Spend Some Time Thinking

This time of year, when the bipolar weather is having a good day, I spend some time on the rock bar at the creek.

This is a new feature created by the flood from a few months ago, and has lots to explore.

I'm intrigued by all the colors and types of rocks.

This trip, I combed the area, taking photos of rocks that caught my eye.

I decided to sit down and listen to the water as it rushed through the narrow channel.

It was nice to soak up the sun and the sounds of nature.

Later I explored the end of the rock bar, and it was so quiet that I decided to sit and meditate.

As I got comfortable, well, as comfortable as you can sitting on rocks, I heard a plop sound in the water.

On a lake I would have thought of a large fish, but this is a creek and it never has any large fish in it, so I was intrigued.

As I went into meditation I heard another plop.

Now I was curious what could be making this sound.

I sat in silence and just observed the creek, and I heard the sound two or three more times before I caught the culprit.

The creekbank opposite me was cut deep from the flooding.

We had experienced subzero temperatures and six inches of snow the week before.

What I heard were the rocks being released from the bank as the dirt around them thawed and they fell into the water.

They were then carried downstream and be deposited along the creek bed.

Being still, I got to witness a moment of geologic time.

Being still is one of the hardest easy things to do.

Seriously, how easy is it to sit and think? Yet we never do it.

We keep ourselves so busy taking action and responding to the next email.

We don't take time to get grounded and get clear on what we really want.

We know that if we do take this time we can position ourselves to see our situation more clearly and understand it at a deeper level.

In his book The Road Less Stupid, Keith Cunningham gives some great topics for you to explore if you want a more structured thought time.

Check out his book and each chapter will give you great questions.

Here are a few ideas from his chapter on clarity.

• How do I need to rework our plans and budgets to make them granular and measurable?

• What is the specific recipe I need to create to make certain the outcome we have stated is achieved?

• What are the specific activities and milestones we must hit in order to stay on track with our stated deliverables?

• Who specifically is accountable and responsible for achieving each outcome?

• What are the dashboards I need to create to make sure we are measuring the critical drivers and making connections based on our performance?

If you need help getting thinking time in your day, you might be a good fit for our Cash Flow Accelerator.

We help you get crystal clear on your cash forecast, then we work on your direction.

When your direction and dollars line up, you can create the days you desire.

Let's chat if you'd like to learn more.

Cyndi