Walt Hampton, J.D.

Creating the Work & Life You LOVE

Keep The Bucket Full

by | Jan 12, 2012 | | 0 Comments

This post first appeared on May 10, 2010. I share it again as we begin the New Year:

What do you do after you stand on the top of the world?

It’s the question Ann and I have been asking after Jordan Romero summited Mt. Everest last week. At age 13, he’s the youngest climber in the world to accomplish this feat.

After you’ve achieved your dream, what’s next?

There’s a wonderful article in this month’s Success magazine about Buzz Aldrin. Aldrin walked on the moon in 1969. But when he returned to earth, his life unravelled. He churned through jobs he didn’t want. He drank. He became depressed. His marriage failed.

Aldrin was a graduate of MIT and a career military man. His entire life centered on service to his country. The lunar program was the pinnacle of his career. He believed that he could rest on this achievement. But when it was over, he was lost.

Aldrin’s failures, according to Mike Zimmerman who wrote the Success article, “forced him to recognize that a man can’t walk on the moon forever. And shouldn’t try. At some point, you have to dream beyond what you dreamed before. So [Aldrin] set out to fix things.”

Now in his 80s, Aldrin went on to reinvent himself many times over becoming an author, motivational speaker and advocate for space exploration. He even competed this past season on Dancing With the Stars!

“I’ve had great results in turning myself into a far more productive, more enlightened, more contributing person than I think I ever was before going to West Point,” Aldrin says. ”If anything, there’ll be a motto on my tombstone: He kept trying.”

The key for Aldrin, according to Zimmerman, is this question: ”Do we dream big enough? And when we achieve those dreams, do we dream beyond them to discover not greater greatness, per se, but deeper greatness? The kind that enriches us, that would drive an already great man to fight past his self-destructive tendencies and build on a legend?”

Do we dream? And do we keep on dreaming?

“What’s on your bucket list?” Ann asked. It’s one of her favorite questions.

There was an uncomfortable silence. And then the response: “I guess there’s nothing left really.”

I felt sad. He’s just 75. And he’s my dad.

Contemporaries of his just returned from a six week open ocean sail across the Drake Passage. They’re planning their next adventure. A friend of ours graduated from George Washington University as a Physician’s Assistant (and valedictorian) at age 60. For the last dozen years, she has cared for the poor and the oppressed in some of the world’s most remote corners. John Keston, recently featured in The New York Times, began running when he was 55. He’s completed 800 races including 53 marathons. He holds the world record for his age category. He’s 85.

Our coach had us list 101 life goals. Try it. It’s hard. But exhilerating too. There’s the ride through Yellowstone on the Honda Goldwing. The river raft of the Snake River. Biking along the Great Wall. The climb of Everest. The islands of Greece. The nascent projects. The unmade photographs. Books waiting to be written. Stories yet to unfold.

Our buckets give shape and meaning to our lives. We wither without our buckets.

Perhaps we grow weary. But I read about Buzz and I have hope.

Who knows what young Jordan Romero will do. There are so many possiblities that lie before him. May he keep his bucket full.

May you as well.

The Greatest Risk You’ll Ever Take

by | Jan 5, 2012 | , | 0 Comments

This is a Guest Post by JT DeBolt, speaker, coach and author of Flight Plan to Success.

There are few endeavors we as humans have achieved in our evolution more awesome, more liberating than that of flight. I love flying airplanes. Aside from the obvious freedom and excitement of flying, piloting an airplane can be a high risk and dangerous activity.

But despite the risks, people fly every day. They fly into the night, into foul weather … even into combat. And they do so not because they’re crazy or brash, but because they’re dedicated, courageous—and they’re prepared. They also understand that the reward of flying has an associated risk.

Life is very much the same. We dream big, and imagine the possibilities. We know there is risk involved, and yet, as achievers, we throw caution to the wind and dare to dream anyway.

As a species, we’ve slowly evolved from beings who were hard-wired to take risks–mostly out of necessity to survive–into fear-abiding creatures who will rationalize mediocrity with facts and figures about failure and the pain it causes. And we consume the fear-based bullshit that is rammed down our throats through the media and the banter around the water cooler more easily than the inner calling that was programmed in our DNA from birth; the calling to risk.

