Today, I didn’t want to, But did it anyway.

 One of the biggest discussions I have had with successful people and those that continue to stay disciplined, no matter what their profession, specialty or passion is, is what they do when they don’t feel like doing whatever it is they need to do or know they should do. The most common response and even in my own life is that they do whatever it is whether they want to do it or not. 

Success, in no matter what areas you want to succeed in life many times will involve doing things you don’t feel like or don’t want to do.  I’ll use myself as an example.  Today, I am at work, at the fire station, day 4 of 5 at work, working 120 hours before I go home in total.  Today, we had hose testing and training at the station and a ride-along (granted it was my son, but an extra person nonetheless).  It was a busy day.  I didn’t feel like working out, walking for an hour, lifting and moving my body.  So after lunch, I completed my reports and went to the treadmill and walked for an hour, and I didn’t want to.  I stepped on the treadmill, and took one step after another and soon, an hour had past.  I had walked the three miles I  try to get in every day and had watched a show while doing so.  Instead of settling down and resting for a bit, I walked.  Then, after further training, and running calls, when I was tired mentally, and physically from being day 4 at the station, i sat down for a second.  I forced myself to get up, head into the station gym and started lifting weights,  Low and behold, I went harder than just going through the motions and got a great lifting session in.  

My why- it guides me.  Even on days I don’t want to do it, I do it.  Even if it means just going through the motions, I do it.  Even if I am tired, exhausted, overwhelmed, under rested, I do it.  I may not go as hard, I may not go as fast, I may not go as long, but I do it.  I do it because I want to be healthy for my family.  I do it because I have a 3 year old grandkid that requires me to run around for her spurts of excitement. Lil do it because I want to be around for my family for a long time.  I do it because the why is bigger than me.  

One of the things I have learned is to allow myself some grace.  I used to be intense about everything, and now I am intentional.  Successful people are intentional in their actions, but they take action.  It doesn’t matter how large or how small as long as you are taking action towards your dream, goal, desires.  No matter what they are.  Watch the patterns of successful people.  Watch how they work when they are tired, when they are energetic, when they are stressed, overwhelmed, underappreciated.  They are crazy enough to believe in their dream, passion, desire, their PURPOSE that they continually work towards it, even when they don’t want to. 

YOU have the power within you to make what you want become a reality.  It simply takes action, many times even when you don’t want to do it.  

• Don’t want to get out of the warm bed, do it anyway.
•  Don’t want to workout today, do it anyway

• Don’t want to read that book today?  Do it anyway. 

•  Don’t want to study today? Do it anyway.
• Don’t want to make that phone call?  Do it anyway 
• Don’t want to deal with the challenges?  Do it anyway. 

Whatever it is in your life that will progress you towards the life you envision, Do it whether you want to do it or not.  You’ll thank yourself later.  

     

The Present is a Gift- Relish it!

I have recently read a few books, Conversations with God, The Last Lecture, For One More day, Today Matters, and several other books.  There continues to be a common and recurring theme in each and every one of these books.  It comes up over and over that we need to live in the present moment and exist in this moment.

My most recent experiences in life and the people I have run across have demonstrated this to me so well.  The people whom I have attracted into my life in every aspect have taught me a lesson about this very action, this very ability, this very emotional journey.

You see, many of us, we worry so much about our bills, our car payments, our mortgage, our lives, that we forget to stop and LIVE in the moment... we forget to stop and just RELISH what is at this very second occurring in our lives.  Let me explain.

If we always react to the past or the future, we will miss what is right in front of us.

How many of you have often been in a situation and Reacted to that situation based on things others have said, done or experienced before?  Heck, how many of you have been in a situation or environment in which you REACTED to something that has occured in YOUR past, an experience or a feeling? In reality, we must detach ourselves completely from all previous experience and knowledge of past in order to truly live in the moment and enjoy that moment for all that it's worth.  So many times, we look a the moment and while we are existing in the moment, we are allowing our mind to REACT to the situation rather than allowing our souls to CREATE in the moment our current feelings and emotions.  We are simply put, trying to create a reality that does not exist in this moment, react based on what it is that we think to be true in part because of that which we have either previously thought or experienced in a similar setting.

