Being Present

Thinking of the future in the present.  It’s an oxymoron.  I love a good oxymoron.  What sparked my interest in writing about this today boils down to one thing: earbuds.  Stick with me as I go on this tangent about a personal problem: my ear canals are shallow.  Because of this, I have a hard time finding earbuds that work properly when I am trying to run or do any cardio that involves jumping/bouncing.  I ordered earbuds on amazon about a month ago and they got lost in the mail so we ordered new ones Monday, expecting them to arrive Thursday, but much to my excitement they arrived today!  Which meant I got to try them out on my run and was not disappointed.

Okay, now congratulate your determination to suffer through that to get to the good stuff (‘good’ being subjective).  The reason I bring this up is because during my run I wasn’t thinking about what I was going to write about today or anything else for that matter.  I was focused and present with the joy of finally being able to have music in my ears while I ran without having to wrestle with earbuds.  I consider myself an extremely future-oriented person, making it challenging for me to be fully present at times.  This tendency to think about the future is helpful for me when it comes to personal development.  I constantly focus on “what’s next” (sometimes to a fault, like when I become fixated on what I’m going to eat for dinner when it is 9 AM).

As I delve into this project, I want to be thinking about what is next and how to grow my brand and myself as a personal and professional.  However, I don’t want to miss out on the present moment.  I know so far this post is somewhere between ‘Yogi Hipster’ and ‘Type A Entrepreneur’.  As I write that though, I’m realizing that it’s a good description of me as a person so using logic, that would make me qualified to give professional advice on any topic in that niche.

Seriously, though, what I hope you take away from this post is that it is important to think about the future.  Where you want your health to be in ‘x’ amount of years.  What you want in a career and family.  Where you want to be financially.  This will provide you with the direction to achieve your goals.  In the midst of all of it, however, remember to be present.  Enjoy the journey you take to get to your dreams.  The failures and struggles as well as the successes.  Cue my fiance referencing this post in 7 months when I’m feeling defeated and down on my luck.

If I’ve managed to motivate you to dig deeper into finding your balance between future-oriented goals and being present, have I got some resources for you! For anyone who grew up with VeggieTales: yes, that can be read in the same intonation as Bob’s line “have we got a show for you” in the theme song.  Now that you’ve either made it through the entire theme song in your head or looked it up on YouTube, I will share said resources.  Gretchen Rubin and Rachel Hollis are two influencers that are at the center of my approach to life right now.  Gretchen is considered a ‘happiness expert’ – her books, website, and podcast discuss strategies for promoting happiness and good habits.  Rachel is a self-made entrepreneur who owns a company focused on promoting the same drive and spirit in others – specifically women.  These two women are motivating and relatable.  And through it all, they advocate for being present with yourself and those around you through regular gratitude, journaling, gold stars, or whatever that may look like for you.

If you have made it to this last paragraph and you feel like I just spit out a bunch of mumbo-jumbo – I probably did – and you don’t know where to go from here, I’ll give you the spark notes:

• Think about where you want to be in your ideal future when striving towards your goals
• Maintain a sense of presence by appreciating yourself and others around you in the now
• Look up Gretchen Rubin and Rachel Hollis 

Thanks for your time – give yourself a hug for making it to the end!