OmPi's Adventures

This seems to be common place for friends and strangers who become friends on the trail, you fall into a Hiking Bubble. I've been reading and this topic of hiking bubbles and groups that form on the trail have been prominent lately and a theme seemed to require some reflection. I can hear my mother saying it now "You need to be careful who you surround yourself with." As a kid you looked at her and said "Ok, Mom whatever," but now as an adult this has really struck home. A man by the name of Jim Rohn has a similar saying, "You are the Average of the 5 people you spend the most time with." Take a moment and read that again and think about it. Think about the 5 people you keep closest and see if it speaks truth to you?

A little over a year ago when I was struggling with my health and my world was turned upside down I was confronted with this statement and it is one of the mantras that I continue repeating to myself as I decide on what and with whom to spend my time. It is something that I know will influence my hiking bubble/group. AWOL, The Good Badger, and various others in their hiking journals mention or have demonstrated that they were pulled up or down by their hiking bubble.

Forbes.com has a great article about creating habits and addresses the myth of the 21-day habit formation. In this article the author discusses how simply doing something for 21-days does not necessarily make it a habit and from where this idea came. He continues by offering 3 stages of habit formation and I found them really useful for the Appalachian Trail.

The first stage of habit formation is the "Honeymoon Period" where things seem perfect and nothing can go wrong. This is the period of joy, where you are riding high and overlooking all the problems because something is new, fresh and exciting. The truth is however no matter how great the honeymoon is that it will have to come to an end.

Stage 2 is the "Fight Thru" and this is the point that really struck me. A lot of the suggestions the author makes to create a successful habit (ie finishing the AT), happen here in this stage. What is interesting is that many of the preparations Zach Davis suggests in Appalachian Trials, are the same as those offered in this step.

The fight thru is exactly what it sounds, when the honeymoon wears off and old habits are ready to take back over (ie you are ready to get off the trail), you must fight thru 2-3 times to overcome and solidify your commitment to this new habit. You successfully complete a fight thru by recognizing you are entering into a battle period, next do it in spite of your urge to go back, and finally keep a humility about yourself. Unfortunately there is no easy way around the fight thru but there are some tools to help in your battle. The biggest tools are found in knowing your why's and answering the questions the author recommends and Zach Davis recommends in Appalachian Trials (my answers). Also reflect on them regularly and revisit them when you have the feeling of letting the old habits take hold, in our case when you are ready to give up on the AT.

Finally you will have a new habit, once you have 2-3 Fight Thru's under your belt. That being said it doesn't mean you are immune from backsliding or falling into old habits again but the process of staying committed will become much easier. When in this stage, beware of discouragement (days of rain), disruptions (illness), and bigheadedness (I'm too good for anything to stop me). If you run into any of these, know that you are probably going to need another 2-3 Fight Thru's to get back to a successful habit.

More than anything else we must remember this process is not going to be easy and success through great habits take daily work, they are never permanent and require constant commitment. As I continue in my preparations and the formations of new habits to help me be successful on the AT I commit to often reflecting on these points as well as revisiting and updating my own answers to the Appalachian Trial suggested questions.