I’ve been thinking a lot about mind mapping. I find comfort and relief in the idea of having all of my ideas and relationships plotted on my mind’s map. To me, mind mapping is the act organizing a map in my mind that includes points for all of the important things/people in my life. This mapping leads to increased clarity.
Here, watch for yourself!
About Me…
Hi. My name is Shelli Johnson. I live out on the frontier in Lander, Wyoming. I’m a life/leadership coach, nutrition consultant, entrepreneur, writer and strategist. Things that excite me are my family, travel, adventure, media, technology, books, fitness, nutrition and national parks. I am founder of Yellowstone Journal/Yellowstone International and NationalParkTrips.com. I am also a life-streaming, personal branding and content development consultant and travel writer/media producer for hire.
This blog is about my adventures, my opinions, and other things I find interesting enough to write about.
I have been a keynote presenter at conferences such as Girls in Tech, EyeforTravel Online Marketing, eTourism Summit, Agile Leaders of Boston, Olympic Peninsula Tourism Summit, Go West, etc. Please email me if you’re interested in having me be a presenter at your event: yellowstoneshel@gmail.com
National Park Trips
I’m founder of YellowstonePark.com and NationalParkTrips.com. NationalParkTrips.com promotes the most spectacular national parks of the West, including Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Zion and Rocky Mountain national parks. Click here to learn more.
Yellowstone International
In 1994, with a lot of support from my parents and my husband, I founded this company, which publishes two print magazines, the Webby award-winning YellowstonePark.com, generates travel leads, and generates interest in Yellowstone Park and surrounding regions. This business is now owned by Active Interest Media and I remain a consultant to the business. Click here to learn more.
[...] Mind clearing. You know the saying – “wherever you go, there you are” (Jon Kabat-Zinn). I show up to the [...]
[...] me when I was exploring some trail. I most easily solve problems or find answers to big questions during solitude in nature. And, time shared outdoors with my family often feels richer than time shared [...]
[...] What is it to dare to choose? This is an inquiry I’ve been thinking about as I develop my leadership and coaching business. (By the way, thinking about an inquiry is a great way to productively spend time during solitude) [...]
Shelli, it’s such a delight to see and hear your enthusiasm, wisdom, and whole-heartedness. I love your laps, focused on your businesses and your relationships with yourself and others. All heart and joy! It spurs me to start circling the trails here with laps focused on each of the areas in the wheel of life, which you know: career, friends and family, significant other, physical environment, money, health, personal development, fun and recreation. And maybe I’ll toss in one more lap focused on being fully present to my experience in the moment: the sights, the sounds, the feel of the air on the face, the smells of grass and dirt, the crunching of the trail underfoot, the aches in the body and pounding of the heart, the warmth of the sun, whatever is present in the moment. For me, happiness is found in the moment, and finding a way to be in the moment is the way to find the happiness there.
Please keep traveling and tell us about it!
Thank you for the timely and incredibly honest and soulful post. LOVED IT. xo
Great post, once again Shelli. I was especially interested in the part about using this time for “work-related” thinking. Lately, I’ve been exploring the usefulness of these kinds of activities for BETTER work thinking. I find that getting out of the office and my usual work environment really expands my ability to get OUT of the left/logical brain and into our right/creative brain. I hope to use it especially as a tool for breakthough work. AND, as a plus, NOT feeling guilty for taking worktime to ski, run, etc. I think this really supports leaving the 8-5 job in the office behind, and thinking more creatively about HOW/Where we work.
Thanks so much for sharing — Holly
Thanks for sharing with us, I love hearing what you are doing/thinking while doing all those laps
. For me, the best part is the laps you dedicate to your loved ones. That is a great idea! When I ski, or do anything in solitude, I try to NOT think, and that is the challenge. It’s really my time to dwell in God’s wonderful creation and live in full appreciation of it. Even saying that, I do have some of my best ideas, or periods of ‘enlightenment’ when I am out in the mountains solo. Maybe because I’ve let all the clutter drift away.
Thank you Shelli for another inspirational and thought provoking post. Last year while training for my first 75 mile bike ride (I hadn’t been on a bike in years) I couldn’t believe the types of things that I thought about (besides falling over exhausted on the side of the road). I look forward to my long bike rides and laps around the golf course (although I may have to shorten my laps “just a bit”). Keep up the great work Shelli!
You’ve done it again Shelli…with great thoughts to pass on and great experiences to tell us about! Wonderful insights into your mind, and matters that count a lot to you! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you all so very much for reading/watching my blog and for your comments. The comments mean a lot — and add value to this post — so again, thank you very, very much!
@Marty and @Sharon… (Gasp!!! Don’t think of anything? As in, think of nothing?!) The topics referenced in my blog post for each of the 10 laps are so exciting and important to me that they trump a lap of not thinking of anything. I would have had to ADD a lap for that and was running on an empty charge by the 10th lap! Sorry! LOL!!! That said, I do make time to (try and) think about nothing. I won’t lie, it is very hard for me to do. But I do, for 100% certain, see the value in not thinking. I just don’t know how to do it. Working on it. hahaha
THANKS AGAIN ALL OF YOU!
