Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Walking Ripples


Since getting my dog, I am a walking fool.  I walk in the morning.  I walk in the evening.  I walk three or four times on the weekends.  I've walked so much that I had to go get a new pair of shoes just to walk!  I've walked (and run) that my Nike + mileage tracker on my iPhone started to call me Forrest, as in Gump!

You know what, thanks to Henry (AKA Ripple Dog), I feel terrific.  The quiet time in the morning and in the evening, after the hubbub of the day has died down, gives me time to engage the brain and the exercise really gets my creative juices flowing.  I've written an entire talk....in my head.  I've come up with some powerful additions to my existing speeches and workshops (yay new content!).  I've reconnected with some ideas that had seemingly given up on me.  I even sort of committed to finish the book that I've started but quit even thinking about.  

All thanks to walking.

And this week, I added something new to my walks... other people!

I started converting some of the "meeting requests" I get to walking appointments.  I've had two so far this week and they have both been amazing.  Sharing ideas, discussing opportunities and doing a little brainstorming all while enjoying the benefits of some exercise truly turned the concept of a meeting on it's ear.  Our walks were so much better than sitting in a stuffy coffee shop and just talking while consuming mass quantities of legal stimulants.

Movement creates action. Movement recharges the mind.  Movement creates a shared and intimate experience that at least for me (and hopefully for them as well) helped accelerate the relationship building. It truly turned the connecting experience inside out and I loved it.  I loved it so much that I think I plan to do a whole lot more meetings this way.

And those evening walks?  I think I'll schedule those meetings with just myself.  Well me and The Ripple Dog that is.

Woof Woff and as always,

Ripple On!!!


  


3 comments:

Dan Naden said...

Hey Steve,
We should get together for a dog walk. I usually take our pooch for 2 walks a day.

Dan

Maria Gatling said...

I love that you are using walking to meet with others and that encourages them to do the same! You should rent that dog out!

Steve Harper said...

Dan,

Let's get together and walk dogs! Shoot me an email and let me know when you're free this week.

Ripple On!!!

S