Of Course, you need Hiking Boots, Or Do You?
Here are my original thoughts:
I’m returning to backpacking after 15 years and bought hiking boots—no trail runners or tennis shoes for me.
Backpacking decisions are all about what you are comfortable with. Cutting weight gets to a balancing act of what will cause you stress on the trail. There is no need to cut a few ounces on footwear if you are constantly worried about turning an ankle. Was it worth it??
Go with the boots, man.
For backpacking, make your decision on footwear early. Then, after that, you can go with what you have, shoes, even sandless to get out the door. But I would argue you need boots when you start.
You are adding at least 20 lbs. to your body weight when you put that pack on. Until you get used to carrying that weight up and down hills and uneven footing, you need the ankle stability that boots give you.
The ground can be uneven, changing your center of gravity. Twisting an ankle out on the trail is not ideal. – you must make your way back to the trailhead.
Boots can provide a better tread; hey, they make them specifically for the trail. And that will help improve your footing out on the trail.
Boots now are not just the leather variety we used to have; they are breathable, waterproof, lightweight. Compared to what I was used to, they are much lighter and improved.
You can go with trail runners, even tennis shoes, or trainers, sandals, or whatever you want, but I think starting with hiking boots are the way to go.
After you get your legs under you and feel confident, go for it and try something else for footwear.
Then I changed my views and beliefs on footwear.
Here is where I am now.
There is a place for trail runners (basically beefed-up running shoes specifically designed for off-road use), sandals hey even barefoot. You do not automatically need to move to the hiking boot rack when shopping for backpacking footwear.
The chart below from Beth Henkes at REI offers a few facts to consider when deciding between hiking boots and trail runners:
When you are evaluating what works for you, here are a few items to consider:
How comfortable are you on uneven surfaces? If you are trying to tackle a trail with many uneven surfaces, rocks, roots, then maybe you need the stability of a boot.
What is your body type? Do you need to lose a few pounds, then maybe boots are a safe bet.
How fast will you be being going? Are you trying to churn out the miles? Trail runners are the way to go then. They are designed for moving fast.
How steady are you with additional weight on your back? Steady, then go with trail runners or another light footwear.
What seasons/weather are you going to be hiking in? (Snow, below freezing temps) I would go for boots.
In conclusion – it was interesting how I had the opinion, that I thought was based on facts, that wasn’t entirely true. Not only will I be considering trail runners for my hiking footwear, I learned something about myself today. I’m not too old to learn something new and to change my mind. I need to celebrate that.
How I Actively Read
Reading is an active sport!
I always have two books going, one print and one Kindle. I have recently read and follow along with How to Take Smart Notes by Sönke Ahrens and Adler’s How to Read a Book. I follow their guidelines in how I actively read.
For me, the key to reading is turning it into a habit. Here is my post on how I use Tiny Habits to successfully achieve this.
To make reading a habit, I have set a low daily goal of reading one page. I describe my aim low to overachieve thoughts in this post (LINK).
This has helped me build a daily reading habit.
My Workflow
My workflow is a combined digital and analog system. I use the Kindle, print books, the Readwise, and Evernote apps, along with a notebook and 4x6 cards.
I engage with my books by taking notes, documenting my criticisms, agreements, and disagreements with the authors, along with highlights. Thus, I am constantly engaging with the author.
My workflow is slightly different based on the book type.
Kindle book
I read on both my Kindle Paperwhite (link) and the Kindle app on my iPhone. They seamlessly sync, so I am always at the exact location on all my devices. I ready and actively highlight and enter notes on what I read. As I read, my highlights are automatically synced to Readwise and are served up to me daily based on the algorithms I set. I have set Readwise to automatically sync my highlights to Evernote.
I have a separate Readwise notebook with all my highlights in Evernote.
Print Books
Print Library Book
If the book is available from the library, and I have not done my pre-book review, I will get the library book to see if the book is worth purchasing. If the book is a book I will read, I’ll eventually buy my own copy.
I use a notebook for library books to capture my notes, highlights, and thoughts as I read. I capture my ideas about the author’s points and then note the book’s page number.
After completing the book, I prepare a 1-page summary of the book and my three actions or takeaways.
