and experience the awe again.

When my friends and I arrived at Timberline at 3:30am, conditions looked great. It was cold about 12 degrees, but skies were clear, the wind was calm. We started up the mountain around 4am. Things were going just fine, until we ran into fellow Mazamas climbers at about 8000 feet. They were headed back down. The wind was really picking up at higher elevations, and it was getting icier.

We kept on going. We wanted to get up past Crater Rock and make the call whether or not we’d continue or head back down. The sunrise was stunning. Orange highlighted the Cascade Range. We could even see the tip of Mt. Shasta in Northern California.

Just as we were coming around the right side of Crater Rock, nearing Devil’s Kitchen (where steam and sulphur escape fumaroles and you’re reminded that this really is a volcano), we came upon two climbers. One was on his phone, the other looking at us oddly. Turns out he had just fallen and dislocated his shoulder, his friend was calling 911.

The injured climber was shivering uncontrollably, starting to show the classic signs of hypothermia. We dropped our packs and started to help. We got him on an insulated pad, and gave him handwarmers. A member of our team wisely had taken the Mazamas First Aid Course. He stabilized his arm and shoulder with bandages, and a zipped up down coat. We got some hot tea, Advil, and Gu (a sugar and electrolyte paste) into him.

Help wasn’t going to be able to reach us for awhile. Since his legs, back and neck were unhurt, we decided to get him down to the top of the Palmer lift the highest point a SnoCat can climb. I wasn’t going to get the thrill of standing on the Mt. Hood summit this time.

One of my friends had the climber put his good arm around his neck, and holding him securely around the waist, they started on their way down. Because of the steepness and ice, they had to do a slow, sideways dance, zig-zagging back and forth down the mountain. The rest of us packed up the pair’s belongings and added the gear to our loads. Another climber showed up to help, after hearing about the incident on his radio.

We made our way slowly down, stopping to let the climber rest, sip some water, eat another Gu when he needed to. About 30 minutes into the trip down, it hit me. I thought I’d have to reach the summit to get that indescribable feeling of awe again. But instead I found it on the side of the mountain on the way down, watching strangers help each other.

Note: Since I originally wrote this, I’ve reached the summit of Mt. Hood four times. And I hope to be up there many more!

Celebrations with Friends. This past weekend I had a great time helping two different friends celebrate milestone birthdays. Each party had a gorgeous view of one of Portland’s rivers, the Willamette and the Columbia. But, that’s . . . → keep reading]]> A look back at some of the best, hardest and most surprising parts of my week.

The Good

Celebrations with Friends. This past weekend I had a great time helping two different friends celebrate milestone birthdays. Each party had a gorgeous view of one of Portland’s rivers, the Willamette and the Columbia. But, that’s where the similarities end.  The first event was at a lovely restaurant downtown with fantastic views. The champagne was flowing, the food was delicious, the conversation interesting. Then I headed north. There were retro costumes, a crowded dance floor and a great mix of 80′s and top 40 music. It was so fun to go between such different events and crowds, and thoroughly enjoy them both.

Silly Subversiveness. I guess technically it’s graffiti, even called grandma graffiti by some, and while I abhor graffiti, I love yarn bombing. The plaza in the heart of my neighborhood was hit this week. I particularly love what they did with the bike rack.

The Bad

Forgetting. I forgot about the time involved in teaching my monthly Explore & Play class, and making it available for More members. Which isn’t a problem on it’s own, it’s when I also planned to finish up a couple of other big projects this week. Luckily, I’m learning lots from Cairene over in the Guild about how to learn from this, and remember it for next time. But man, does it frustrate me that I just can’t remember! Also,  just as I started to write this, I looked up to notice it’s pouring outside. Which reminds of another thing I forgot, a plastic bag over my bike seat. It’s going to be a soggy ride home from the cafe.

