Have Media Will Travel

A blog about outdoor adventure, family travel, national parks, media, technology, marketing, fitness and me.

Frontier Life

Lost in the Middle of Somewhere

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Grreetings from the San Francisco, CA, area, where I’m continuing my life coaching learnings.

I am out of the frontier, but the frontier is not out of me.

Where I'm from and what I'm used to. (Photo by Florian Herrmann)

I rented a car so I’d have more freedom and ability to sightsee while here. I have Google Maps, and I have navigation on my phone, featuring the voice of a friendly lady who provides directions without raising her voice at me when I make wrong turns.

Still, I feel lost. And stressed out. Comfort zone? I left it when I left the frontier.

Remember, my beloved frontier is Wyoming, a state inhabited by only 540,000 people. When I get lost in Wyoming, it isn’t because there are many routes or roads to choose from. It’s because there is only one road and no signs, or the end of a road. The land is huge and expansive, and well, yes, lonely. There are only five people per square mile, thank you very much.

Often people refer to Wyoming as being in the “middle of nowhere.” And that’s fair.

For the record, I would much prefer to be lost in the middle of nowhere than in the middle of somewhere.

You see I have maps — lots of them — for the San Francisco area. And I have the navigation system.

But I don’t have the right kind of “maps.” I’m referring to those emotional reference docs we have stored up in our brains that accumulate as a result of experiences. I have “maps” for the frontier, where the hazards are wildlife and isolated, harsh, rugged country. Here, the hazards are getting struck and even killed by a fast-moving vehicle, or — if crossing a bridge and veering off course  — the ocean. I don’t have the maps for this. I just don’t.

So, as I collected the keys to my rental car at SFO, I said a prayer — and tried to psyche myself up — for driving in the fast lane and trying to find my way to the hotel. Those of you know me, or read this blog, have gathered that I love epic adventures. Well, this drive from the airport to my hotel in San Rafael would be an epic adventure, all right, but one that I dreaded.

When I’m at home, I don’t drive very often. It’s a 2-minute commute to my office and it’s a 3-minute drive to the grocery store. The entire length of Main Street is probably one mile. When I drive around the state, I drive far, and fast, but I own the lane I’m in. There aren’t fast lanes like there are here, and exits (options) are far and few between. There aren’t that many cars.

So with white knuckle grip on the steering wheel, my Droid’s navigation all set up, the radio off, and seven pieces of gum in my mouth, I set off into the fast lane(s).

The situation I'm in right now. (Gasp)

I can’t remember being so uncomfortable and out of my element. I was too busy keeping my eyes in front of me to count, but I think there were, like, 10-11 lanes of traffic, each one full of zooming cars. And, there were exits every quarter mile it seemed. In Wyoming if you are unsure of a direction or exit, you simply slow down, or (gasp), stop. I would be killed instantly if I did that here.

One of my friends suggested in a Facebook message to me that I read after arriving safelyto my hotel, “Why are you driving in the fast lane?”  If there were a slow lane here, I would pay extra for it. But I don’t think there is?

So, to wrap up this blog post, I’m reporting that so far, so good. I have been stretched outside of my comfort zone and in the process have overcome some fears and gained some new “maps.” As a result, I was able to drive myself to Stinson Beach and hike from surf to top of East Peak (of Mt. Tamalpais). (Post coming soon with photos and videos from the hiking adventure).

P. S. I think it’s probably no accident that Alamo rented this small town, frontier girl a nondescript car that isn’t worth very much. I’m trying not to take it personally. 🙂

I Am Thankful for So Much.

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This Thanksgiving, I am feeling particularly blessed, and reflecting on all the gifts in my life.

Jerry, our sons and I on a hike in our backyard.

I am thankful for my husband, Jerry, and our three sons, Wolf, Hayden and Finis. Jerry is the perfect life partner. He’s my partner in crime in all the adventures I love to do, my best friend and my biggest champion. He laughs at me and with me. He gives me courage and he holds me up. He encourages me to be the best I can be. And, he loves me unconditionally, which I’m sure is not always easy to do. I look forward to growing old with him and am blessed beyond words to have the opportunity to do so.

Our sons fill me up. I never knew how deep love could be until each of them entered my life. They cause me to slow down and see things — the small wonders in this world that I would otherwise miss. I “happy cry” all the time due to these three young boys that are our sons. Everything I do means more because of Jerry and our boys. Guys: I love you from the bottom of my heart, with all of my heart and more than life itself. Thank you.

My parents, with our sons, during an afternoon of flying kites.

