In this world where so few of us are comfortable being alone, being in the wilderness, in this world where almost everywhere you go, there’s technology and there’s noise and there’s complexity, almost everywhere you go people want to talk, talk, talk, talk. Just imagine what your life would be like as a creative person, as a leader, as a productive person, as a producer, as a human being if you installed a weekly ritual of going for a walk in the woods. And to me, it is like a tonic from toxicity.
I used to do it once a week. I used to do it Sunday mornings. Now I probably go out to the woods three or four times a week, and I actually schedule it as my part of my refueling time on my weekly schedule. And what do I do? I get into my car. As I drive, I turn on my audio books. I listen to whatever audiobook I want to listen to that day. Could be on productivity, business-building relationship-building, psychology, family, life, legacy, whatever it is. And I drive about 45 minutes to this place, and it’s these deep woods.
And I have my hiking boots on and I have my walking gear and I’ve got my water. And then
I walk in the woods and it’s probably an hour walk. And what do I do? I smell the smells and I look at the flowers and I savour life. And I look at the tree and sometimes I get to see the sunset. And I simply just notice.
I mean, how often in your days do you notice, do you notice the glory of life? Maybe it’s the
lilies. Maybe it’s the way the sunlight looks as it comes through the trees. And what happens is you literally shift from a messy mind or a chattering mine, and you start to just be, and that’s when you get great ideas. And that’s when you start to think about your life. And that’s when you get to know about your character. And that’s when you can ask yourself some big questions. That’s when you can course-correct. Maybe your life hasn’t been going so well so you decided to make some changes. But during those nature walks, you get so many great ideas and you start to reconnect with the glory of life.
And I often carry a piece of paper and a pen with me because I don’t want to bring technology
out into those woods. And I write down ideas as I’m walking, because they just come to me. We could get into the why they come to you. It’s because your mind shifts from beta to alpha, your brain waves slow down. Your mind starts to produce these neurochemicals like dopamine and serotonin. It’s actually called transient hypofrontality. There’s a word for you to share with your friends and family later on tonight, transient hypofrontality. It’s a really powerful model.
But the bottom line is this, if you are in the world, you cannot slow down your mind to tap into
the genius that lives within your brain, but it doesn’t happen to you when you you’re out in the world around all this noise. And that’s why you get your best ideas walking in the woods. That’s why you get your best ideas on a beach in Barbados. That’s why you get your best ideas in the shower. Transient hypofrontality, your brain shuts down.
The prefrontal cortex starts to shut down and you actually tap out of logic and deep into the finest place of thinking that lies within you. And so the point is simply this, build a ritual to go for a walk in the woods at least once a week. You’re going to get so many great ideas. You’re going to refuel your energy. You’ll release stress, and you’ll start to become even more of a greater human being, which is my greatest wish for you.