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I’m now almost 8 weeks in to my 3 month adventure. When I left California, my car was loaded with things I thought I’d need during my time away. Clothes, books, camping gear, decks of card and my favorite board games, my laptop, journal, camera and even my electric water kettle. And as I have unpacked and repacked my things at different points along the way, one of the things I’ve realized is how time-consuming — and distracting — stuff can be for me. I brought a pile of books that I thought I might want or need to reference as I delve into my own writing and books that I thought might inspire me. I brought clothes for hot weather, warm weather and really cold weather (I get cold really easily, and love being warm, so coats and scarves and hats and fingerless gloves somehow all seemed essential as I packed my things). And somehow, I managed to bring a dozen pairs of shoes and 3 or 4 bikinis in the trunk of my car and on the road with me! I haven’t used much of the stuff I thought was so critical as I envisioned and prepared for this journey. But I’ve certainly spent a lot of time loading and unloading it, organizing it and rearranging it. 

When I step back and watch my own behavior, it can be pretty amusing at times. And it is always informative. Self-awareness is, after all, the first step toward intentional living. So, I’ve been noticing all the ways in which I spend those precious resources of my time and energy. And I’ve been watching all the ways in which I distract myself, and the reasons that I engage in those behaviors and activities.

Here are a few of the many things I have learned:

• When I slow down, I’m more effective. When I rush around trying to get things done, I may be moving more quickly than other times, but I’m often getting less of what really matters most done. That happens most obviously when I haven’t stopped to really assess and choose what I want to do before getting started. It’s easy for me to be unfocused or focused on things that aren’t really helping me to create the results that I want in my life.
• When I minimize distractions, I’m more present. Stuff can distract me from just being present in this moment. Even reaching for my camera as I wandered through Capitol Reef or Yellowstone or Glacier National Park took me a bit out of direct experience with the elk and antelope and big horn sheep and waterfalls. I’m glad that I took a bunch of photos to share with friends and remind me of the adventures, but I also loved the moments when I kept the camera off and just watched the rainbow colors of the Grand Prismatic Spring at Yellowstone or got to know the family with 5 kids from Arizona, and gave their son a piggy back ride.
• I distract myself in all kinds of ways when I’m feeling uncomfortable in my own skin. I like to think that I’m often comfortable in my own skin (comfortable with myself as I am, able to be with my emotions and my thoughts), but when I look at the many ways in which I distract myself, I see really clearly that in each of those moments, for one reason or another, I’m turning away from myself rather than embracing and honoring myself.

Once we are aware, we can be at choice. When I see what I am doing, I can assess whether it’s working for me or not. I can choose to do things differently if what I’ve been doing isn’t working for me or supportive of my inner peace and well-being.

I’m glad I’ve made a habit of watching my behavior. Are there things you can learn from watching your behavior too?

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