It is so much easier to say “I told you so” than to encourage someone to step outside of themselves–and perhaps away from us and our sometimes-narrow view of the world–and move closer to their greatest dreams, their true selves. So it is no wonder that taking risks has garnered a reputation of irresponsibility and foolhardiness.

Hear me when I say, I’m NOT talking about foolhardy, whimsical dabbling; I’m talking about following one’s true calling, even in the face of the potentially dire consequences often associated with stepping outside the status quo and living a live that matters.

While success requires the courage first to dream, it also requires thoughtfully planning out the mission, then executing on that plan.  There is risk associated with endeavoring toward anything great: risk of failure, and the risk of losing money, position, friends and even one’s life. And while the risks involved in achieving are part of the journey, champions of life who endeavor to do great things accept and take calculated risks because they understand that those risks are a necessary part of the journey.

But perhaps the biggest risk we take is to not risk at all. When we hesitate, flounder, hold ourselves back and concede our dreams to the ‘practicality’ of life, we risk never really living the life we were meant to live.

I know this, because it nearly happened to me.

As a young kid, my eyes were constantly drawn skyward to the dreams of flying as a pilot in the United Stated Navy. It was my burning passion. And even though it was something to which I felt intrinsically drawn, several people of influence in my life thought I was not cut out for it; that I lacked the mental focus or the academic skill sets to achieve such a lofty dream.

When you are a kid, hearing from teachers, coaches, friends and family that you are ‘not good enough’ for your dream, you begin to believe it after a while. And I almost didn’t answer the call. I almost bought in to what other people wanted for me.

But instead, I decided to risk.

I joined the Navy right out of high school. I was equipped with the “I’ll show you” gene that many teenage boys have, and mine was particularly strong when it came to wanting to fly.

However, the US Navy—the very institution from whom I wanted to fly—told me I wasn’t cut out for flying. Wasn’t pilot or officer material. Wasn’t good enough. And despite applying six different times for the navy’s various programs, I was denied every time.

What do you do when the entire world tells you ‘NO’?

You risk again.

This time I left the job security and steady paychecks of the military and went to work doing menial jobs. I saved some money, took my G.I. Bill, and went back to college.

I risked everything I had left. Would I get accepted into flight school or would I get rejected this time—this final time?

I rolled the dice. The same dice you have. The same dice we all have. The dice of our dreams. The ones carved from our passions, our calling, our true purpose in life.

It is damned scary tossing those dice onto the craps table of life; watching them tumble randomly from our palm. Watching them roll to a stop. And then, with a pause that seems to last an eternity, fate enters the room. A fate we dictate–not through hopes and wishes–but through hard work and persistence.

It comes from risking, and throwing that goddamned dice until it lands where we want it.

For me, it took almost 20 years before my dice landed in Corpus Christi, Texas on a warm Friday afternoon in September of 2001, just days before the most fateful morning in our nation’s recent history. And my dice came up reading “Mission Accomplished”. For I stood on a stage in a large auditorium, one of a few dozen men and women who had survived almost two years of arduous training where nearly eighty percent of our classmates would see their dreams of flight fall short forever.

That risk—that long list of risks—finally paid off. My childhood dream of becoming a US Naval Aviator came true. My fate sealed. All because I dreamed. And planned. And schemed. And executed. And failed. And persisted.

I risked.

You have everything you need right now to accomplish anything you want. It really comes down to a simple decision. And that decision most certainly will open up a series of other decision, much like the “choose-your-own-adventure” books we read as kids. And after all, isn’t that what life is: an adventure?

The greatest risk you’ll ever take is to not risk at all. You risk never achieving the dreams you hold dear, and perhaps the calling and the purpose you were placed on this planet to achieve.

Risk. Risk often. Risk now. You deserve the rewards.

Visit JT’s Website. Get Flight Plan to Success. Click HERE!

 

A New Dawn

by | Dec 29, 2011 | , | 1 Comment

How can it be the New Year already?

How many folks are ready for the New Year?  How many of you have made resolutions for the New Year already? How many haven’t even begun to think about New Year’s resolutions?

Well you’re in the right place. New Years is a great time to reassess and recalibrate. And I have some thoughts about finding freedom and fulfillment in the New Year. Some simple steps.

Here’s the problem: 100 million people in this country feel frustrated and bored with their lives. That’s a third of the population; one out of every three folks. The fact is, most of us aren’t living the lives we once imagined we would live.