This is all done in my Book notebook – currently, a Minimalism Art B5 Dotted softcover notebook.
I review my physical notes and distill the best ones down and add them to Evernote. Along with my book summary, I add my three Take-Aways to Evernote and my Book Actions Pages document.
Print book – Owned
For these books, I am highlighting and writing notes in the book during reading. I am folding pages for critical sections; I highlight words I want to look up. I am physically interacting with the book in the book.
After I completed the book, I set the book down for a few weeks.
It’s been two to three weeks, so now I go back and review my highlights and transfer the key thoughts, ideas, and quotes to Evernote. I also write out the summary of the book and identify three takeaways/actions from the book for me.
All Reading Notes
After I have everything distilled down in Evernote, I take one more pass, identify the key, foundational notes, and physically write them out on 4 x 6 index cards.
I write the highlighted note out in my own words; I add 3 – 4 theme words on the top line on the back of each card. Next, I note the author and book or article. I then note the page from the book on the front of the note.
I then transfer the themes to a Numbers database with the book noted. I then note any other notes related to (manual backlinking) and finally add the note to my box. Filed alphabetically by the first or key theme.
How do you capture and process what you read? Share it below in the comments.
Review of Tiny Habits: Small Changes that Change Everything
Author: BJ Fogg, PhD
Pages: 306
Publication date: 2020
Three Take-Aways / Actions:
Set me up for success but setting tiny habits that are extremely low
Celebrate immediately after each success
Remind me that my bad habits are not character flaws, just bad behaviors that need to be adjusted.
Rating 4.5 / 5
BJ Fogg, a Stanford University Ph.D., used his extensive research to develop a methodology to creating lasting, sustained change. His Tiny Habits method espouses the approach of setting tiny, small behaviors that, through repetition, and celebrations can grow to more significant and more impactful change. He gives the example of building a flossing habit by celebrating flossing one tooth a day.
His Tiny Habits recipe is:
After I ….. I will ……. To wire the Habit, I will immediately celebrate by ….
BJ’s approach and mindset are to never personalize your habits but rather be open to adjusting your approach to get what you want out of the Habit and behavior.
He shies away from using willpower. Using the action/celebration chain and not willpower will drive change. He argues that willpower takes too much effort and adds unnecessary friction to the process.
To BJ, Motivation and Ability are the critical factors in determining the success of the behavior becoming repeated. You need to increase motivation and or ability to get the action outside the Action Line. Motivation and ability are complimentary. The amount you have of one affects the amount you need of the other.
Another critical facet BJ offers is the no behavior happens without a prompt. And the most essential prompts are action prompts. Prompts are imperative and vital in developing positive behaviors and habits and stopping unwanted ones.
BJ is all about striving for improvement and consistency and not perfection. Don’t get into a burst or bust situation. Consistent execution of your prompt, habit/behavior, and celebration will reinforce and grow your habits.
The action prompt needs to be precise as possible to help reduce the inherent friction. You want to reduce the need to think about what the prompt COULD be. You want to make it almost automatic. Positive emotions (built through celebrations) make the behavior even intuitive.
BJ also notes that hope and fear push against each other, and the net is your motivation. Works towards increasing your hope and reducing your fears.
In the end, habit creation is about mindset. Here are four successful keys to a great mindset:
Be open, flexible, and curious about the possibilities.
Lower your expectations for success
Celebrate every success
Change your process, don’t personalize your actions / bad habits.
You can’t force change on others.
When working with others, you need to help others do what they already want to do; you are influencing others, not trying to force change.
This is a great book and worth your time. In the end, after making tiny Habits, you should be able to ask yourself, “I now see me as the kind of person who…..”
Fantastic Backpacking Resources
Looking for excellent backpacking content? These fantastic resources with over 178 million YouTube views. These resources will help improve your backpacking enjoyment and on-trail experience:
YouTube channels
Outdoor Vitals - Outdoor Vitals is a direct-to-consumer outdoor equipment company that provides excellent content on its channel.
The Hungry Hiker - She is an experienced thru-hiker that provides great on-trail food options and hiking opportunities in the US Northwest.
