The Hidden Power of Walking
The following chapter is from Street Smarts: 101 Short Stories, Essays, and Insights to Improve Communication Skills
In my last job, my company had this huge pathway in the back of our building.
2 laps equaled a mile.
I used to listen to music and walk there.
I had this entire pathway to myself.
It felt like a personal kingdom.
Until things changed.
‘What changed?’
Others had discovered the pathway.
You’ll be surprised by how many people walk slow as shit.
- Dragging their feet.
- Moping around.
- 0 urgency.
So rather than just walking now, I was walking and weaving.
The walking did not end with work. It was a habit picked up at work and continued at home. Every morning, go for a walk & get the day started, Armani.
‘Why did you decide to walk with intent?’
I have 0 clue.
Just got a hunch one day & began.
I didn’t think much of this hunch.
As some time passed by, I saw documentaries that mentioned that a lot of intellectual giants had a walking habit.
Apparently, Isaac Newton used to do it.
Nikola Tesla.
Mark Twain was in the walking club.
That’s when I became intrigued.
Why did so many people walk with intent?
I think I have a clue, but no way to prove it.
A lot of our primal ancestors leveraged walking to get from point A to point B. They weren’t driving, of course. I doubt they were running all the time. They would mainly run when they had to hunt or were escaping from a predator.
During the Ice Age, a lot of the world had united.
The frozen water served as a bridge to get from one point to another.
Once again, walking was leverage.
In my eyes, walking is a tool to program the mind to enter the unknown.
Whenever you leverage mystery, you get creativity.
There has not been one creative person who didn’t have a sense of wonder.
That’s why know-it-alls are annoying to be around. They think they are sooo smart. But they aren’t saying anything unique.
Walking consistently gets the mind to favor consistency over everything else. Not everyone does sprints on a consistent basis. At times, our joints hurt.
But with walking?
Anyone can put one foot in front of the other.
How you put that foot in front of the other displays the intent that you operate life with.
- Dragging feet?
- Or purposeful strides?
Walking is for the body as what journaling is for the mind.
It helps a person serve as an antenna for the universe.
When you visualize, walk.
When you have writer’s block, walk.
When you feel lazy, walk.
It’s the best-kept secret out there.
Although, it’s never been a secret.
GET THE FULL STREET SMARTS BOOK HERE:
Paperback/Kindle
Audiobook