I am grateful for my parents, Nancy and Bill Sniffin, who have given me unconditional love, a great up-bringing, support, friendship and opportunity, and who have taught me, among so many other things, to be polite and respectful, about the value of hard work, to care for others, and to dream. My mom is the strongest, and yet most gracious person I know and she, more than anyone, teaches me about strength and kindness. My dad is one of the most successful, self-made people I know, and he is big on dreaming. I am a dreamer and an optimist because of him. Thanks to my parents, also, for moving us to Lander, Wyoming, when I was just a young girl. I love you both so much. Thank you.

I am grateful for my sisters, Alicia and Amber, and for my brother, Michael. Thank God they will be in my life forever, and I know on each of them I can always lean. I’m enriched by them and all the wonderful memories I have of time spent with each of them and/or all of them at once. I wish each of you and your families were geographically closer. But you are always near in my heart. I love you, sisters and brother. Thank you.

I am grateful to all my relatives and extended families. I love and thank you all for everything and for adding to my life.

With some of my dear friends.

I am grateful for all of my friends. I love you all. I have such meaningful relationships with each of you. Each of our friendships make my life richer. Many of you push me in ways that make me have a more fulfilling life. Thank you.

I am grateful for my mentors, teachers, colleagues, vendors, clients, customers and “champions.” You have all helped me lead a successful and purposeful life thus far. Thank you.

I am grateful for acquaintances I’ve made, and acquaintances I’ve yet to make. Relationships enrich my life and I look forward to creating new relationships with you in the future.

I am grateful for small things, like Jerry’s delicious coffee and fried eggs, playing board games or dancing with our sons, flying kites, camping, long epic hikes with Jerry and/or my girlfriends, short family hikes, Friday ice cream socials with the boys, family get-togethers at my parents’, s’mores, good books, red grapes, merlot, dark chocolate, winter adventures, blue skies, sunshine, and so much more.

I’m grateful for living in Lander, WY — on the frontier of Wyoming, and in the foothills of my beloved Wind River Range. I can’t imagine living anywhere else. I am right where I wish to be. I don’t love any place more than this one.

I am also grateful for the freedoms we enjoy, and for the life we are able to have in our great country.

Happy Thanksgiving. I wish you a wonderful and memorable Thanksgiving holiday.

I Am Here, But I’m Not. Not Really.

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One of the things I’m working on is being more present in the moment.

Specifically I am wanting to do better at these things:
–Single tasking
–Focusing
–Living in the moment
–Becoming a much better listener
–Being more present

Actually, these things, although numerous, are all related. In fact, I think if I could become a much better listener I’d be much better at all of the above.

One of the things I learned at my recent coaches training course, Fundamentals, is that there are three levels of listening. The first is the one where you’re listening mostly to your own thoughts. (For example: Did I unplug the iron? Gosh my response sounded stupid. I can’t forget about the playdate. I have to remember to go to the store and pick up some grapes after this. And so on.)

The next level (Level 2) is laser focused. Think of two people when they are first falling in love. When they’re together, the other person consumes the other’s attention. It’s high level, direct, focused listening.

The third level of listening is deep. It’s is when you are listening at a high level to what’s being said and communicated, but your senses are more keen. As a result, you’re picking up the mood and energy, subtle things that are happening, nonverbal communication, etc., — and your intuition often kicks in during this level of listening.

I think I’m really good at the first kind of listening and pretty good at the third level as well. But, the second level — the laser-focused listening — I am not good at. That is, unless I’m very interested in what it is you are saying. The problem is, of course, that if you’re the listener, it’s not up to you what the person is saying. It’s safe to say that, most of the time, I am not a good direct listener.

Because, well, it requires too much of my attention. I’ve got a lot going on in my brain.

Not to brag, and in fact this is not bragging because, turns out, it’s nothing to be proud of, I am phenomenal at juggling lots of tasks at one time and somehow not letting any of the balls hit the floor.

Unfortunately, I’m missing out on a lot as a result. There is a lot of science, and plenty of articles that support this.
Wandering Mind is a Sign of Unhappiness
The Madness of Multitasking
Multitasking Makes You Stupid

By the way, I’m no stranger to the concept of “compartmentalizing” — the act of neatly managing activities and time by scheduling via grouping(s). In fact, one of my favorite authors is Tim Ferriss (Four Hour Work Week). Famous for “lifestyle design” tips, Ferriss’ batching concept is something I’ve tried before, but never adhered to. This is a little different from what I’m working on, but it’s all related to the fact I’m not good at narrowly focusing my attention.

Let me state for the record that generally, no one in my life is complaining about my multitasking or inability to live more in the present. In fact, I can’t remember any of our three young sons, or my husband, complaining about this. And, also, for the record, the thoughts that consume my head space are almost always positive and exciting in nature. Often they involve books I’m reading, or events that are coming up, or fond memories or ideas for business. Mostly they are not what I would consider nagging thoughts. Heck, much of it is dreamy — as in, “day dreaming.”

