One never knows what memories are going to be created or what will stick in the mind after returning from a trip.

For me, forgetting my bathing suit was one of those memories I did not realize would come back with me to Ontario and my farm.

It all started with a feeling. I know you have had this feeling too.

That Gut Feeling

We were on the bus early on the morning of Day 3 of our North American Study Tour. Heading out of Calgary for Banff. We were excited as we had TWO HOURS of free time scheduled into our day! For AALP alumni, you will know how exciting this is.

Day bag in hand, layered up for the day, morning exercise, meditation and tea accomplished, I felt great!

Until I sat in my seat on the bus.

Then it hit me. That feeling. I had forgotten something.

I went through the mental checklist:

• Notebook? Check.
• Phone? Check.
• Purchasing power? Check
• Warm layers? Check.
• Water bottle? Check

I even checked in with a few classmates, “Were we supposed to bring something extra or special for today?” It was confirmed, “No. You are all you really need.”

As the bus was leaving in a few minutes, with no time to go back and check my hotel room, I made a decision:
Whatever it is, I can do without it.

And I let it go.

The Plan (That I Didn’t Yet Know I Had Broken)

At our first seminar in Niagara, our hotel had a sauna. A small group of us discovered in the early hours of our days there, that we loved sitting in a good, hot sauna.

We had some great sauna chats and solved all life’s challenges in those sauna sessions.

When we saw on our agenda that we would have two hours of free time in Banff we thought “There MUST be a spa with a sauna in Banff!” After all, what large tourist centre in Canada doesn’t have one??

One of our sauna going classmates was on the hunt and found the perfect spot.

The Dramatic Realization

We received the gift of two powerful speakers in Banff. One speaking about mental health and the other about the environment. These presentations led to outstanding conversations over lunch while taking in breathtaking views of the mountains.

Then, back on the bus to head into the tourist area for our free time in Banff.

And that’s when it hit me.

My bathing suit!!!

That was the thing that my subconscious knew I was missing. That gut feeling of forgetting something was my body that clearly wanted the sauna more than my brain did. Nooooooooo!!!!!

The Choice

In that moment, I had options.

I could have:

• Beat myself up for forgetting
• Been frustrated
• Felt like I missed out
• Focused on what wasn’t going to happen

It would have been easy to fall into this trap of the mind.

But instead, I decided to change my focus and I looked around me.

What I Saw

Mountains.

Fresh air.

Space.

A group of people I love and enjoy spending time with.

AND I had already made a decision earlier that day during lunch that had nothing to do with a sauna.

At lunch I wanted to spend more time with one classmate in particular who consistently brings light and contagious positive energy. The kind of person who makes you laugh without trying. The type who reminds me that life is simple and grand.

The Result

So instead of focusing on what I forgot, I focused on what I had.

And the afternoon unfolded exactly as it needed to.

We walked.
We talked.
We laughed.

We felt refreshed, cleansed and rejuvenated. No sauna required.

The Lesson

Leadership isn’t always found in big decisions or formal settings.

Sometimes it shows up in the smallest moments.

In that moment of unpleasantness, the realization of what I had forgotten, I decided to:

• Lead myself first, instead of reacting to the circumstance
• Focus on what’s present, not what’s missing
• See a situation for what it is. Not more than it is or less than it is
• Meet my outcome, even if the path is different from the original plan

It would have been easy to follow the feeling of missing out.

Instead, I chose to lead.

Final Thought

I didn’t bring my bathing suit to Banff.

And I led myself to receive the outcome I came for.