The Rad

New Shoes. When I started running a couple years ago, I went to a running store, had my gait video recorded and analyzed and went with the recommended shoes for overpronation. They were super comfortable and got me through that first marathon in style. Since then, I’ve been strengthening my feet and ankles, improving my form, and with each new pair of shoes, getting more neutral and minimal. I took another step forward with my newest shoes. I took them out last night, and they felt great, are super lightweight, and I L O V E the colors! It’s like Christmas around here. The surprising part? Somehow, I feel more like a real runner in them.

P.S. No wonder I love the colors of these shoes. As I was formatting this post, I realized they’re the colors of this site!

And you?

What were the Good | Bad | Rad parts of your week? Share them here, in the comments, or on the Perception Studios Facebook page.

In all the planning for this event, I’ve realized that after two years of introductory/beta-testing prices, it was really . . . → keep reading]]> Yesterday I celebrated the anniversary of my monthly Explore & Play classes with a fantastic call, and all the awesome people that joined in. It was great to have new callers and longtime callers joining in.

In all the planning for this event, I’ve realized that after two years of introductory/beta-testing prices, it was really time to make the prices current.

The live calls remain free

After Friday at noon pacific, recordings will be $36 each and the E & P More membership will be just $28 per month. The live calls will continue to be free.

More you say?

If you aren’t familiar with E & P More, it’s the membership that gets you the recording of each month’s class automagically delivered to your inbox PLUS the complete library of all past calls. Right now that’s a value of over $400. But, after Friday at noon pacific, it would cost over $800 to buy the full library.

Membership also gives you access to The Perception Studios Lounge, a place to discuss the topics more deeply, ask questions and get feedback on the techniques I’m teaching. You know, more.

Choose before noon Friday

If you’ve had your eye on one of the Explore & Play Classes, head over to the list of past classes and grab it now. If you see two or more you’d like, consider the tremendous value of More.

“Thank you for helping me make so many great changes, Shannon. My life is happier today because of the work we’ve done together.” – Darcy Prince

The work Darcy’s referring to? Being coached during the live calls.

And if this isn’t your thing?

I’d definitely love to have you on the no-cost live classes. Just make sure you’re signed up to get the deets and reminders.

An Added Note

If you’re unfamiliar with the classes and curious, head over to the sidebar there, enter your name and email addy and you’ll get access to one of the past calls, Create Confidence. If you want more like this, hop over to the Explore & Play More page to subscribe!

Ironically, it can be hard to let things be easy, and complicated to recognize that ease doesn’t always mean easy.

Recently, there hasn’t been as much ease in my business as I’d like. Sure the coaching part . . . → keep reading]]> I have a love affair with ease. I miss it when I don’t have it. I want more, when I do.

Ironically, it can be hard to let things be easy, and complicated to recognize that ease doesn’t always mean easy.

Recently, there hasn’t been as much ease in my business as I’d like. Sure the coaching part is made of ease (Unbelievable Ease to be exact) but the rest of my business? After my last trip a month ago, not so much.

Questions flooded my mind.

Why am I struggling with this? What’s going on? Am I afraid of failure? Afraid of success? Lacking willpower? Just plain lazy?

I started digging into those questions, even though I know that why isn’t the most helpful thing to ask. I contemplated complicated strategies to get my work done, detailed plans, complicated systems, major accountability.

After getting myself all twisted up about it, I eventually remembered what question is more helpful than why, and gave myself enough space to see what was really going on.

I looked at what’s working well, and what isn’t. What stood out most to me was how easy it is for me to follow my marathon training plan, even though the training itself isn’t easy. I explored what about it works so well for me, and how I could transfer that ease and effectiveness.

Turns out I work best when I have a simple yet detailed plan, with many of the decisions made up front. In fact deciding is one of the biggest parts of it for me. It’s not just about saving myself from having to make a million different decisions as I go, but deciding that I’m going to do it. That I’m committing to it. That kind of deciding, coupled with a simple plan makes all the difference for me.

