Life's Big Questions and the Art of Living in the Present

“What am I going to be?”

“Where should I be right now?”

“When am I going to get there?”

“How am I going to get there?”

“Why aren’t I there right now?”

I will be completely honest with you, these thoughts cross my mind every day. If you have never had this frustrating conversation with your inner-self, this likely isn’t the post for you. However if any of the reflections above resonate… Keep reading!

a profound paradox

Everyday I struggle with all of the things in the world that I wish I think I wish I were doing. The people I could be connecting with, the art I could be creating, the legacy and influence I can be having… I admit first hand it can be very exhausting and deflating to go down that rabbit hole.

After a few minutes of going around in dizzying logical circles, trying to answer every last question about where is “there”, and how to be “that person”, I time and time again come to a realization.

The only “there” is right here.

And the only “person” is me, exactly where I am today. I am making the beautiful art I am meant to be, connecting with the right people, and having influence where it is needed.

In other words, I believe that striving for “there” is a myth. That “person” we dream of is a projection of emotions and aspirations, which, are significantly less important and influential than fully living in the one present moment you are in right now.

living in the ‘now’

And what a beautiful challenge this is. To live in the now. To be present and fully aware of what is going on around us externally: the conversations, the interactions, the experiences… At the same time being connected to what is going on within us: our feelings, our emotions, energies, and inner voice.

So, the personal learning I share with you today…

There is no summit to this mountain.

And I’m glad that is the case. It would represent a depressing reality, wouldn’t it? To think that one day we may actually get “there”. Of course in “arriving” we lose the opportunity to grow, to fail, to learn, and to change that is inherent in travelling along an unbeaten path. (Tweet this quote)

I think back to my years of playing basketball and winning various championships and acknowledge that it was never the championship itself that I remember, but the journey it took to get there.

It is the beautiful path that we are walking on right now.

I encourage you to acknowledge where you are today, be fully present, and thankful as it is exactly where you need to be.