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By Casey Grey
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I've spent the majority of my life thinking about the future. How do I achieve the next goal? What do I need to do? Who do I need to know? Where do I need to be?
If this is you as well, I don't believe this is a bad thing as long as you are present when it counts most. When does it count most? Right now. Being an entrepreneur, visioning, planning and taking action towards big goals is extremely important although it will all be for nothing if you don't stop to appreciate, celebrate and enjoy what you have now. Remember where you came from. Remember who helped you. Remember who loves you and who you love. Remember why you're doing what you do. And if you can't remember, I would like to suggest that you stop and take the time to remember now. Personally, I know I'm not immortal. I will leave this earth at some point. I don't know if it will be tomorrow, next year, 50 years or 100 years from now. Whenever that time comes for me, I do not want to look back on my life and realize I missed the whole point of living. Do I know what that is? No. But I believe it's different for all of us and it's our responsibility to figure that out. How would your life change if you lived every day knowing that you would look back on these days as The Good Old Days? I am writing this on only a few hours of sleep. Although I recognize the importance of sleep and make sure I get 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night, there were other forces at play last night.
As a kid I'm sure you can remember a time when you could not sleep because you were just too excited for the next day to come. The usual things like Christmas, Easter and birthdays would keep me awake however it was not only those events. It was knowing that something fun (or something I perceived as fun) was coming. This could be as simple as knowing I had a baseball game, a friend coming over, family coming over or just a day out with my mom, dad or older siblings. As adults we tend to stop loosing sleep over excitement and instead loose sleep over things such as anxiety, stress, worry, anger and so on. All things that come back to one thing, fear. Fear that things are not going to turn out the way we want them to. As kids, we would focus on the positive and as adults we have "learned" to focus on the negative. We have been taught to protect ourselves and watch out for the worst. I'm happy to say that last night was one of those childish nights for me! I am focused on the good things that WILL happen in the future and I'm excited! I am (re)learning to focus on what serves me instead of what hurts me. Trust me, I have lost lots of sleep due to emotions that do not serve me (especially as an entrepreneur) but I have learned from those experiences. I have learned that they do not serve me in any way. There has never been anything good that has ever come out of worrying, stressing, feeling anxious or being angry. The only thing I have received is certainty... Certainty that I'm going to feel like shit. Now I am reconnecting with the child in me. The little person that knows no boundaries. The one who sees only potential. The one who is only limited by his imagination. The one who takes 1 step and then falls... Then 2 steps and falls... Then 3 steps and falls... Until he's running and jumping like he's being doing it for years. When my son falls I ask, "What do you do when you fall down?" He replies, "I GET BACK UP!" I just wanted to remind you of how trees grow strong.
Trees that grow in perfect conditions, protected from the storms, will not grow strong roots. The trees which are subjected to these storms and make it through will be stronger for the next one. And trust me, there will be a next one. What you’re going through right now is only preparing you for something much larger. You’re building the skills and, more importantly, the experiences to take on the next challenge (and the next, and the next). Like I tell my team, we never talk about the easy times, we only talk about the challenging times. Remember, these are the "good old days" that you’ll look back on and remember how they turned you into the man you are. The key is that you get to decide who that man is today. This is my official commitment. I commit to writing something every single day for the remainder of 2019. If I don't have access to internet, I will write something on paper and post it when I can. I suspect it will continue beyond 2019 although we shall see where I'm at then.
I am doing this because I want to be better than I was yesterday. More specifically, I want to become a better thinker and writer. I want to teach myself how to see the world better so that I can show up better and serve those people who I care most about. Writing is something I have only dabbled in but for some reason it has been pulling me lately. It's time to listen. If nobody reads this, I'm fine with that. Although I know my wife will... I love you Natasha. And if she's the only one who reads this, then it has served it's purpose. If there is anything I have learned in my 33 short years on this earth is that everything begins with just one step and it takes courage to take that first step. Perhaps more importantly, there's only one thing that keeps that thing moving forward. That one thing is commitment. New years resolutions are useless unless you commit so that is why this is a commitment and not a resolution. Here's to a new adventure! |
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