Justin Outdoors - Justin’s channel is a resource for gear and hiking locations, especially in Canada. Here is my post on Justin’s channel.
The Outdoor Gear Review - Unbiased outdoor gear reviews are their specialty. They do not accept free gear or paid advertising. Agenda-free reviews.
Backcountry Exposure - They describe their channel as a location for: “everything backpacking, hiking, camping, everyday carry items, and just pure adventure. You’ll see plenty of outdoor gear reviews on backpacking, camping, and hiking gear, as well as knives, flashlights, and other everyday carry gear.”
Dan Becker https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UxIY0gtLRI - Both gear reviews from a self-described backpacking gear nerd and memorable backpacking adventures. Dan is based in the US-Midwest.
Schell Brothers Outdoors - Andy and Kevin, Ohio-based brothers share their experiences with gear, food, trip planning, and their weekend and epic adventures. 2,116,362. Check out their podcast (Backcountry BSsing) as well.
John Kelley - John shares his love of backpacking through gear and advice on enjoying life on the trail. John also has a recommended podcast (The Backpacking Podcast)
Homemade Wanderlust - Dixie has solo thru-hiked the AT, the PCT, CDT, and the Camino de Santiago. She will inspire you to get out on the trail.
Jeremiah Stringer Hikes. - Jeremiah focuses on improving your time on the trail. Through gear reviews and discussions, he offers excellent content. He also hosts the XXX podcast with John Kelley.
Lonewolf 902 - Content focuses on in-camp activities, including hot-tenting, gear, and enjoyment.
Podcasts
Backcountry BSsing Great complement to their Youtube channel. Interviews, gear, and adventure discussions.
The Backpacking Podcast with John Kelley, Jeremiah Stringer Similar to their respective YouTube channels’ John and Jeremiah discuss gear, hiking, and the current state of backpacking.
What blogs, YouTube channels, and podcasts do you enjoy that are missing from this list? Add them below.
Great Divide Trail - Justin Outdoors
I have been following Justin’s epic hike on the Canadian Great Divide Trail. Justin is open about his challenges, mood, and successes on this through hike on the daily videos. He doesn’t sugarcoat it but rather is honest about his trip. A great series to follow.
Justin also publishes excellent gear reviews from Calgary, Alberta, and offers a behind-the-scenes view of planning, training, and enjoying backpacking excursions.
Looking for a great backpacking YouTube channel to follow? Justin Outdoors is an awesome one.
If you want to get my monthly newsletter, subscribe over on the left; no spam, just what I’m thinking about, doing, and tackling for the month.
Disney - Why Are You Going Backward with Genie+?
You can do better than this.
Disney just announced they are replacing FastPass and FastPass+ with Genie and Genie+.
The Genie free service helps you plan your visit to the Parks. According to The Walt Disney Company:
“We’ve made significant investments in this cool new technology, which guides you through our theme parks with tips that can help you reduce time in lines, discover magic around every corner, and take the guesswork out of “what’s next.
Built right into the My Disney Experience and Disneyland apps, Disney Genie service will maximize your park time, so you can have more fun. It includes a personalized itinerary feature that will quickly and seamlessly map out an entire day. From specific attractions, foodie experiences and entertainment, to general interests like Disney princesses, villains, Pixar, Star Wars, thrill rides and more – just tell Disney Genie what you want to do, and it will do the planning for you.”
This free version of Genie will be built right into the My Disney Experience app.
However, if you want to avoid the lines (i.e., FastPass style), you need to pay for the Genie+ service. Enter Genie+. According to Disney: Genie+ is:
“For even more convenience and flexibility, there are two other options for enjoying our theme parks, through a queue we are introducing called the Lightning Lane entrance that also saves you time in line:
“Disney Genie+ service (available for purchase): For the price of $15 per ticket per day at Walt Disney World Resort and $20 per ticket per day at Disneyland Resort, choose the next available time to arrive at a variety of attractions and experiences using the Lightning Lane entrance. You can make one selection at a time, throughout the day – from classics like Haunted Mansion to thrill rides like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and newer favorites like Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run (attractions subject to limited availability). This convenient option is the next evolution of the fan-favorite Disney MaxPass service from Disneyland Resort. Disney Genie+ will also include Disney parks-themed audio experiences and photo features to capture your memories – augmented reality lenses for those visiting Walt Disney World Resort and unlimited Disney PhotoPass downloads from your day if you are visiting Disneyland Resort.”
