In recent weeks, I have started a few new projects, most notably, I have partnered with a gallery in Denver to display some of my favorite photographs from my travels and adventures in the American West. This is a very exciting venture, as I had wanted to do this for a long time, but it is also new for me. It is a different way of expressing myself and putting myself out there. It is a vulnerable place. It also took quite a bit of work to get everything ready within a few short weeks. I was doing this and a few other projects on top of my regular job while planning a number of visits and travel for this summer. At times, I felt a little overwhelmed, tired, and insecure.
Starting a few new projects while things were already quite busy came with a lot of ups and downs, excitement, and doubts. I was trying to manage these ups and downs in my moods and energy, but I wasn’t very successful. I didn’t like my own mental and emotional responses. And then I tested something different. Instead of managing the thing that was happening, I began to focus on the foundations that make me feel good and relaxed in general and to my surprise, everything started to get better from there.
Foundations in this context mean the simple things I can do every day that I know make me feel good mentally and physically. For me, this usually includes a few things. First, I need to start my day right. I need my quiet, slower morning where I have the space, time, and peace to ease into the day. Secondly, I need exercise. I know that my mental wellbeing is closely connected to my physical activity. So, I had to build in my day time for regular exercise, ideally in the morning. I also needed to clean up my diet and drink more water. I learned a few years ago how important clean diet is for how I feel and now I know what I need to do to feel and be at my best. Another key foundational thing for me is good sleep. Sleep that is long enough and of good quality.
With this in mind, I shifted where I focused my energy – from trying to manage my feelings at the moment and control what was happening to making sure that my foundations were solid. And very quickly I realized that getting my foundations right usually enabled all other things to fall into place the way I wanted. Because I was feeling relaxed and good about myself through my foundational work, other things started to naturally flow from there.
This was a big discovery for me and I plan to keep this approach going forward. I will not always get it right. There are times when I may not be in a position to cover all my foundations. But getting right as many of these foundational things as possible seems like the best approach to be prepared for unexpected events, new projects, and challenging situations. Ultimately, I will have some ups and downs, but keeping my building blocks solid will help me flow through these with more ease and grace and less of an emotional burden for me and those around me.
What those foundations are is probably different for different people, but I am pretty confident that this approach as a whole will work for most people. If you are feeling a little bit off balance, make sure that your foundational building blocks are solid and consistent. And if they are already there and solid, great job! Keep it going!
