10 Lessons on living your best life from my trip to Colorado
If you move through life at the pace of everyone else, you will experience life like everyone else. If you experience life like everybody else, you should expect to get the same results as everyone else.
So, if your goal is to get better results than everyone else, you must experience life differently.
Here are some examples of the fruits of living differently from a recent trip to Colorado. (All original photography).
Set a pace based on your outcomes, not everyone else’s. We got up early and beat the rush to see these rare beasts, and we were the only ones watching the sun rise over the mountains. Our goal for the trip was to experience nature in ways we hadn’t before.
The goal wasn’t to win a race to the top but to enjoy the journey. Move at a pace appropriate for your goals and that is sustainable for you long term. Along the roads of life, some people sprint, some meander, some run distances, and some combine running with other things. Pick the pace that helps you succeed by the definition you set for yourself. And please don’t compare yourself to anyone else; comparison is the thief of so much joy.
We looked from a different angle/perspective to see these. If you look at things the same way as everyone else, you are influenced by bias, and you end up missing so much. Life is better lived when you consider different perspectives, ask questions, and look past the obvious to see what others don’t see, even when it is right in front of them.
Do things others aren’t willing to do even though you might not be fully equipped. To get those other photos, we had to cross this stream. It required our feet to get wet because we didn’t have proper shoes. Many folks turned back to avoid the temporary discomfort of wet feet. We moved forward, wet feet and all. Your best outcomes are on the other side of doing things others aren’t willing to do and not letting a lack of feeling equipped hold you back.
Always take time to learn. I now know the difference between a dredge and a gulch. And that Colorado Mining used both. It might be a bad example because it’s pretty useless knowledge for today. But you get the point. Always be willing to invest in yourself; one of the best investments is taking time to learn new things. Information is everywhere, but people willing to invest time to learn and apply what they learn are much more rare.
Get comfortable being uncomfortable. They rate trails. Green is easy, blue is moderate, and black diamonds are hard. We started on the green. Tried a blue and then went all in on a black diamond. On the last day, we did +900 feet of elevation in under a mile to see amazing views. We learned we could do hard trails, but we wouldn’t have known it if we hadn’t been willing to try. You can do hard things if you think you can’t start on the green trails and work your way up. But don’t let fear prevent you from giving it a try, even when it is a bit scary.
Here are some other practical things to consider when it comes to living differently to achieve different results.
Have a life plan and goals. Write them down, track progress, and communicate your goals with others. That way, you will know what living differently means to you.
Have a daily plan of action. Check this one out that I created. It covers all the things people living their best lives do, and it will help you build the habits you need.
Admit you are an addict. A supermajority of Western society is addicted to comfort and ease. This includes you. You must relearn to be uncomfortable so you can grow.
Put down the distractions. Screens, alcohol, leisure, gossip, … name the thing you do so you can just enjoy comfort and relax. And do that thing less.
Invest in your relationships. I was on vacation with my wife of 20 years. We didn’t get to 20 years without intentional daily effort.
Conclusion
The best views are from the top of the mountain. Like this photo, I snapped. But remember to determine your mountain top so you can intentionally act in ways that enable you to reach the peak of your mountain. The things on this list will help you get started in your journey.
