There’s more to campfires than singing “Kumbaya.” Hanging out with buddies in the great outdoors — ideally with cold beverages in hand — is a great time to talk about life’s hurdles.
The power of fireside conversation was revealed at a recent Wellmen Project event. The outdoor adventure and personal development program for guys set up shop at the Sea to Sky Gondola in Squamish, B.C., where a mountaintop campfire shed some serious light on how to get rid of hurdles in life.
Here are three hurdles that men face, and a simple step to work through each of them:
1. Figuring myself out
From Kyle: “A lot of the daily challenges for me (involve) coming to terms with who I am and who I want to be…without comparing myself and trying to be anyone other than who I am.”
How to deal?: record your thoughts using your phone
Dictate a voice memo or type into a digital notepad, and if you want to slow yourself down, go old-school with a pen and paper.
“It is something that has become a daily practice; and finding those little cues and daily reminders to realign myself with what my goals are and how I want to live my daily life.”
2. What is my purpose?
From Peter: “There are these peaks and valleys that I sometimes have trouble navigating. Where do you put your focus in life? What is most important?”
How to deal?: be honest with yourself
“It’s about figuring out what my passions are, and how I want to pursue them.”
3. Putting my health second
From Dean: “The biggest challenge for me in maintaining my health is the fact that my kids come first. I can give everything to my children, but if I am not looking after my own health I might not be there for them.”
Click here to watch Dean’s video, “A Dad’s Story” on Canadian Men’s Health Foundation’s YouTube channel.
How to deal?: include your kids in the active things you like to do.
“I’m fortunate that my kids are at the age that I can take them to do things. I have spent tons of time on the ski hill with my eldest son; it’s really good for bonding, but also really good for our health.”
Are you thinking about making healthy changes? If so, we’ve got your back!
Grab this free e-book “Blueprint for Better: The 5 Stages for Building a Healthier Life” for tips on making healthy changes today.
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I’m in a new relationship and want to stay as healthy as possible as he is 15 yrs younger that I.
These feed showed up as the 3rd entry on my social media page at a pretty crucial time. I find myself struggling with stress management for the first time in my 9 year career. I do my best to separate my work life from my home life, but lately they’ve been crossing over. I keep getting told that I am a hard, dedicated worker and that my junior colleagues look up to me, and then in the same breath I’m being told that I need to pick things up and that I need to have more respect for the supervisors. Not too sure how to proceed and deal with the double standards.