Not just simple, but ridiculously simple.

My plan that is working flawlessly for the last couple of weeks? To work a certain number of hours each week (not much more, and definitely not less) and to create a list of priorities/to-dos at the beginning of each week that I send to my coach and an accountability buddy.

The time constraint has been beneficial in a surprising way. As a working-from-home, self-employed person, I can work pretty much anytime, which can lead to both working too much and not enough (I can do that later!). But knowing that I have to get everything done in a certain amount of time has led me to be exceptionally efficient. It certainly helps to know exactly what needs to get done before I sit down every day too.

This is one of those things that in retrospect seems so obvious, and certainly less than confetti-worthy. Yet, it took me some time to get here, so I’m celebrating.

What about you?

Is there something you’re struggling with that could use a little simplification? How can you give yourself enough space to discover the most simple, basic way to bring ease to that situation?

Photo: That’s a few weeks from my marathon training plan. Why, yes, I do check off my completed runs with an orange heart. 

Perspective. There’s this professional photograph  I’ve seen of my favorite bridge with one of my favorite mountains in the background. Mt. Hood always looks so huge behind the St. Johns Bridge, I’ve long suspected there was a little photoshopping going on. But . . . → keep reading]]> A look back at some of the best, hardest and most surprising parts of my week.

The Good

Perspective. There’s this professional photograph  I’ve seen of my favorite bridge with one of my favorite mountains in the background. Mt. Hood always looks so huge behind the St. Johns Bridge, I’ve long suspected there was a little photoshopping going on. But this last weekend, I decided to hike into Forest Park and see if I could find that exact view. I did, and wow, was it spectacular in real life!

Placing. Remember how last week, one of my Goods was about being surprised by my running performance? Well, happened again. That 10k I mentioned? I finished second in my age group! I’m like a kid when it happens. I make my friends get a picture. I hang my ribbon proudly on the refrigerator. I share it with anyone who will listen my friends and followers. And every time I think, “wow, I get to do this. I can do this.”

The Bad

Late nights. And those mean not enough sleep. And you know how I don’t like that. The good part of this bad is that it’s self-induced. I’ve had too many late nights with friends, having fun. I’m feeling a little blergh-y, which isn’t good, because I have a long training run and a couple of big social events this weekend. So, early night for me tonight! And also, a note to future me to help me remember that four nights in a row is too much.

The Rad

HH the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama is in Portland for an environmental summit. I was absolutely thrilled to be present at one of his first public events here. Seeing and hearing him was emotional and inspiring. His message was simple, to care for and have compassion for everyone and our world. I was most surprised by his laugh and sense of humor. He really seemed to be enjoying himself!

The experience has left me a bit beyond words, or if you’ve happened to talked to me in person about it, trying out lots and lots of words that all just seem inadequate. I’ll leave it at that. For now.

Oops. I really didn't mean to walk through the live news shot.

And you?

What were the Good | Bad | Rad parts of your week? Share them here, in the comments, or on the Perception Studios Facebook page.

And now, for this month’s topic:

Or, . . . → keep reading]]> (apologies to Parliament)

You made suggestions. You voted. You loved them all* but this one came out just a bit ahead. Thanks to you all for joining me in celebrating the second anniversary of Explore & Play. Here’s to beginning a third fantastic year!

And now, for this month’s topic:

Giving up the Funk

Or, what to do when you don’t feel like doing anything, especially when you need to get things done.

The insidious thing about being in a funk, is that it’s hard to get anything done. And then you beat yourself up for not doing the stuff you should be doing. And then you feel worse because you’re not doing the stuff, and then you feel like your in a deeper funk, and well, hello stinky spiral of funk.

There are ways to stop the spiral. They do not involve willpower or making yourself push through or beating yourself up. They do help ease the funk so you can get things done (and perhaps even feel better).