But wait, there is more. If you want to avoid the lines for the most popular rides, they are not included in the Genie+ upcharge. Instead, for the E-Ticket attractions, you need to pay for the “Individual Attraction Selections.” Again, according to Disney, this means:
“Individual attraction selections (available for purchase): Schedule a time to arrive at up to two highly demanded attractions each day using the Lightning Lane entrance – like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Magic Kingdom Park and Radiator Springs Racers at Disney California Adventure Park (subject to limited availability; attractions not included with Disney Genie+). Pricing for this option will vary by date, attraction, and park and will be announced closer to launch.”
With this upcharge, Disney is going back to the E-Ticket era.
You need to go through now and decide what you want to ride and then see what level of attraction it is.
A bit of history. When Walt Disney World opened, you had to purchase tickets to ride the attractions, and the more popular, better attractions required an E-Ticket. According to Wikipedia:
“An E-ticket (officially an E-coupon) was a type of admission ticket used at the Disneyland and Magic Kingdom theme parks before 1982, where it admitted the bearer to the newest, most advanced, or popular rides and attractions.”
The more you wanted to ride these attractions, the more E-Tickets you needed to buy. Unfortunately, it looks like Disney is going back to that business model. Even though the Parks are already profitable coming out of the COVID lockdown, Disney feels compelled to monetize the FastPass experience.
This is a bad thing. Bad because this demonstrates Disney’s inability to think creatively to improve the guest experience, and they are just creating another cash grab. Part of the lure of Disney is the immersive experience. You come on the property, and you can leave the “real world” pressures behind. You can pay one price, set up your magic band, and just enjoy yourself in these COVID times. That is what we need.
Having the ability to get free Fastpasses to enjoy your day should not be replaced by another upcharge. Come on, do you need another $15? And then another upcharge based on attendance, popularity? You are getting like Six Flags. Go back to the way of one price, and you are in to enjoy the experience. Let’s focus on the experience, not the nickel and diming.
It tarnishes the Disney experience. The Disney experience is not to be the best or beat Universal or SeaWorld – it is to create an immersive experience for your guests. This goes back to the carnival days of needing tickets, albeit digital tickets. Come on, Disney, you can do better. Get back to your roots of focusing on the experience.
That is what we want.
Differential yourself. You will create tiers of visitors, those who can barely afford the price and can’t afford the upcharge and need to sit in line, long lines vs. others who can pay to play.
Disney, you can do better.
Comment down below on what you think of the new Disney Genie and Genie+ feature.
Rethink Your Opinions, Thoughts and Beliefs: Drug Use and Addiction
We often take what we believe in and our opinions as given and don't think they need any review or rethinking. However, in Think Again by Adam Grant (here is my review), Adam successfully argues that the way forward is to rethink and constantly review our opinions, beliefs, and views.
In Alternative perspectives on drug use and addiction - Peter Attia MD offers a great example of how we can rethink drug use and addiction. Peter's post regarding Carl Hart and Carl's argument for a different view on drugs is a must-read regardless of your current view and opinion on drug use and addiction.
Backpacking Out with the Old in with the New
I’m excited about backpacking. YouTube rekindled my interest. Getting back into backpacking or any hobby brings you to a decision; This can apply to any hobby or pursuit where you revive your interest, that decision point of old vs. new.
That line for me is, do I use the gear I have and potentially not enjoy the experience because of the outdated equipment or technology, or do I upgrade now. Am I settling, or is this a prudent approach?
Up the ladder, I went into the heat of my garage attic in search of the ole backpacking gear bin. Tucked away under the old hockey bags, I found it. Ducking down, so I didn’t headbutt the bare lightbulbs, I lugged the bin back to the ladder. Step one - I got my gear out of the attic.
Step two - discard the stuff that was moldy and unusable. Now I’m down to the gear that can be evaluated. Backpack – the old external frame pack didn’t fit and wasn’t going to work at all. – Upgrade.
