Living in the Present Moment

by Erik Larsen
I have been examining my thoughts lately and noticing the amount of time that I spend worrying about things. It amounts to quite a lot of time and it occurred to me that not only does it drain me of vital energy, the worry enhances not one thing in my life.

I spend time worrying about paying a mortgage, dealing with lawyers, negotiating a new business lease, worring about what my kids think of me, wondering who is out to get me and it’s all a load of crap. I made a pact with myself today to stop the nonsense. I am going to choose differently and enjoy my incredible life. It’s the only one I get that I know of and my focus is going to be on experiencing more joy. I am reminded of the mantra that I choose to live by and that is “I LOVE MY LIFE!!!”

Pain is Temporary Eric Thomas

I was preparing for a meeting that I knew was going to be challenging this morning negotiating a new business lease and obsessing over an outcome that I had become attached to. What a dangerous place to go to because often times the outcome is different and it sets me up for instant failure. Instead I established a human connection from the heart and worked together creating a win win situation. I didn’t get everything I wanted and neither did the person I was negotiating with. That’s how it works. In the end we were both happy and shook hands.

Before my meeting I received a message by text which I will share below. Five minutes later I got another text from a different person who sent a photo of me at a camp called SealFit Kokoro of a difficult moment during an evolution that I shall not ever forget. It reminded me of a powerful quote that I live by “Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever.” I am reminded of this daily.

The message is from a daily meditation book that my best friend was reading and the passage for May 20 goes as follows:

“Today is our life. Even though we are drawn to live in the past or have fears and hopes for the future, we only exist in the present. This moment is all we have, and it is enough. There is no need to center our thoughts on how things will turn out in the future because we are alive right now, and this is our life. Our memories exist only in our minds; they enrich the present, but we have no opportunity to relive them. As we live in this moment and center our awareness in this moment, we have a sense that we can deal with it. Feeling overwhelmed comes from trying to take too big of a bite of time. It’s more than anyone can swallow. In this moment, as we sit in our place, we have sensations of sight and sound and touch. We can deal with this moment and that is all we need to do…ever. Centered in this very time and this very place, we regain our peace of mind and our ability to live well.”

Today is all I need, for today is my life.

Pay attention to your thoughts and don’t let them lead you astray. Reach out to friends that you trust and get a different perspective. Find a coach to help you in becoming a better version of yourself. Strive for excellence in everything you do from the simplest acts to the big ones. Make a difference. Why? Because you can.

Be awesome.

Written by Erik Jon Larson
Aspen CrossFit