One of my dreams is to walk the Camino de Santiago or as some call it just the Camino.

What attracts me to it is the spiritual journey that many have said they have experienced along its route.

“A true journey of self-discovery“

We don’t have to, in my case travel, halfway across the world to have that same experience. I have been doing that walk for a number of years.

Since Willow, my walking companion in the form of a dog, we have been walking the same route near my home for close to seven years. Every day, with a few exceptions, we put in about four kilometres a day for a total of 10,000 KMs! The equivalent of twelve Camino walks!

I don’t go through villages or territories that I have not been to before. Some people have asked me and have suggested that maybe I should change things up. Try a new route.

Why?

My experience of my walk changes every day.

When they say you can’t cross the same stream twice, it is the same for walking a well-worn trail. There is an opportunity to experience the walk fresh and new every time you step out of the house.

My steps are never the same. There is constant change if you are conscious of it, and I guess that is the secret.

To BE conscious of it.

There are times when I am so far into my thinking, I don’t see anything other than, “is it over yet?”

There are times I don’t want it to end. New people to greet. Spring birds coming in early. Rainbows and sunrises that never look the same. The cold chill of a gentle breeze or the ice crystals from the gale on the cheeks. The alpha sounds of streams running down beds of rock. Rumblings of large ships in the harbour.

There have been deer, rabbits and many squirrels that have joined me on the trek.

Just a few of the things I have noticed on the walk.

Do you know what else is on offer?

A quiet, peaceful mind of gentle thoughts. Not no thought, but a different kind of thinking. Creative, out-of-the-blue type of thinking. Ideas, like the subject of this post, came out of a walk.

Hints on new directions in business and coaching.

I have written chapters in my book, and even wrote a children’s book while on a walk. (It’s handy to record these ideas and inspiration before going home and I use my voice recording app on the phone for that)

Many of my ideas don’t make it past the inspired stage. That is perfectly fine.

You don’t have to act on every thought you have.

What is here to learn is that the flow of fresh and new thinking is always there.

It is always on and only gets shut down to the degree of our attention on our contaminated or personal thinking, which is a subject that has a personal nature to it. “It’s all about me.”

The more I am into my problems, the less bandwidth I have to see what is in front of me. A world of possibilities, new perspectives, common sense, and fresh eyes.

Next time you are on a walk, take notice of where your attention is placed.

Are you in your thinking or on the trail; in your life?

Love to hear about your experiences. Please share your stories of self-discovery and your version of the walk.

Much love,