Unplug, Immerse, and Reboot: Part 1 [048] - Speak Up!

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In our episode today…

I want to discuss the benefits of the recent camping trip my wife and I enjoyed in Northern Michigan.

As our listeners well understand - we talk a lot about getting outside our comfort zones on this podcast - and while that is usually in the context of practicing our communication skills, today, the topic is more about stepping AWAY…

Specifically from people, electronics, and modern comforts or modes of transportation, and instead highlight the benefits of immersing yourself in nature and rebooting your mind.

My wife, Betsy, and I did our stepping away together by stepping onto a ferryboat and taking a nearly 2-hour trip West into Lake Michigan.  We traveled from Fishtown in Leland (tip of the pinky on the Michigan map) and docked at South Manitou Island, where we would hike and camp with only the things we carried.

South Manitou is a 10-mile circumference, barely inhabited island in the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore.  Its pristine fresh water is as blue as the Caribbean, just not as warm!

If our adventure intrigues you, you’ll enjoy this episode, as I hope to challenge and encourage you to seek out a similar type of adventure, as well as learn why I think this topic merits greater emphasis in our modern lives, now more than ever.

Today’s WOTD is: Garrulous

GAIR-uh-lus

adjective

• Containing many and often too many words.
• Talkative.  Verbosity.

“He delivered a rather garrulous speech.”

Some Context:

This camping trip has been on the calendar for me and my wife most of the year.

Our anniversary gift(s) to ourselves has involved a mix of ordering camping gear online -to frequent trips to REI.

What’s important to note is that I have virtually no real experience ‘camping’ or ‘backpacking.’

Sure, I am into rucking as a fitness regime, and that builds strength to carry heavy loads long distances - hiking and backpacking involve practical gear, and as light a load as you can possibly make to bring what you need to survive.

Our goals were threefold. 

1.) Unplug and disconnect from devices, noise, and distraction

2.) Immerse ourselves in nature

3.) Reboot and return refreshed - with the “Three Day Effect” (which we’ll explain)

My hope was that this will improve for my wife and I both, our creative minds, our ability to focus and solve problems, and in general become more adept with backpacking and camping to take longer adventures together!

UNPLUG:

On the goal of disconnecting:

Listen. I’ve felt like stepping away from constant connection for a while now.

I’ve done something of an Irish Goodbye with Facebook.  That is, I never said anything, I just sort of left it.  There are so many reasons, many of which our Speak Up listeners are familiar with. Despite benefiting from a social media presence in my career, I am no fan of social media.

I could tell you more about alarming statistics of wasted human time (i.e. that the equivalent of 200,000 entire human lifetimes are spent endlessly scrolling social media)

I could talk about how companies like Meta are harvesting every piece of data they can about you to manipulate you to a.) spend more time on their ecosystem and b.) spend money with their advertisers.

I could tell you I’m sick of being distracted…

But the real catalyst for me was regarding some exchanges I observed among even respected friends.  Public disputes were becoming more common - toxic groupthink was becoming more normalized - and antithetical points...