Procrastinate no more. I finally updated my version of a guide for surviving walking sixty miles in three days. All from the perspective of an Old Lady Walking.
Survival Guide
The guide pokes fun at the physical side of the 3-Day Walk for the Cure. If you follow me at all, you know how much this event means to me and that I have been participating since 2003.
I wrote the original guide back in 2012 after putting ten 3-Day Walks under my feet. I share it for free with anyone who is interested, particularly newbies to the event. As I say in the guide, I like to think I get smarter with each Walk so I have been promising to update the guide for quite some time.
What Can I Say – I am Perfectly Imperfect
Perhaps it’s the rush of publishing my debut memoir that chronicles my two-plus decades of walking sixty miles in three days that finally pushed me to update it.
I will be sharing the free guide with anyone who wants it (and posting it at the Susan G. Komen 3-Day Facebook group). Couch potatoes are welcome to download it as well.
Click on this link to obtain your copy. =====> 60 Mile Walk Survival Guide: from an Old Lady Walking. This is in pdf format. I looked into a print copy but it was difficult to find platforms that would accept it as a free copy.
However, if you want a digital version, click on this link ====> ebook version – just know that there are not as many photos as the pdf version and some platforms may show them in grayscale.
Walk on!
I am eternally grateful for the 3-Day Walk experience that introduced me to so many wonderful people, stories, and life lessons. During these turbulent times, it helps to focus on how truly blessed I am from walking sixty miles in three days.
Walk on.
How many control freaks have you encountered in your life? Perhaps you identify yourself as one. I know. Never happens, right?
While few of us like others trying to control what we do, reality is there are some things out of our control. The trick is zoning in on what we can and cannot control. It’s much easier said than done.
The chaos of the current environment in the U.S. (and other parts of the world) can overwhelm to the point of paralysis. Mix in the stress of everyday life and you may feel your flame of self being snuffed out.
I know I have felt that. So, I decided to regroup.
When Control Slips Away
One of my greatest joys in becoming a sole proprietor of my own business was the control over my life.
No more commute in southern California traffic
Creating my own hours and schedule
Working on my priorities
Of course, with control comes other frustrations.
Taking on techie challenges
Handling everything from office maintenance to marketing
And did I mention techie challenges?
However, in recent years between caregiving for my mom who is over 100 years of age and the avalanche of political unrest, that control slipped into operating by rote.
I accomplished tasks but they were not very satisfying. I needed to find ways to add value to what is important to me. I needed to take back control.
Circling Around Control
My life and career focuses on keeping it simple. To create a plan to regroup to discover more value, I had to identify what is at the heart of my dissatisfaction and figure out what I could do about it.
Time to see what people smarter than me had to share. I came upon a concept of circles of control, influence, and concern.
Multiple sources credit Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People with the idea. But as this Psychology Today article notes, the origin of the control and concern elements of the concept come from “ancient Stoic philosphers.” Social psychologist, Kurt Lewin, developed the influence element in the 1940s.
So, how do I use this concept?
Closing the Circle
The Psychology Today article describes each element.
Control – the smallest circle with you in the middle. There are few issues you can control.
Influence – our impact is somewhat bigger but there is a limited amount we can influence.
Concern – the “bad actor” as we have virtually no impact (e.g., climate change, hate crimes).
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