Wayfinding Through Motivation-Draining Obstacles
Algonquin Peak in Adirondack State Park
Alternate titles I considered were:
Using Flexibility in Thought and Intention to Maintain Motivation
Or
When Motivation is High, Obstacles Seem Low
It’s interesting, when motivation is high, external obstacles can be dealt with. The weather’s bad, the schedule is delayed, the money’s gone, your collaborators drop out, and yet, somehow you’re not deterred and you find a way. But when your motivation is low, the slightest annoyance can be enough to stop you in your tracks.
Just last week, I planned to hike to Algonquin Peak in the Adirondacks. I noticed, from the get go, little obstacles popping up and tugging on my motivation and confidence: Being my first time on that trail, I wasn’t sure how long it would take and so I wanted to get an early start. When it was 15 minutes past my planned departure time and I was still getting ready, a tug at my insides said “maybe I should just stay home today”. Then, I discovered a puncture in my water bottle bag - “oh no! I won’t have any water. maybe I should stay home.” I expected moderate temperatures that day but then looked at weather and saw 1 degree Fahrenheit! “Too cold! Maybe I should stay by the fire.” Then, my car was nearly out of gas - “I should have filled the tank yesterday. If I fill it now, I’ll start the hike way too late! Maybe I’ll run out of gas before I even get to the trailhead. Maybe I should just stay home.” Then, I hadn’t planned to bring cash for the parking fee and the lodge wasn’t open yet - “I’ll get a parking fine. Maybe I should go back.” Then, out on the trail, I passed a woman who seemed to be a grizzled, experienced hiker. “Heading up Algonquin?” she asked. “Good luck! The wind was pelting me so hard with ice, I had to turn back.” “Maybe I shouldn’t even try,” I thought. Finally, I missed the turn for a .4 mile side jaunt up a smaller peak, and I went more than twice that distance straight up to the top of Algonquin. All the way, I was thinking “this is the longest half mile I’ve ever walked!” The wind blasted nearly knocking me over. And yet, I had the gear to protect me, and I just took step after step. At the top, I felt elated having made it that far. Strangely, the only higher peak seemed far away. That led me to think, “oh well, if this smaller peak was so hard, going all the way to that other peak is going to be too much, I’ll just go back.” It wasn’t until I descended to the split in the trail again that I realized I had already reached the peak I was aiming for! I laughed and smiled at my fortune all the way back:
I had plenty of time
I had found other water bottles to use
the weather warmed up as the day went on
I had enough gas to get to the trailhead and back to the gas station
I paid my parking fee by card when I returned to the lodge
The wind was strong but my gear was protective
I kept going one step at a time and had an amazing view (despite being confused about where I was)
Fortune wasn’t only what led to feeling successful that day…
I had already primed myself for success by setting my main underlying intention:
It wasn’t entirely getting to the top or hiking a certain number of miles… You see, it was my birthday that day, and I mainly intended to spend some time with myself in nature, walking and reflecting. Yes, hiking over 10 miles and getting to the peak were exciting parts of the plan, but my intention wasn’t really attached to any specific markers. Because the quality of my experience was measured more by internal factors such as being present and connected with both myself and my surroundings, I had a certain flexibility on my measure of success. Had I turned back early I still had ways to be present, walk, and reflect.
Making my intention more about the internal experience somehow took the pressure off of external achievement and yet, actually allowed me to accomplish my external goal with less struggle and more of a sense of flow. I had the psychological flexibility that allowed me to encounter each obstacle with less reactivity and more of a creative, problem-solving mindset.
The term psychological flexibility was coined by psychologist, Stephen Hayes, who developed Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT). Whereas rigid mindsets and rigid goal setting can often lead to denial and avoidance of present circumstances and feelings, psychological flexibility is the practice of leaning into the full experience of the present moment, whatever it brings, while maintaining a flexible relationship with our own thinking.
Much of the time, it is our thoughts about the obstacles that compound our suffering, drain our motivation, and shut down our ability to respond creatively. Types of thought work (ACT, Byron Katie’s The Work, meditation, etc.) have helped me develop an observational relationship with my thinking mind, rather than being identified as and reactive to my thoughts (of course, this is a work in progress).
So, even when I encountered that tugging voice in my head to turn back at every obstacle, I noticed it wasn’t a dictator commanding me to “Turn back now!” Instead, I noticed the little word “maybe”. “Maybe you should turn back,” to which my observational presence could reply, “maybe, or maybe not.”
Acknowledging the thought but allowing space for other possibilities is a great way to spark the creative process and maintain motivation.
See the post on Instagram!
Make sure to listen to
all the wind in the video!
The next time small obstacles keep tugging at your motivation and confidence, you might start by checking in with your intention. Can you shift the focus of the intention to your internal experience? A good question to prime this focus is: “what would I like to feel by doing this activity?” Then, try to notice that feeling while committing to small actions (one step, one breath, one word, etc.).
When you can identify a disturbing thought: See if “maybe, or maybe not” can fit in there. Or, simply ask yourself, “Are you sure?” Then, check back in with your intentions and with your body. With each possibility of maybe or maybe not in your mind, notice which one aligns with your intentions and makes your body feel more relaxed and free.
Then, take the next step in that direction.
This is much easier when your motivation is already high. What happens if you’re mired in intertia and can’t get that motivation up? Let’s explore that next time…