WHOA!!!  Did you get all of that?  OK.. so I understand it's a hard concept to understand, but let's dig a little deeper.  Let me use this quote from Conversations with God:
"TO Change your response to anything, be in the present moment- the moment that was sent to you and was what it was before you had a thought about it... In Other Words, Be Here Now, not in the past or the future.  The past and the future can only exist in thought.  The pre-sent Moment is the Only Reality. Stay There!!!" (Conversations with God, Book 2 -Page 218 of the full version)

Take Time to enjoy the present moment and what exists here and Now!

OK, I think that explains it in much simpler terms.  We often rely on our thoughts to create our experiences and our reactions to them, however when you use the mind to dictate what the moment truly is saying, we Will use either our past (which doesn't exist at this moment) or our thoughts of the future (which also does not exist at this moment) to react to the experience we are living rather than create the experience for which the moment was intended.  Maybe it was happiness, maybe it was love, maybe it was joy, maybe it was just existing.  We use our mind to change our perception of the moment.

I am here to say to you today in order to truly live in the moment, you MUST let go of not only your past, BUT your future as well.  We get so stunned when we think of what could happen or what has happened.  It throws you into emotional turmoil and clouds the creative energy we have to respond to the situation.  It stunts the soul's ability to communicate with us at a deeper level in terms of feelings.  It challenges us.. and we utilize fear or other emotions to in certain situations to tell ourselves this moment can't be right for us, or is something different than what it actually is.  This can't be happening to me... how often have you said that to yourself and created disbelief in your own life, or even thought to yourself- "It's too good to be true" in a given situation or experience.  This in part is due to the "past" and Future" thoughts you have had or think you will have rather than just living for the present moment and existing there.

Our minds are very powerful in helping us to think that what we feel are truths.  But remember our truths are what we tell ourselves.  Our feelings are like a Northern Star to that.  When we live in the present, we simply allow our feelings to exist for the moment we are living in.  Our minds can over-power our feelings very easily and give us a false sense of what we are truly feeling.  A good example of this (especially for CrossFitters) is a workout that you know is going to be challenging- (in most cases for CrossFitters it would be fran!)  What did that bring up in your mind?  What emotions did that evoke?  Did it evoke a negative response?  Did it evoke a challenge within you to complete the workout?

What if I told you that the next time you complete that particular workout, it will become easier than you ever thought.  You will get better, you will have no issues or problems with it.  What if I told you that workout was just a quick little workout that meant nothing but that you are awesome.  Would you have a different view of it?  Would you look at it in a different light?  Now can you see how powerful our mind can be in these situations?  Can you see that living in the present takes letting go of everything we think to be true to just enjoy the moment as it exists?  To just live for the Here and Now?  Does it make sense that each moment in time is given to us as a gift to enjoy for what it is... the moment.  My statement to you is WHO CARES what has happened in the past.  WHO CARES what will happen in the future....

For most of us, it is challenging to let go of the past, challenging to let go of our experiences and just experience that which we are in at the moment.  But I URGE you, this is what is.  The moment is now.  You are reading this blog for a reason.  You are formulating ideas and thoughts in a creative thought process by utilizing the here and now rather than by coming in with pre-conceived notions (well at least I hope so)

My suggestion for all of you is to stop living in the past, the future and really relish the moment, pay attention to the moment.  It is all we have, it is such a gift and to let our past or future intentions dictate what we experience here and now, is a great dis-service to our lives.  Live for the moment and create the feelings and responses you want to create in your own life.  Create your experience based on existing right now.. not based on what has happened in the past.

Here's to the present. Live for this very second and enjoy the Now!!!