We like to think there’s time to sort it out, to get it right.  We like to think we’ll make time for what’s important in life next week, next year, when the kids are out of school, when we retire. We’ll get to those things “soon.” And the truth is, soon never comes.

A number of years ago, on a beautiful crystal clear late winter day, I was the first EMT in a car that had been hit head on at high speed. The driver was my friend Chris. His life ebbed away in my arms. Whenever folks ask me about my high altitude mountaineering, my ultra running, my blue water sailing, about risk. I think about Chris. Now, we all have a “Chris” in our lives – the sudden death of a loved one, a jarring moment when we are reminded of the brevity of it all. But then we go back to life as usual.

What if life could be different? What if we could have it the way we want it? What if we could – each day – enjoy fun freedom and fulfillment? It’s not impossible you know.

Three simple steps for an outrageously successful New Year

So let me share with you THREE simple suggestions as the New Year approaches.

And in order to help remember them during these last remaining crazy weeks of this year, I going to build these thoughts around the acronym EVE as in New Year’s Eve, as in the Eve of new beginnings.

Envision the life you want

So the first E stands for Envision.

All of us need a vision of where we are going.

Now, most of us have this vision early in our lives. We think about graduating from high school, going to college, maybe going on to graduate or professional school, getting a job, finding a partner or spouse, and finding a place to live.

And then, all of a sudden we’re whacked upside the head by this thing some call reality. Every day, waking up, having breakfast, going off to work, coming home, watching TV, and falling into bed at the end of the day, only to wake up and do it all over again the next day. Soon we’re starting to feel like the guy in that old donut commercial or an extra in Bill Murray’s Ground Hog Day: the same thing over and over and over again.

And we ask: is that all there is? And it is – unless we have a vision of something more.

So the first task is to get clear on what you want.

We can’t hit a target we cannot see.  So we need a target and we have to see the target.

And it can’t be something vague like “I want to lose weight.” Or, “I want to get fit.” It needs to be clear and definite. And it needs a really good compelling reason why you want it. For example, “I want to lose 20 lbs. so I can fit into that tux or that dress for my daughters wedding on June 15:” “I want to start a running program so that I can do my first 5k on September 1.”

Maybe you’ve always wanted to start your masters or take up painting or write a book or maybe you want a new career. Maybe you’ve always dreamed of being a dancer.

Now’s the time to reclaim your dreams.  Envision your life just the way you want it.

Life what you value most

The V is for Values.

Our lives are much sweeter when we know what we value.

Here’s an exercise for you to try: pull out a piece of paper and on the left hand side, write the top five things you value; on the right hand side, write the top five things you spend your time on.

Now in the perfect world, there will be a one to one match. But most of us won’t find that.

Here’s the scoop. You can’t say you value family if you spend 80 hours a week in the office; you can’t say you value health and fitness if you never go to the gym.  You spend your time on what you value. And if that’s not true, then there are some adjustments that need to be made.

Life is much simpler when we are living out what we value. Decisions are easier. We’re less stressed.

Let me give you an example.  I value health and fitness right up at the top of my list. If I’m invited out to lunch or asked to schedule a business meeting on a day that I’m going to the gym to do weights, there’s no wrestling with the decision for me. No confusion. I value going to the gym over a lunch appointment.

When we get clear on what we value most, it’s much easier to draw boundaries in our lives; it’s much easier to say no to what’s not working; and yes to what’s working.

Engage with clear decisive action

The E is for Engage.

Get going. Take action.

Can you believe how fast this year has slipped by?

We think that to get to the lives we want, we need to shift universes, make massive changes, move, quit our jobs, leave our relationships.

The truth is that small consistent steps over time lead to magnificent results.

Think about one of those old hand pumps at a campground. You start pumping on the handle slowly and nothing happens; you keep pumping and still nothing happens; you pump some more and a small trickle of water may come out. Here’s the rub, a lot of folks stop there. There’s just a small trickle; it’s not worth the effort.  And, of course, if you stop, you’ve lost the prime; you’ve lost the benefit of all your efforts. BUT, if you just keep pumping a little longer, a huge torrent of water flows.

And so it is in taking steps toward the lives we want, toward our vision, toward our dream.

People ask me how I ran my 50-mile ultra marathon. I was never a distance runner – I took up distance running 3 years ago. When I think about running 50 miles, even as I write this today, it is nearly incomprehensible to me. How do you run 50 miles? One step, one mile at a time.

