Today is the final day in the 21 day 750-word challenge. I've written a lot of words over the past three weeks and touched on some interesting topics. I don't want this to be a conclusion post because i plan to do that later this week.
My puppy woke me up at 7:45 to go outside and go potty and i was about to get back in bed i thought to myself, "isn't there an FA Cup game on?" Sure enough, there is. Lovely reason to not go back to sleep. I decided to stay awake and begin my day.
I've been thinking a lot about how yesterday's post ended about what i want to do with my life i just don't know how. I think yesterday might have been a little bit misleading but the essence is i want to be of service to others. I want to take people to new heights in their lives. I want to advance the human race. It most definitely starts with myself as i must lead by example. I think completing the goals that i've outlined for the year with go a long way toward helping me live like that. (Smart, fit, aware, free, and of service)
I hope that by having a sense of what i want to do i can begin taking the necessary steps to get there. As they say, "if you don't know where you're going, any path will get you there." I want to have an endgame in mind as i'm taking the journey. My WHY. The thing (other than soccer) that gets me out of bed before 8 am on a weekend.
I'm looking forward to warmer weather. I really want to take advantage of the outdoorsman's paradise that i live in. The Blue Ridge Parkway and Appalachian trail are ridiculously close. I got a new mountain bike and some riding shoes, as well as a hand-me-down tent over the winter break. All gearing up for this spring and summer. I may or may not have mentioned that one of my unofficial goals is to spend as least one night in the woods per month this summer. I think it will do me some good. Especially if i'm able to do it alone on one occasion.
It's important that i focus on my goals and hold the pursuit of those goals above all else. It goes back to choices. Whether i am conscious of it or not, every single second i am choosing to get closer to, or further away from, my goals. Repetition and mindfulness will allow me to stay focused on what is truly important. If i choose my goals wisely, this shouldn't be a problem. If i'm having exceptional difficulty reaching a goal, perhaps my heart just isn't in it. Perhaps it's a "should" goal. If you think you SHOULD do something, you've already lost 9 times out of 10. The desire must be beyond a simple should. What is the WHY? Like a small child, keep asking "why" until you peel away all the artificial layers. Get to the core, the essence of why.
One month of 2013 is nearly gone. How are you doing with your resolutions? If you're on track, don't fall off. If you aren't, you new streak can begin today. Incremental improvements, day after day after day after day after day. Faster than you realize it, you'll look back and be surprised at how far you've come. I say these kind of things mostly just to remind myself. I try to instill positive thoughts in my mind as often as possible. It's very easy for negative thoughts and emotions to arise, but with mindfulness i can be aware of the emotions and drown them out with a flood of positive ones.
We all have a choice as to whether we want to be happy or sad, rich or poor, fat or skinny. It's just a matter of how bad we want it and what we're willing to do to get it. Choices and decisions. Can it really be that simple? I think it can if we train ourselves. It's the little moments when we aren't mindful that allows ourselves to get off track. If we work at it, we can make sure that those moments are fewer and farther between.
The best part is that we can start this practice of mindfulness right this second. Bring complete attention to whatever you are doing, no matter how mundane the task may seem.
