Decrease Frustration By Learning How to Leave

Leaving is one of the most powerful tools there is.

Going away is a solution to a problem you didn't know you had.

What do I mean by that?

I mean that, when your perspective is stuck and you're not sure what to do next, going somewhere else mentally or physically is one of the best options you have.

Today, you'll learn what that means for you.

A Strategy to Decrease Frustration

I just wrapped up a week-long trip in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

I'm fortunate enough to be able to work from anywhere, and the arid desert land was just what I needed.

Because a lot is going on.

My grandma just passed away this month.

We're moving out of our office this month and shifting to a fully remote team.

I haven't seen my family in who knows how long with this COVID mess.

With these kinds of life challenges, it's easy to get stuck in a rut and feel hopeless.

What I needed was a new landscape.

And I found that in New Mexico.

I like to think of New Mexico as the more wrinkled, wiser older sibling of Montana.

The beauty is still there, it's just had more time and temperature to marinate and pack into the Earth.

I find the mountainous landscapes of both states to be deeply grounding, but there is something about the thousands of years of lives baked into the desert that produces its own kind of wisdom.

And that's the point of shifting yourself, going to a new place and seeing new areas.

To see life in a new way.

It doesn't have to be a 16-hour drive.

It can be as simple as meditating for ten minutes or walking down an alley on a street you rarely visit.

Seeing Fajada Butte miles in the distance in Chaco Canyon or finding a discarded note that found its way from its original owner to your line of vision is enough.

All it takes is combining a surprising finding with your everyday troubles.

Just like that, you have a new idea and a solution you'd never expect.

Leaving - Putting It Into Practice

Where can you go to find new hope?

How can you break up your routine just enough to see your life in a new way?

We're not talking about massive breaks.

We're talking about subtle shifts.

Pair your everyday problems with uncommon solutions born from the different wisdom of new places.

If you're stuck on a work issue, go to a place where there is no work you can do.

You might find that the issue is not as complicated as you first thought.

If your family is making you nuts, take several hours for yourself if you can.

It's so hard to see the nuances of a complex situation up close.

You often need to take several steps back to see the big picture and understand how all the puzzle pieces fit together.

Your goal is to decrease frustration, and you can't do that by doing what you've always done.

Create a break in the action.

Find the New Mexico desert to complement your Montana landscapes.