In case you were unaware, I am a very driven person. Always looking down the road, evaluating what I’m doing today, over where it will take me tomorrow. I have to admit I have always been very driven by excitement and the way my mind reacts in a situation. If something is presented to me and I’m excited by it, I believe that’s the direction I’m supposed to go. I mean, how often do you get to really be pumped about something? I put all my eggs into that basket. I develop tunnel vision, in pursuit of whatever that thing is, driven by that addictive feeling. This morning I read a passage in The Practice of Groundedness by Brad Stulberg that challenged this outlook.
Stulberg states, ” Ease manifests when you are fully in the moment, letting things happen in their own time, neither forcing nor rushing your process. Excitement narrows you world. Your focus is on what comes next, always a few steps ahead of where you are. Excitement temporarily feels good, but if you are obsessively trying to generate the feeling, you may miss out on what is in front of you because you are already moving ahead.” The pursuit of excitement disengages us where we are now. It takes our focus from now to next. It is very hard to live satisfied, if we are in constant pursuit of what comes next.
I am working towards finding more balance in my life; balance between what is and what could be. I think we often unknowingly think we are in a season of delay when that simply isn’t the case. It just not yet our time. We think if we don’t get X,Y,Z right now then they aren’t going to happen. Everything we do in life is moving us in a direction. I am a firm believer that leaning into the experience, practicing patience & presence and being in a state of gratitude will take you to the right place every time. Even the right thing, at the wrong time, is more of a burden than a blessing. Stay the course sweet friends.
Today, try to stay focused on the moment. Be fully immersed, appreciative and present wherever you are. Goals, dreams, vision and excitement all have a place in our lives, but they shouldn’t be our primary focus. If we are in constant pursuit of next, we lose sight of now. And now is the next you were last working towards. Much love and present appreciation sweet friends.
