Train Like A Kid
Step 8: Be here now (Living without a sense of urgency, enjoying the journey and not being concerned with the outcome)
By Douglas Pieterse, Co-Founder & Head Personal Trainer
"It may be simple but not always easy"
Anxiety and depression often seem to be adult issues. Most anxiety is caused from worrying about the future, which if you look at it, means you are worrying about something that does not yet exist. Depression on the other hand can often stem from being fixated on the past, the would have, should have type of mental chatter. The worst part is that you cant change it but yet it is easy to allow it to dictate your present or future experience. Damn, to be a kid again and not have to worry about all these adult problems would be great. To enjoy every moment without the sense of urgency or impending doom lurking around the corner.
Anxiety and depression often seem to be adult issues. Most anxiety is caused from worrying about the future, which if you look at it, means you are worrying about something that does not yet exist. Depression on the other hand can often stem from being fixated on the past, the would have, should have type of mental chatter. The worst part is that you cant change it but yet it is easy to allow it to dictate your present or future experience. Damn, to be a kid again and not have to worry about all these adult problems would be great. To enjoy every moment without the sense of urgency or impending doom lurking around the corner.
So how do we fit our oversized smelly athlete feet into the shoes of a 7-year-old? Not just for fun but actually yes, for more fun.
Be careful not to get overly frustrated with unrealized daily or even monthly goals. I’m not saying to be completely content with achieving nothing but limit the amount of happiness you base on reward driven pleasures. Like a drug, you will always need more success or importance to try to achieve the same euphoria that you did the first time. Having an agenda that’s packed to the brim will at first give you a feeling of purpose and importance but after a while the sheer magnitude of responsibilities, expectations along with what needs to be done will feel like a crushing burden.
Basically, what I am trying to say is live your life without a sense of urgency, enjoy the journey without always being concerned with the outcome. You can’t listen to the end of a song to enjoy it or watch the final minutes of a soccer match to really appreciate it. Kids get this, they have fun along the way, making up games or using their imagination to exaggerate the boring walk to the shop into a perilous adventure through the dark forest to find the Market Place Treasure (by Jasons).
Kids also enjoy the simple things, eating food is not just about shoveling everything down their throats but quite often it’s about making food faces, or testing the texture of the food with their hands. Taking a few minutes to enjoy the simple things in life can have a huge impact on how you perceive the world around you. Next time you wash your hands pay attention to how the water feels, what the soap smells like and how dry the towel is that you use at the end. This short moment of being present can go a long way to quietening your mind.
To quote a great philosopher:
Yesterday is a history
Tomorrow is a mystery
but today is a gift.
That’s why we call it the present.
Yesterday is a history
Tomorrow is a mystery
but today is a gift.
That’s why we call it the present.
Winnie the Pooh
Simplify your agenda and keep an eye on a good life, work and play balance.
Realistically none of us will make it out of this life alive, at least not for now, so let’s have some fun along the way.
Realistically none of us will make it out of this life alive, at least not for now, so let’s have some fun along the way.
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