As I scramble up the rocky mound, ascending a 100 ft or more, my breath is steady…
But the mind is still chattering.
Two men behind me excited for what we may spot from the top of the tallest rock we could find.
A thought of judgement introduces itself. Judging me for having thoughts while on the hunt.
Because I know, the best hunting happens when I am thoughtless. In fact, my best moments in life happen in the absence of thought.
And even though I know this to be true, they love to intrude on the party.
It took close to 16 hours of no cell service, a sunset, sunrise, and a couple animals in the bag before my system synced with nature, and the mind quieted down.
It’s noon. The sun is high. No hunting at this hour. Changing gears. I swigged a gram of lemon tek mushrooms (a light dose), crawled under a tree in the middle of a dry creek bed, and pulled my Mexican sunflower hat over my eyes.
Rest and reflect.
A new hunter sets the objective and obsesses.
He misses countless opportunities in the pursuit of the kill.
The hunt is riddled with disappointment and excitement. A roller coaster of emotions are present.
He’s unhappy if he comes home empty handed.
If he sticks with it, he’ll continue to pickup the skills necessary to achieve his objective.
To bag the animal that he dreams of. Sometimes he’s successful, but mostly he finds himself wandering without satisfaction.
But the seasoned hunter doesn’t obsess over the objective.
He knows that infinite possibilities are available. The kind the mind cannot fathom. He’s NOT tracking a single animal. He’s tracking everything. The environment. His self. Coordinating with nature to position himself in the obvious.
It’s a different kind of obsession. Not for the objective but one of mastery.
And in that, he finds himself… exactly where he belongs.
A place his mind could have never conjured on its own.
The objective may have gotten you started but it won’t make you happy.
Are you tracking the infinite possibilities that present themselves along the way or is your focus too narrowly focused that you miss the forest for the trees?
Incremental achievement is gotten through narrow focus.
Exponential is gotten through openness along the way. Tracking more than that single objective.
My greatest achievements have been a result of exploration without expectation.
What percentage of your time is spent exploring… vs. charging toward a goal you might not even want anymore?
Are you open to infinite possibility…
or gripping the objective so tightly you can’t see the forest for the kill?
Keep tracking,
Mike Bledsoe
P.S.
If your mission feels misaligned—not broken, but off by a couple degrees—email me. I’ve created a room for leaders like you.
Join the email list. Reply. We’ll talk.