Nice post Shelli. I love the mind exercises. I must say I also like Sharon Terhune’s post about spending a lap not thinking anything. The biggest challenge there is for most of us!
What a great way to look at your long workouts. It really breaks them down and adds so much more value to each lap! Thanks for sharing that process. I’m going to have to give it a try!
This is one of my fav’s, Shel. Probably because I can relate to it so well. I think it is hard for busy parents to justify taking a couple hours to ourselves every so often, and what many don’t realize is what better people we become as a result if the time is used wisely. I always have looked forward to my long runs for the same reasons, because how often can we truly let our brains relax and wander where they may? However, I loved your idea of dedicating each lap to a different topic, and I will try to do the same on some of my runs. Way to maximize your time and become a better mom, wife, friend, daughter, etc!
I took a 6 month class to help me prepare for an exam years ago. I remember one day a consultant came in that explained how the brain worked and why certain study and test-taking techniques work. It was very cool…wish I’d heard that stuff in elementary school.
Anyway, one of the points he made was that the brain works like a library. If a crowd comes in and drops off a bunch of books (e.g., cramming for tests), the librarian doesn’t have time to file all the books on the shelves and when the information/books need to be retrieved, the books lay cluttered in a pile and not easily found. The point being that your brain needs time to absorb, catalog and shelve information that it receives. Proper sleep; reflection time, and; taking breaks from constant study and busyness are critical to properly store things in your brain for better retrieval. And, if you can combine that down-time with exercise, as you talk about, you get the double whammy! Our brains love exercise…so does my midsection.
Great post as always. I can completely relate since this is my Year of Relationships
I love alone time to focus in on my thoughts. Just a little time to weed everything else out and pinpoint important topics.
And I like your scenery
Wonderful post, Shelli! This video blog made me realize that my lack of solitude is quite possibly a reason for a lack of clarity and focus from time to time. I LOVE solitude (in the right doses of course) and was fortunate to have plenty when living alone for a number of years. I find that living in a multi-generational household has taken its toll on my personal time. I need to address! Mixing with exercise would be a great solution. Now . . . just to find those ice gripping walking shoes. . .
Shelli…
Great video post!!! Your insights are extremely helpful for those of us who need to be active in order to focus and draw our thoughts together. As well, your intentionality in the direction of aligning your passions in order to shape a life-giving rhythm gives us all something to work toward!! The world would be a different place if we all tried to live into your vision of solitude… an age old practice that crosses sociological disciplines and has shaped humanity down through the times. If theological anthropology is the discovery of what it means to be human in the context of our expanding universe… then you, my friend, are a guru. Thanks for sharing your experience and insights.
Thanks for sharing! Last spring when I was training for the marathon I would save thoughts and thinking for my long runs. I hope that makes sense? If there was something chaotic in my life I would tell myself to it save for an upcoming long run. During the run I would play it over in my head and think about all of its components. I truly miss that time I had! Will have it back soon! I need that clarity!
CB2,
Wow! So that’s what I have been going through the last 9 months since Bruce started his new job. I basically lost my best friend (just for our transition period), someone I shared everything with on a daily basis, to living 55 miles apart and only seeing each other once or twice a week. I think it started out as lonliness for me and now has developed into solitude. But I really your “mind mapping” concept. Thanks for the distinction between the two and for the assurance I am not loosing my mind!
You are amazing and best of luck to you on your new adventures.
xoxo CB1
Great video, Shel.
I have logged hundreds of thousands of miles while driving for business over the years and often would turn off the radio or audiobook and just concentrate on things. Amazing how clarity would come during those long trips. Now I know what it is called — mind mapping! Thanks, Dad
Love this, Shelli!!! First of all, it’s a treat to see you live and in person in between CTI classes because I just miss you so much! But I also love the way you devoted specific time to thinking about the most important people in your life. What a great idea! I am going to do that on my next run. Finally, I love the distinction you make between solitude and lonliness, Amen to that, Sister! Love you, keep doing what you’re doing, it’s an inspiration to all of us!
Shelli–thanks for a great reminder–about the need to take time for myself–to find alone time and solitude. You’re so right–HUGE difference between solitude and loneliness.
Hard to believe that you went 121 minutes. In looking back at this last week, I’d be hard pressed to find 121 seconds that took to be alone and find that space and time that I need to regroup and think through all the things I want to accomplish.
You’re ROCKING it! Thanks for the inspiration!
Again, thanks for the reminder.
Super plan, Shelli, though I think at least one lap could have been devoted to Buddy….:>
I bet you do this same kind of focusing when you’re making laps around your house cleaning, I know I do.
My challenge to you: Try to make it around the golf course ONCE without doing ANY thinking!. Remember, “Whatever you think-don’t believe it”!
Okay, really. I think the organization and focus of your ski time was a super way to work at important stuff while playing. Thanks for the tip!