Sleeping bag – keeper – it is a 35-degree bag and right now will work. The closed foam sleeping pad – I can try this out to see if my 58-year-old self can sleep on it as well as my 31-year-old self did. (Or didn’t know any better)!
What is the balance between using the old stuff vs. upgrading and getting hew? Is the focus on functionality, weight, safety?
Interesting question. So far, I have upgraded my pack, my sleeping pad, added a camp chair. I have not upgraded my stove, nor my sleeping bag, nor my tent. I will need to get a water filter as the old one is not usable.
What was good when I was younger is now arcane. There is a balance between using what I must see if I like it and not enjoying it because what I have is not usable or making it not enjoyable. My tent is 7.4 lbs. Will upgrading my tent make the experience that much better? Or should I suck it up and go with the tent to see how I like it?
Interesting debate.
First, you need to prioritize, or at least define, what is success for you? Tackling the Teton’s is different from a night in the backyard or at Caesar’s Creek. What are your goals for the outing? I can suck up the weight and discomfort to see if I need to upgrade. Also, you need to clearly define what is critical to what you are doing? The backpacking big 3 Sleeping System, Shelter, and pack are key. Also, there are must have’s that you must invest in.
Water filter, stove, etc., that are a non-starter. The higher-priced items can be upgraded later. I slept a night in the backyard on the old, closed foam celled sleeping pad – that was upgraded!! I need a safe, effective water filtration system, so that is a must before I head outside of the backyard. The tent, wait, the pack was upgraded – picture of Packs. Be careful what is considered essential or must-haves that were not even around when you started the hobby. Maps vs. GPS??
What do you think?
Celebrate Small to Go Big
I celebrate small to go big. Here is how I do it.
Tiny habits. I have been going through BJ Fogg’s Tiny Habits book. I’ll have a review published shortly. Using Fogg’s techniques in the book, I have made significant, consistent improvements in critical areas.
“I change best by feeling good, not by feeling bad”
That is BJ Fogg’s maxim on change, and it is working for me. I’m not relying on willpower or “grit” daily to complete my habit items. Instead, I have the bar set low and celebrate right away.
To develop actions into habits for critical areas, I set a small, easily achievable daily target. Don’t laugh, but I mean small; Reading – 1 page.
Content Creation 5 min. Yes, I set the success bar that low.
I read one page and then immediately celebrate. What happens?
I get a dose of dopamine; I get another dose when I check it off in Streaks (the Habit tracking app I use). Same thing with content creation. Using the timing app MultiTimer (here is my review) to count down for 5 min. When the timer goes off, I give a little clap and celebrate. What tends to happen is I just sit back down and continue writing. Long past 5 min.
What makes this successful is that after I celebrate, psychologically, the pressure is off on keeping my streaks alive and achieving my daily goals. And what is interesting is what happens next. I read continuously throughout the day.
A physical book, my phone’s Kindle app when I have a second, even before tennis starts on my Kindle. I end up reading probably 30 minutes a day. All stress-free and in my minds’ eye, “extra reading.” I feel great; I don’t have the stress of coming to the end of the day and needing to read 10 pages or something. I have cleared all I need to do in the morning and feel great. Really works for me.
Same works for exercise.
I started my strength habit by doing 1 exercise. Yes, I go down and do a curl or even a few wrist exercises and check it off. What has that turned into? Anywhere from 25 – 60 min of strength 4 days a week. But I am sure to check off the Streaks app.
So, I would look to set yourself up for success low, build that habit, feel good about what you are doing and go from there.
What techniques do you use for setting habits? Share with all of us in the comments below.
Youtube is a Positive
YouTube is a positive influence. YouTube has motivated me to act. YouTube helped move me from should to action. As a result, I am once again backpacking.
I started getting backpacking videos in my feed and started watching them. As the algorithms work, the more you watch, the more they are served up in your feed. What was remarkable is that I got so motivated that I got off my ass and did something about it. I started hiking with my wife to get in shape. I talked with my older son about going on a trip. We started planning an epic trip to the Grand Tetons. I got my old gear out from the early 2000s to see what I have. Got my old MSR Whisper lite stove up and running. Yes, she still burns strong.