I worked on Journeys for just an hour a day… for a year. Small consistent steps over time… .

Rock this New Year

The message of Journeys: Live your dreams, live the life you want to live, live passionately, intentionally, joyfully. Before the clock runs out.

So as the EVE of the New Year approaches, get busy: Envision the life of your dreams; live what you Value most; and start out, Engage.  See what happens. The New Year is gonna rock.

 

Get your signed copy of Journeys on the Edge: Living a Life That Matters. Click HERE!

 


 

To Turn Again

by | Dec 22, 2011 | | 0 Comments

Because I know that time is always time
And place is always and only place
And what is actual is actual only for one time
And only for one place
I rejoice that things are as they are and
I renounce the blessed face
And renounce the voice
Because I cannot hope to turn again
Consequently I rejoice, having to construct something
Upon which to rejoice.

— T.S. Eliot

It’s dark. Really dark. And cold.

The sun, even when it comes up here in the northeast, skitters across the horizon. And disappears.

Yet, this week, we celebrate the light.

It is the turning point.

From the very earliest of times, before tribe or tradition, we have confronted the darkness with trepidation – the darkness of the night, the darkness of our souls – and railed against it. Through liturgy and ritual and celebration, we connected with the ancient rhythms of the earth to welcome light – and hope – back into the world.

For a fraction of a moment this week, the earth will stop – and shift on its axis – and turn again toward the sun.

It is the turning point.

In the busyness of our frantic, teched-out lives, we can miss this moment. It is easy to forget why we run around and string lights and light candles and wrap presents and gather together – and in the process end up empty and depleted and sad. It is easy to forget why we celebrate.

We celebrate the light. We celebrate in the deep knowing that the light always returns. We celebrate that the light always triumphs over the darkness.

Take a moment to stop this week. Reconnect with the ground – and with the Ground of All Being. Feel the earth turn back to the sun, back to the light.

It is the turning point.

Then decide.

What will you turn toward in the days and months ahead? What light will you discover in your life? What light will you shine in the lives of others?

Be that light.

And celebrate.

It is the turning point.

 

Order your copy of Journeys on the Edge: Living a Life That Matters. Click HERE!

Take The Easy Way Out

by | Dec 8, 2011 | , , | 0 Comments

I was out on the rock face at about 11,000′ enjoying the view. The climbing was fairly straightforward, and flowed easily, even though I didn’t know the way.

My climbing partner was 100 yards below me and to my left in a narrow cleft.  He was trying a different approach and it wasn’t going well. I could hear him grunt… and swear from time to time. And occasionally I’d hear the scatter of rockfall.

After nearly 45 minutes of struggle, my partner emerged below me, conceding at last that the route that I was on was the right one.

I’ve thought of this scene countless times over the years. Usually, when we’re trying too hard – whether in the mountains or in life – we’re off route.

The right way is not always without difficulty. But there is a natural flow and unfolding when we’re on the path we should be on.

“We are rather like whirlpools in the river of life,” writes Charlotte Joko Beck. “In flowing forward, a river or stream may hit rocks, branches, or irregularities in the ground, causing whirlpools to spring up spontaneously here and there. water entering one whirlpool quickly passes through and rejoins the river, eventually joining another whirlpool and moving on. Though for short periods it seems to be a distinguishable as a separate event, the water in the whirlpools is just the river itself.”

Suffering, Joko Beck suggests, arises when we pretend that we are not the river; or when we wall off and dam up our own small eddies.

I think suffering arises when we paddle up stream.

Years ago, I took my boys to Disney’s Blizzard Beach. Encircling the outside of the park is a “ride,” a gently flowing river. You sit in an inner tube – and float along.

I’m not very good at Blizzard Beach. I get antsy. I want to paddle. Maybe even change direction. If there were Blizzard Beach police, I might go to jail.

Many of us like to pretend we’re in control. That we own the river. That through cleverness and craft, we can navigate and forge the way. Maybe even force the way.

But constant paddling saps the spirit and tires the soul.

Dan Millman writes, “Surrender involves getting out of our own way and living in accord with a higher will, expressed as the wisdom of the heart.”

What if we didn’t have to struggle?

What if we could trust the river, surrendering to the Great Flow of our lives?

What if the easy way was The Way?

 

 

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