Hi Fabulous Traveler,

You’ve probably heard of Charles Dickens, one of the most prolific and successful writers in history. He was known in his time for having a unique habit, one with potential that scientists have only recently begun to fully understand.

Everyday, he would write from 9am-2pm, but the real progress in his creative process wasn’t made until after he was finished writing for the day.

As soon as he finished the day's work, he would forget his troubles and take to the streets. Walking aimlessly, he would meander through London for 20 to 30 miles each afternoon, often returning well after dark.

Sometimes, he would end up so far from his home, he decided he would be better off switching directions to his country home in Kent, arriving there just in time for breakfast.

During his walks, Dickens would think. Not in a deliberate way. He didn’t control it,  but let his thoughts and ideas roam freely. This was incredibly productive and cathartic for him. He was known to have said that:

“If I could not walk far and fast, I think I should just explode and perish.”

He was not unique in his desire to move and use of movement in this way. Walking in particular.

Aristotle, Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, and Ludwig Van Beethoven all enjoyed the immense benefits of daily walks.

What is the power of a daily walk? It extends beyond physical benefits.

Never Forget Anything

You’ve probably been in a situation before where the wisdom of a quote or the depth of a metaphor struck you deeply. However, whatever realization came out of this would quickly disappear when your focus slipped and you were distracted by more mundane things.

All those beautiful quotes you have read existed in your mind for mere seconds, without having the chance to impart their wisdom to you.

Reading or hearing wise words without consciously reflecting on them and giving them some meditative introspection is equivalent to reading hastily. You jump from one book to the next without taking the time to ponder and absorb what you’ve just learned and felt. . This kind of superficial experiencing  might be entertaining, but it doesn’t lead to personal change.

A Daily Lecture

How can you really imprint and integrate the lessons from daily life into your mind? There is one effective route you can take.

Ponder these lessons in a threefold way: verbally, in writing, and in mental reflection. You can choose one approach, or combine all three for maximum effect. And do this as often as possible. This creates a tangible, active, and intentional process.

Set aside some time every night for relaxation and reflection on the day.

All the rest will follow.

Writing

Your daily reflective exercise could take the shape of writing. In your journal you can develop metaphors based on your experiences that day, summarizing them in your own words.

You will remember stories from your own past  related to these new lessons you have learned and find yourself able to understand the significance on a deeper level because of this connection to personal experience. This is a key way to ‘integrate’ something.

The book “Meditations”, written by the stoic Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, is a great example of such a personal diary. By jotting down his thoughts throughout the day, Aurelius was able to imprint the lessons of Stoicism into his mind. He kept revisiting the same concepts and ideas to ensure he understood their application from every angle.

Dialogue

This exercise can also take the form  of a dialogue with yourself, a mirror or another person. Speaking to yourself out loud, though it might sound and feel strange initially, is a  proven way to help anchor new knowledge into your mind.

If done correctly, the exchange of thoughts and ideas between two people can be an extremely effective way of consolidating and imprinting life lessons. Ancient Greek philosophers exchanged ideas in circles, encouraging discussion and deep debate. Sometimes the truth is more beautiful when you hear it spoken by somebody else.

Strolling

From Rousseau to Kant and beyond, daily walks have often been the origin of great ideas and revolutionary projects throughout history. A walk through nature is a profoundly grounding and rejuvenating experience that really should be a staple taught in every school! .

From a mindfulness perspective, a walk in the woods provides  a moment of inner peace in which we are able to dialogue with ourselves and connect with a larger perspective.

From a scientific point of view, the continuous movement of our bodies supplies the brain with a steady flow of oxygen which sharpens and strengthens our thinking capacity. If you ever feel the need to be more creative and alert, just take a walk rather than feeling stuck sitting at a desk.

We think of meditation as being a ‘thought-less’ experience, but that’s not necessarily true. It’s the nature of our thoughts and our relationship to them that is different in a meditative state.

I can meditate only by walking. As soon as I stop, I stop thinking. My head is driven only by my feet.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

This Week’s Plan

One-time action

Make sure you know of a place where you can go each afternoon for a walk. You could stop by a park on your way home from work, or invite your significant other to stroll around the neighborhood after dinner each night.

Simply having a specific path in mind will make you much more likely to perform the daily habit. You can use Google maps to look for parks and even see how long of a walk a certain route  would be.

Researchers from Stanford University performed lab tests which found that walks through nature left individuals much happier, calmer, and more creative than individuals who walked by a busy city street. Try to find a calm and natural path to walk.

Print out or draw a map of the path you want to take and tape it to your front door so you’ll see it when you get home from work or school. This will remind you for the first few days to go on the walk.

Your goal

Towards the end of each day, for the next 5 days, go on a walk for 20 minutes.

During the walk, allow your thoughts to flow freely for a while. Then consider what has come up in your mind. Reflect on the important things that happened throughout the day. Analyze what you learned and how you can apply it in the future.

Not a day will go by in your life devoid of some new useful information you can use to improve every coming day. This is the time to internalize those lessons.

Find the beauty in the trees, flowers, grass, and sky. This will help you unwind the day's stress and consolidate the day’s lessons subconsciously. You don’t even have to be thinking about anything in particular to benefit from these daily walks.

When you’re ready to embark on this new journey, when you’re ready to start training your mind to reach it’s full potential, just hit Accept below Fabulous Traveler, and you’ll be on your way.

What We Are Doing

We’re helping you take the first fundamental steps on your journey towards mental fitness! The first of these steps is training your mind to engage with the world, your world, in particular and intentional ways. Even if we practice every day, we cannot always enjoy a continuous state of deep wisdom and discipline. Life gets in the way and distracts us. But our habits, discipline, and daily exercise are the strongest armor to help us face that in the best way possible. That’s what you are starting to build with your new habit of reflective walking! Let us know how it works for you. We love hearing from you.

“Take your flight every day! Take at least a moment, however short, but it should be intense. Conduct a spiritual exercise every day, alone or in the company of somebody who also wants to improve. Make the time. Strive to let go of your desires… try to move beyond them. The effort, this ambition, is necessary and justified. Many are fully absorbed by militant politics, preparing a social revolution. However, only very few prepare for the revolution by trying to make themselves worthy of it.”

George Friedmann

Until next week, Fabulous Traveler