Mindful Choices in Life

Recently after a mountain bike ride I reflected on the mindful consideration I took before deciding how to best spend my time. Here are some thoughts on how that day went.

Have you ever wondered where your gut feeling comes from, and how things often work out when you follow it? Have you ever pondered at the end of a good day, the ways in which your day went well and how it happened? Some of the qualities I aim for are Good people, good energy, good mood, and usually some sort of physical exertion. The question then becomes- How do I make these things happen?

I had two choices for my guy time on this particular day. Choice #1 – Go dirt biking with friends .Choice #2 – go mountain biking. I know, ‘champagne problem’ right? Gut feeling & Intuition said, “go ride your mountain bike.” Dirt biking is awesome but this day I knew I needed that sweet sensation you only get from a good mountain bike ride. First comes the cardio hit! Pedaling your butt off while mindfully picking your way up a mountain trail. By the time you get to the top your body is pumping with all kinds of great endorphins! What a great Biohack (something that improves you mentally and physically) as well as priming your senses for the downhill. Then the ‘stoke’ and presence that fills your entire being as you rip down some steep flowing down hill trails.

So I called up my friend Chris and he was able to go – sweet! Chris, like myself is a busy guy – Wife, kids, business – so when he can make it for a ride, that is an opportunity for gratitude. We had a great ride and met up with some great people. Chris got chatting with a group of lady’s we encountered on the way up the hill. And as it turns out one of them was my grade 6 school teacher! As we made that connection it then came out that her son is a downhill mountain biking pro. Chris picked up on the last name as his company does promotional work for Mountain Bike BC. What a cool connection! The day was adding up with cool synchronicity experiences. We parted ways with the lady’s and continued our ride. After a quick snack, and taking a moment of gratitude for the sweet view from the top, we proceeded to rip down the hill on some of our favorite trails. What an awesome day!

Always Being Mindful

Choosing our activities and goals in terms of the experiences we want to have and the states of being we want to be in really guides our intuition to better serve us. Awareness of where you are at in terms of your mind and body’s needs Is key. Be mindful of those needs. Taking the time to reflect and choose is key to maximizing effectiveness. Couple this with meditation and visualization and then find yourself making the choices that create those experiences, with me, it really seems to work out this way.