How do you recharge?
"We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves: otherwise, we harden." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
My question for you is: How do you recharge your batteries? How do you renew or rejuvenate yourself? How do you avoid "hardening"?
A quick little story... We have an almost 15 year old labradoodle named Yazzie. She's a quasi-retired service dog and has provided amazing support to my eldest son Ezra when he had his major surgery at 2 years old, as well as to my other two younger boys. She fills the house with love and really provides a sense of grounding for our entire family.
So we had her at the beach last weekend on a moderately hot day and she was laying on the blanket, panting, and just sort of zoning out. She didn't seem too happy to be there.
At one point I came in from the surf and grabbed her and carried her about waist deep into the ocean. She was not very thrilled with this at all as she does NOT like water. (Yes, I know it's a mystery, she's 50% Labrador Retriever and she hates the water.)
As I carried her out there, she was trying to wiggle her way out of my arms and back to the beach blanket. Once we got to about waist deep I dropped her in the cold pacific water and she immediately turned around and swam to shore. A couple waves crashed on top of her but she was fine.
Here's the magic... Upon returning to the blanket, she was a completely different dog. She was full of energy, greeting other dogs and people passing by. She was running all around the beach, playing, sniffing, and just being a dog. A small miracle of sorts!
It was like we did cryo-therapy for her. Amazing right? I have never seen anything like it. And, to her dismay, I will definitely be taking her out to the ocean more often... :)
Anyways, it really got me thinking, what is your version of getting dropped into the cold ocean? What do you do to get yourself out of your doldrums or funk? Or even just when you are feeling low-energy?
For me, when the pandemic struck in March, I started surfing again after a 15 year break to focus on child-rearing and travel-intensive jobs. Back in the day, surfing was my release, my passion. I have traveled to Central and South America, Mexico, Hawaii, and even Europe for surf. It was, honestly, part of my identity.
I have to say it has been really fun to relearn a skill that I thought was long lost. It's definitely not like riding a bike, but I am working my way back into surf shape. I even have an amazing surf coach, Jeremy Ryan, a pro surfer for the last 20 years, to help get my form back as quickly as possible.
I'd love to hear from all of you. How do you recharge and regain energy, focus, and productivity, and a positive perspective on the world?
Especially in today's world that is full of division, strife, challenges, and uncertainty, we all need our own version of the Yazzie ocean dunk.
Clayton Frech
CEO and Founder, Ampla Institute (The Ampla Institute is a career development and coaching firm dedicated to helping you find you path and optimize your potential. DM me if you know someone looking for a career coach. Website coming soon.)
CEO and Founder, Angel City Sports (Angel City Sports provides free adaptive and Paralympic sports training, equipment, and competitive opportunities to kids, adults, and veterans with physical disabilities. Contact us at www.angelcitysports.org and @angelcitysports on social media.)