Join the Explore & Play Class and Coaching Hour on Tuesday, May 14th. I’ll be teaching you how to  stop the spiral, move forward and give up the funk. I’ll also be answering your questions and coaching people live on the call.

Want to give up the funk?

Make sure you’re on the list! Enter your info over there —-> in the sidebar.

Please share this post with your friends who might find themselves in a spiral of funk from time-to-time.

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Want reminders for the free, live calls? Get yourself signed up over there, in the sidebar! 

Want the recordings to automagically show up in your inbox each month? Explore & Play More is the option for you!

See the full list of previous Explore & Play Classes.

What’s it like when you’re in a funk?

Please, share your thoughts here in the comments, on the Facebook page, or send me a private note.

* More than one person expressed hope that all three of these fantastic suggestions show up as a call in the coming months. Let’s just say you shouldn’t be surprised if they do. 

“What does that even mean?

“How am I supposed to even do that?

“It’s not possible... well, crap…

“Okay, I ask people to imagine weird stuff all the time. I’ll just imagine I could do it.

“Oh wow…ohh….”

“…”

“…”

Three weeks ago, during a new-to-me yoga . . . → keep reading]]> “What? Did he say what I think he said?

“What does that even mean?

“How am I supposed to even do that?

“It’s not possible... well, crap…

“Okay, I ask people to imagine weird stuff all the time. I’ll just imagine I could do it.

“Oh wow…ohh….”

“…”

“…”

Three weeks ago, during a new-to-me yoga class, the teacher said this phrase, “move your eyeballs away from your brain.” And then I had all of those thoughts. I kind of wanted to giggle. And then I imagined that I could do it, and it got very quiet in my head.

It changed everything.

Suddenly, I was present and experiencing all the sensations in my body. I could pay attention to the subtle adjustments he was suggesting. I could relax into the stretch and strength of each pose. All without thinking. Without commentary in my head.

It was the exact right day to hear this phrase for the first time. It was April 15th, and I had watched far too much video from that sad day. Moving my eyeballs away from my brain allowed me to step back from my thoughts and fears and sadness and anger that were being stirred up all day long.

First I smile, and then I get quiet.

The phrase is popping into my head when I need it most. I also am bringing it purposefully to mind when I’m meditating or relaxing at night to go to sleep. Or anytime I notice that I’m way more in my head than in the moment.

At tonight’s class, a new phrase came up, that I think I’ll be repeating to myself. The funny thing about this one, is that I mis-heard him. But I like what I heard, so I’m going with it. He said, “keep your face soft.” But I heard, “turn your face off.”

Somehow, turning my face off, is way more powerful, than making it soft.

Now, it’s time for me to move my eyeballs away from my brain and turn my face off.

What about you?

Do you have something that reminds you to turn your attention to now? Have you ever had something that seemed really strange at first end up being incredibly helpful?  What’s it like for you when you move your eyeballs away from your brain, or turn your face off?

Overwhelmed by Suggestions. I had this idea that I would celebrate the two year anniversary of Explore & Play by letting you suggest, and then choose the topic for the anniversary call. I somehow forgot how creative . . . → keep reading]]> A look back at some of the best, hardest and most surprising parts of my week.

The Good

Overwhelmed by Suggestions. I had this idea that I would celebrate the two year anniversary of Explore & Play by letting you suggest, and then choose the topic for the anniversary call. I somehow forgot how creative and thoughtful and interesting you all are! The ideas poured in, and while it was a hard thing to choose, I’m so glad I asked. There were some definite themes, and some very original ideas. Most of all, I’m thrilled that there continues to be so much interest in these calls! I love doing them, and it’s so good to know that you love them too. (Take a moment to vote if you haven’t already!)

Regular Blogging. This isn’t just the anniversary month for Explore & Play, this month also marks one year of regular blogging. This blog has been around for more than six years (my first post was in January 2007), but I didn’t have a regular posting schedule until a year ago, when I started a one-month daily posting challenge with my friend and collaborator, Janine Adams. I met that challenge and continued for another three months of daily blogging. Then switched to posting three times a week. I just did a quick calculation and about 60 percent of the total posts have been written in the last year.