I acted. I was able to take the sedentary action of consuming online content and move to action. I now use YouTube for product reviews and information on location hiking.
It has transformed me from sitting on my ass to move. Yes, YouTube is a good thing. Countless channels provide content on people’s passions. It helps you get that little bit of dopamine, and you feel good to move you to action.
YouTube also helps exercise your judgment skills (good from the bad). You need to discern for yourself is something a good behavior vs. bad. Remember, YouTube only publishes the content. YOU make the decision to consume it, let it affect you, and ultimately act on it. We all make decisions, and where you are now is solely based on actions and decisions you made.
YouTube is a positive influence for me – but you make the decision.
Is YouTube a positive for you?
Backpacking
Backpacking is my new/old passion. First, my father introduced my brother and me to backpacking. Then, my father and I introduced my two older sons to backpacking. From Isle Royale to Pictured Rocks, we have done some incredible hikes. Finally, at 66, my father backpacked with my two older sons and me across Pictured Rocks.
Now through the positive influence of YouTube, I have the backpacking bug again. So my older sons and I are planning an epic 2022 trip – The Grand Tetons.
As I transition from the Kelty to the Gregory – I’ll share what I learn here, from fantastic channels and blogs to mistakes and successes. You’ll hear about it first here. So join me on the journey.
Have you rediscovered any new passions? Is backpacking or hiking a passion of yours?
Think Again by Adam Grant
Three Take-Aways / Actions:
Ask myself these rethink questions:
How do I know?
How would my view be different if I was born XXX?
Always try to get to scientist mode, so I am searching for the truth not to be correct. Run experiments, test hypotheses, and discover and understand knowledge.
Reward me for questioning and refining my beliefs and onions.
Rating 5 / 5
Adam Grant proposes that the way forward is to rethink constantly, question, challenge, and test our opinions, views, and beliefs.
Only through this constant challenging of ourselves do we get closer to the right answer.
Rethinking is a skill that can be exercised, developed, and strengthened. Adam talks about This Tennent of wisdom is only possible when we embrace these foundational ideas and ways of change. He describes three modes we get into depending on if we are trying to defend, convince or explore our thoughts—the Prosecutor, Politician, and Scientist mode. The Scientist mode lets us search for the truth by running experiments and testing our beliefs, views, opinions, or hypotheses.
Our ability to focus on moving towards the truth is key to improvement.
Adam also offers techniques that allow us to have meaningful discussions and tactics to improve our knowledge and move towards the correct answer. He stresses the skills and focuses needed not to make the discussions personnel.
I equate the notion of being wrong to failing fast. The quicker we acknowledge that we might be incorrect or not right, we will be free to seek answers quickly. Another key idea that struck me is that your Identify is what you value, not what you believe. Your beliefs, opinions, and interpretation of events are fleeting and can change. They are not you. Detach yourself from these, and you will free up to move towards the right answer.
He brings up a concept of Confident Humility, which opens our minds to rethinking and will improve the quality of our rethinking.
Understanding that you can be confident that you don’t know everything and that you are striving to learn and understand more. You have faith in your capability to acknowledge that you may not have the right solution or address the right problem. You have enough self-doubt to rethink your old knowledge and enough confidence to pursue insight. Remember, the purpose of learning is to evolve our beliefs and understanding, not to affirm our beliefs.
Overall this is an excellent book, and at 5 out of 5 stars, I highly recommend it.
Have you read this book? What do you rate it?
Academic Camp is good for Everyone
Summer Academic Camps are incredibly beneficial for both the parent and the kid.
Camp used to be a rite of passage for kids in the summer. However, with COVID and changing habits, camp is not as popular.
Summer Academic camps focus on specific majors or STEM programs to get your child excited about the topics.
“Summer camp is a great opportunity to explore new things or dive deep into areas you love”
Here are four reasons academic camp is great for parents. With Academic camp you can:
Let go of your child. Help break that overbearing, helicoptering effect of constantly being connected to your child.
Get a taste of what it’s like to let your child go off to college. This period will give you a trial run for when your kids go off to college for real. Separation anxiety is real.
