Renewing the Spirit
Susan and I recently returned from taking our annual one-week-a-year getaway to my brother’s and my fishing camp in Wisconsin. It isn’t really a camp but it is a place where family members often gather. This year it was quite wonderful being with my brother and his wife. That was almost two months ago and having been back in the whirlwind of life has somewhat blunted my absolute belief that in order to be really creative and come up with “out-of-box” ideas, I must renew my spirit.
On my recent camping trip I was reminded of the importance of getting away from what’s comfortable and renewing the spirit
So, here I sit on my two-day camping trip overlooking a beautiful lake near Great Barrington, Massachusetts, listening to NPR and writing about renewal. By the way, my wife’s not with me because this year she declared, “I will travel anywhere in the world with you with great joy but – there had better be a shower without spiders crawling up the wall. Good point.
Yesterday I had a guest stay with me, an old and dear friend from St. Thomas. He’s a deep thinker with a great sense of humor and loves to have his mind stimulated with interesting discussion. Other than my brother, I don’t really “hang out” with other men. I think it’s because I have a missing chip when it comes to appreciating sports. So, my ability to carry on a conversation for any length of time in male company about the world of athletics is somewhat limited and often quite painful – unless I’m with someone with whom I respect and feel totally comfortable and like to think and discuss the larger issues of life.
Richard and I had a great time and I felt much lighter in spirit than when he arrived. Today I rented a row boat and spent two very pleasant hours fishing and thinking – totally alone. Once again my mind turned to creative projects, ideas and possibilities and once again I was reminded of the importance of getting away from what’s comfortable even if what’s comfortable is chaos and – renewing the spirit.
James Mapes is a keynote speaker, best-selling author, coach and hypnotist. His most recent book IMAGINE THAT! Igniting Your Brain for Creativity and Peak Performance is the first web-supported book with access to 21 video-coaching clips.
James Mapes is the founder of Quantum Leap Thinking™, creator of The Transformational Coach™, expert on the psychology of “applied imagination,” best-selling author, highly acclaimed business speaker, consultant, seminar leader and personal excellence coach.