Still, according to science, I’m missing out. I want to experience more fully the times I’m playing Legos with our three boys. I want to hear, on a deep level, what they say when they’re expressing something to me. And even though I could argue, pretty effectively, that taking the long view in lieu of being still and celebrating the present has served me well most of my life, I think I’m short-changing myself by focusing too much on future events and ideas instead of the task or event at hand.

So, I’m determined to improve this about myself. I started this weekend, by going offline — totally “disconnecting” — from my cell phone, texting, email and computer use, from 6 am Saturday morning until 6 am Monday morning (today). I think I made progress in being more present by removing significant distractions.

I want to be careful not to complain about technology. In fact, I love technology and I feel strongly that social connectedness enriches one’s life. Certainly living out on the frontier of Wyoming, and working alone in an RV by the river, can be lonely and isolating, even. I love my Facebook relationships, and I love having the unlimited knowledge at my fingertips that is provided by the internet. I love capturing precious moments in photos and videos and then sharing them with my networks of friends and family. These truly enrich my life in so many ways, and in my opinion, are not bad things.

Except for when they distract me from my loved ones.

But, as they say, help is on the way. 🙂  From time to time, I’m going to continue to limit my “virtual” connectedness in an effort to be more connected with the right now.

Thanks for listening!

I Want To Be A Coach, Part 1

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I want to be a coach. Not a basketball coach or a football coach, but a life coach.

(And while I’m at it, I also want to be a nutrition consultant, for which I’m working on certification, and a NOLS instructor. And, what the heck, I want a Family Vs. Wild show, too. But I digress.)

Me on an epic hike in my backyard, Wyoming's Wind River Range.

As Frontier Consulting Group and/or HaveMediaWillTravel, I will continue, part-time, as a consultant to businesses and/or organizations in the areas of content development, marketing, destination marketing, tourism promotion, travel PR, media production, social media, etc.

But I will also be reinventing my professional self.

What will be the outcome, you ask?

This is how I’ll answer that:  My family, national parks, the outdoors, epic hikes, the Wind River Range, the frontier that is Wyoming, social media, technology, fitness, coffee, nutrition, etc., are passions of mine. As a result, I read and share a lot about these things across all my “networks” of friends, family, colleagues and people I’ve never met — in an effort to motivate people to travel to Yellowstone or Grand Canyon, to improve their fitness, to embark on epic outdoor adventures such as climbing the Grand Teton or doing the Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim of the Grand Canyon or snowboarding at Jackson Hole. To explore the backcountry, including my beloved Wind River Range, and the frontier of Wyoming.

Motivating others — or at least trying to — to do any of the above things is fulfilling. Helping to motivate people to affect positive change in their own lives would be particularly fulfilling, not to mention an honor.

But there are other reasons for embarking on this journey.

The life coaching coursework and in-person learnings should help me become a better listener, and to be more present in the various moments and experiences that comprise my life. Such learning should help me in all of my relationships, in consulting, at home and with family, friends and colleagues.

During the years leading up to the September 2008 sale of our business, I met and enlisted Betina Koski as a life coach. I found her after reading Jim Collins’ Good to Great. Betina was a phenomenal help to me. She did not have the answers, or even offer answers (although I would have welcomed them on many occasions!) What she did do was listen to and ask me a bunch of powerful questions. She made me think and reflect and focus, and she provided direction. She “coached” me, and always, I was better for it.

Finally, human will and potential are fascinating to me. So ultimately, it would be a tremendously rewarding challenge, to play even a small part in helping people master and realize theirs.

So, back to the first sentence in this post – about wanting to be a life coach. I’ve enrolled in the Coaches Training Institute (CTI). I will be making five monthly weekend trips to the San Francisco area for hands-on coaching learning between now and March. I will then begin a 25-week certification to become CPCC-certified, which will include taking on clients and conducting 100 hours of coaching, supervised coaching, and additional work and instruction.

Check back here often because I will be generous in my sharing of what I learn on this journey.

Most importantly, thank you for your readership, friendship and support.

Help Me? I NEED a NOLS Expedition

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Hi friends. I appreciate your readership. I need to ask you a favor. I am trying to win a National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) expedition. I entered a video in a contest that ends Friday. I need people to watch the video. (And, if you feel so inclined, please vote/give it a ‘thumbs up’ and/or leave a comment.)

The video is funny. It was a family affair and I hope/think you’ll get at least one laugh out of it. Hopefully.

To watch the video, click HERE, scroll down a bit to a blue button that says “View Entries.” My video is the one with a man in a bright colored shirt and has a headline that says “Help! Shelli Needs a NOLS Expedition.”

Thanks a million, in advance, for watching the video and helping me out. I appreciate it very much!