Have the satisfaction of knowing you raised your child well. She will do well, and you can take some solace that you had a part in that.
This will give you alone time with your partner. A full break.
Okay, that’s how it’s good for parents, now nine reasons Academic camp is excellent for kids.
Camp lets them:
Try out what they are thinking about for a college major choice. Camp helps kids build a unique interest. For example, High School introductory engineering classes can spark interest but letting them taste college classes with an actual professor is fantastic. Better to spend a few thousand to kick the tires at camp vs. a full year of tuition.
Try out the food. It may not be the same food service they will have during college, but it will give them a sense of college food service. Not always like mom’s home cooking!
Try out campus living. How are the dorms? Are they air-conditioned (trust me, it is just as hot in July as it can be in early August and April while classes are still in session)? Are the bathrooms communal or in the rooms? All aspects of daily college life they need to get used to.
Get that immersive experience for college. They may have older siblings or friends that have gone to college, and they have gotten that experience, but there is nothing like the first-hand experience.
See potentially what their future classmates will be like. Most likely, the other campers are interested in that school and or major.
Understand the admissions processes. Like Rose Hulman’s Operation Catapult, some camps I know have an application process for getting into camp. As a result, everything is not a slam dunk.
Try out the professors and upper-level students at the school. Most of the professors and counselors are probably on staff and will be their future classmates and professors.
Get experience handling the mundane college stuff, laundry, getting enough sleep, getting to the cafeteria on time, getting to the events on time. It isn’t a free for all as there are counselors and guardrails on what they can do.
Learn how to can spend their own money on stuff! For example, budgeting a small amount of money on snacks or things in the bookstore is a great way to teach your child the value of money.
Okay, it’s good for you and your child, so here are few bonus items to get them off on the right foot.
Reinforce that they already know the right things to do and feel confident following their own principles.
Have them pack their stuff. (it is okay to let them forget some things, just not something important). Reinforces responsibility and consequences (hey, have you heard of a checklist).
Shows them to see the impact of planning or at least thinking it out.
What was your experience with summer camp?
Active Reading
I’m currently reading How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren. I’ll post a full review, but I wanted to share a quick tip.
Active reading is the authors’ argument. Only through active reading do you increase your understanding, not just your knowledge. For every book, they offer 4 questions that must be asked.
There are four basic questions you need to ask and answer about every book:
What is the book about as a whole?
What is being said in detail, and how?
Is the book true, in its entirety or in part?
What do I make of this book, what does it mean for me?
I have these questions on a simple 3 x 5 card I use as the bookmark. I am reminded of these questions every time I open the book.
Any tips you have that enhance your active reading habit?
Owning the College Visit
A quick tip as you go through your college visits and selection process – Own the process and make sure you get the facts. Own the process is a recurring theme here on jdhayes.com
My son had specific requirements on what he wants to Major in and how he wants to get his Masters.
We were on a college visit, and during the information session, he raised his hand and explicitly asked if he could achieve what he wanted. The Guidance counselor indicated no.
Deflated, he wanted to leave right after the session and not continue the tour. He has other schools on his list, and this school dropped off based on that answer.
Undeterred, I wanted to make sure we understand and gained the facts. So, we approached the counselor after the session once again asked her the question. She offered to get the names of people we could talk to within the engineering college.
We skipped the tour, and off we went to the Engineering buildings.
We walked into the admin office for the engineering building and found the newly appointed acting Chairman of the ME program. Dropping what he was doing, he took us into a larger office. He sat down and walked through the program. What my son wanted was available and doable. The Chair explained it, all while communicating directly with my son, not my wife and me. He was awesome. He also shared with us the college visit/selection process his daughter was on and honestly indicated to us that we were looking at all good schools. Finally, he offered some stats on starting salaries and other MBA / combo programs.
This school is now neck and neck with another primary Engineering school.
Get the facts and own the process. Make sure you track down the information you need for the source. Don’t stop until you are satisfied that you have spoken to the person with the facts or final say.
What do you think about this?