Running Ease. Despite being a couple months into training for my third marathon, I still don’t really consider myself a runner. While I find that interesting, and somewhat odd, there’s an upside. I get to regularly be surprised by what I manage to do in my training. This week, it was first the thought that I have an easy week, because my long run was only 13 miles, and then the thinking why don’t I just go ahead and get that out of the way on Monday after work, since I have a 10k race on Saturday. Who am I?! There’s something that feels so powerful about being able to do that. I love the feeling.

Blue Skies. Please forgive me, but I have to wax on a bit about the gorgeous weather in Portland. Again. I think we had some gray skies and rain at some point this week, but I blocked it out. When you live in a place where summer generally doesn’t start until July Fifth, these things are worth talking about. A lot. Also, I am hereby reminding myself to not complain about the heat, should that happen, during the actual summer.

The Bad

Scheduling Conflicts. I had to move some things around this week, which caused me to miss most of the group time with my Guild buddies. Despite having an incredibly productive week otherwise, this has left me feeling a little bereft — like my work for the week isn’t quite finished. Plus I love hearing how their projects are going, and what they’re discovering in the process.

The Rad

Mystery. Wednesday was May Day. While it has become a day for labor protests, when I was a little girl, it was when my sister and I, with our mom’s help, would make pretty paper baskets from old wallpaper sample books, fill them with flowers, hang them on the neighbors’ doors, ring the bell and run! We loved doing that every year. This year, someone did it for me! I was working away, my doorbell rang, and by the time I got down two flights of stairs, all that was left on my porch was a beautiful bouquet of tulips and a big bag of mandarin oranges. There was a simple signed note, “Happy May Day! Shannon!”

At first, I was dying to know who left me such sweet gifts. I wanted to be able to thank them properly.

But, as I went through the day, I noticed something very interesting…I was kinder, chattier, smiley-er, with everyone who crossed my path. I wanted to perpetuate this exceptional kindness for no reason. I feel gratitude towards everyone, because it could have been anyone. So thank you, whoever acted on their whim, and gifted me not just with lovely flowers and fruit, but a whole new attitude.

And you?

What were the Good | Bad | Rad parts of your week? Share them here, in the comments, or on the Perception Studios Facebook page.

Somehow, I forgot how creative and wise and curious my readers are. The suggestions I received are phenomenal. Really. Which, of course, has made it quite difficult to choose.

But, . . . → keep reading]]> I don’t know what I was thinking. Oh, I’ll just ask people for ideas, and then I’ll pick three and announce it. Easy peasy.

Ha.

Somehow, I forgot how creative and wise and curious my readers are. The suggestions I received are phenomenal. Really. Which, of course, has made it quite difficult to choose.

But, I still had to make myself choose three, as I promised you. The three I chose, either were something that a number of people had a similar suggestion (and I went with the first) or something that has been coming up rather frequently from clients and readers, or a combination.

And…here they are:

Giving Up The Funk (with apologies to Parliament) – How to get things done when you don’t feel like doing anything.

Receiving Criticism with Aplomb – How to remain self-possessed when getting feedback (whether you asked for it or not).

Avoiding Avoidance – What to do with all those excuses (even the ones that seem legitimate) so you can do what you really want to be doing.

Congratulations Dave, Beth and Jessica! Looking forward to having you as members of Explore & Play More.

Now it’s your turn!

Remember, your vote determines the topic of the May 14th Explore & Play Class & Coaching Hour.

Voting ends Tuesday, May 7th at midnight, I’ll announce the winner on the 8th.

The two year anniversary of the Explore & Play Class and Coaching Hours is coming up very soon.

But before that, though, is the deadline for you to submit your ideas. Yes, to celebrate this occasion, you get to suggest, and then pick the topic for the next call!