Spending five days floating 70-miles down a creek is an ideal vacation for someone who truly enjoys the out-of-doors, and watching the wildlife. So how does one learn self improvement techniques during a leisurely outing like that?

What do you suppose a kayak trip could possibly have to do with discipline, what you make of events in your life, personally growing from the little efforts that you make, or getting up in the morning before anybody else?

First let me talk about what you make of life’s events.

I moved all my gear for the trip from the truck to the creek. Then a sudden thunderstorm broke loose, and drenched me. It was a quick storm, so I ducked under a bridge, and waited for the downpour to pass by.

Many people would use the storm for a reason not to go on the trip. It’s easy for people to look for excuses just like that. They use them to justify their failures in life. But you learn more when you study the problem, and find the opportunity that hides inside.

Too many people just give up. And giving up is a way of making sure that you stagnate in life.

But I knew that rain waters the plants so they grow healthy and strong. A good rain meant that a foliage canvas of majestic colors would greet me along the creek.

I looked forward to that.

And what about discipline?

I took off down the creek at 1:00 PM on Monday. I ran into rain two more times that day. Each time I got under a bridge to wait it out. Each time it cleared up, and I went on my way again, admiring nature. Part of a successful self-improvement discipline is preparation for the potholes in your future path.

I spotted those rain clouds moving in, and found cover before they hit me.

Other people journeyed along the creek too. People rent tubes, canoes and kayaks for short trips downstream.

That last thunderstorm of the day five guys passed me going from Crawfordsville, Indiana to Shades State Park, Indiana. They had their own kayaks, and planned a fast trip. They started out at 5:00 PM, which meant they wouldn’t get to Shades until well after dark. Even paddling fast (like they were) that is an 8 or 9-hour trip.

When other people get out ahead of you, you miss a lot. Because when you’re behind them those other people beat you to those things.

Part of self improvement means developing the habit of getting up at least one hour earlier than everyone else. What you learn, or see, in that hour can change your whole outlook on life.

On Tuesday I launched my kayak on the creek at 9:10 in the morning. That’s a little late but it was early enough that I was in front of all the renters.

At 11:45 I spotted a Doe and two little Fawns on the bank up ahead. I watched them until the Doe seen me. Then she moved up the bank, and called the Fawns. They followed her away from the creek, and into the woods. I only saw them because I was in front of every one else that day.

I stopped for lunch at 12:40, and started seeing the first renters catching up with me. They were all around me the rest of the day. I tend to float most of the time, and paddle only when I need to. I watch ahead of me to see everything I can. The more you look, the more you see.

And paddling means you’re in motion. When you’re in motion the animals see you as a bigger threat than they do when you are just drifting along. And they move to get away from you sooner.

Even the majestic Bald Eagle leaves his perch in a tree when he thinks someone is too close.

How many deer did I miss on Tuesday afternoon, I wonder, only because somebody got in front of me? Not to mention the Beaver, Turtle, Muskrat – and yes, even snakes.

That first day between 7:30 and 8:00 at night I spotted a Wild Turkey. That’s the first time I seen a Turkey living wild and free. I only saw it because the five guys had passed me at 6:00. I was alone on the creek, and had been for over an hour.

For self improvement practice a few simple disciplines, and mind how you treat the events that happen in your life…

Even while surrounded by other people, beauty was everywhere.

The trees can’t run away from you. They just stand there so you can admire their majesty. They wave at you in the wind, and if you listen you’ll hear them whispering to you. What kind of ancient secrets might they tell?

The fish still jump for insects. Ah, but on that second day, before anyone else showed up, a large small mouth bass jumped over the front of my kayak. It dropped back into the water on the other side. That was during a drifting part of my day. I sat there watching as if watching a film in slow motion. Think that would happen if I wasn’t alone on the creek?

And what about that most majestic of creatures? The Bald Eagle? When others float the creek in front of you, the eagles fly around overhead. You can watch them as they glide on the air currents. And I don’t think most of the renters really even notice them.

But when you’re all alone, just drifting along, you can spot the eagle sitting on a high limb – watching you.

No matter what circumstances you find yourself in, you have the power to grow above them. Your reactions to events in your life determine the value of your experiences in life.

Self improvement lessons are around you every day. All you need do is open yourself up, and internalize them. And to find those self improvement techniques you only need watch what happens in your world.