Great Simple Timer App MultiTimer
I wanted an app that could save simple timers. One for coffee, tea, content creation, simple timers I can save. I don’t need intervals. MultiTimer hits the spot. This free app with in-purchase upgrades allows you to configure and save multiple timers on a board.
You can configure the timers with colors, icons. A simple timer app for IOS and iPad, and Mac.
The free version works for me as it gives you 1 board and 12 separate timers. However, add unlimited numbers of boards and timers, adjust the board layout, sync your saved timers, and upgrade to the Pro app for a one-time purchase of $7.99.
Happy with it so far.
What timer apps do you find useful?
Own Your Health
It’s easy to say, but for me, harder to do.
I’m of the generation that valued credentials, formal education, and degrees. And with that, I deferred judgment to my healthcare professionals and too much of setting my direction and plans. Yet, intuitively I know that no one cares more about my health than me; it has been more challenging for me to do it.
Until Now.
I just had a health scare that had me in the hospital for five days after feeling poorly for the last eight weeks. Trips to various doctors, inconsistent messages from the doctors, and no specific doctor quarterbacking my care, approach, and plan to find the root cause of the issue.
I finally took matters into my own hands and essentially self-checked into the hospital, finally getting concrete answers, which gave me an excellent foundation for attacking the project.
Own your health plan.
Book Review: Lead Yourself First - Inspiring Leadership Through Solitude
Book: Lead Yourself First - Inspiring Leadership Through Solitude
Author(s): Raymond M Kethledge & Michael S Erwin
Pages: 188
Copyright: June 17, 2017
Rating out 4 of 5
Buy or Rent: Get it from the Library
Summary
The authors' fundamental premise is that solitude is critical to your ability to be successful—the ability to set time for and use solitude as a skill to move you forward. The intentional focus on solitude can be compared to a slight variation on mindfulness. The authors define solitude as: "A subjective state of mind when the mind is isolated from input from other minds!" Kethledge and Erwin also describe solitude as disciplined thought.
The book uses historical figures and events to depict different types of solitude and the resulting successes. The areas of solitude include introspection, self-consensus (negative example), self-awareness, analytical clarity, clarity.
They argue that solitude allows you to reflect while others are reacting. Solitude will enable you to release the pressure gauge and open the mind to both intuition and analytical clarity. If you can honestly reflect on yourself, you can achieve grounding.
Final Thoughts
The book almost reads like a novel. The book makes an excellent case for why you need to include solitude in your life actively. I will become intentional about solitude.
Book Review: Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual
Book: Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual
Pages: 199
Copyright: October 1, 2017
Rating out 3.5 of 5
Buy or Rent: Get it from the Library.
Summary:
The author, Jocko Willink, a retired 20 year Navy SEAL officer, details the importance of discipline. Jocko argues that discipline is a foundational quality and the basis and the root of all good qualities.
Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual is laid out with two sections: 1) Thoughts and 2) Actions. The discussion surrounding discipline is focused on your physical and mental health.
From my perspective, there are a few key themes:
Discipline is all on you - When you control your self-talk, take action, and continue to improve, you are developing and using your discipline.
Choice = Discipline
Don't fade or make even one excuse. Adopt to use discipline to move forward. Use your Mind for Discipline.
My 3 Take-Aways:
1. Don't give in just once while exercising - always do something - I will procrastinate on procrastinating until tomorrow
2. Create a big enough emotional and logical why for my 12-week goals - that way, I can rely on both when one fails
3. Identify my weaknesses in relationships, roles and identify actions or systems to allow me to improve on all of them.
Overall:
This is an easy read, and I recommend this for anyone who responses to no-nonsense recommendations and wants to improve their self-management. The theme is "This is all on you."
Blues Apple Music Playlist: Hayes Blues Sampler
Are you a Blues Fan that enjoys discovering new artists? Are you new to Blues? I've curated and made public a Blues Sampler playlist in Apple music.
Hayes Blues Sampler
This list has the recommended albums from the blues artists I have spotlighted. I selected one go-to album from each artist: either their quintessential album, most popular or most representative.
I will update the playlist as I feature more artists. I hope you enjoy it.
If you have created a go-to Blues list, I would like to sample it. Add the link to the comments below.