Value of Today

What, you didn't hear the news? You missed it? You see John's new car and house? You are how old and only have......? Throughout 2020 and 2021, we witnessed a historic shift in mental health, in anxiety, in FOMO, and in how we perceive the world. I know many of us have fallen into this at some point in our lives but with the push to be connected and having to use social media to "connect" to the world over the past couple years, I feel more than ever people have forgotten about what life is about and what the meaning of TODAY means. Life has so much meaning when you look around you and not at the digital screen in your pocket or on your desk. Life is about fresh air, connecting with neighbors, enjoying the moment, and putting out the effort YOU feel you can today. I hope you get something out of this post as it's been on my mind for many months now in talking with friends, colleagues, and strangers (new found friends).

Yesterday was amazing wasn't it? Whatever your answer is, you are right, you lived your life. Now look into why yesterday was whatever you felt it was to you and think why did or didn't it live up to your expectations. Were you distracted, were you living for today or 2022, and planning this year and thinking of all the high hopes and big goals you have? Let's just stop and think, as kids, we walked outside, and we started to play, started to create the day most times on the fly. Now let's take that in your first job and day as an adult paying bills, doing adult things, you just accepted the debts, accepted the struggles, and honestly accepted "your worth" $5, $15, $50 an hour. You were "free" and independent. Plus you took every opportunity to learn, and were inspired by people around you or had someone to look up to usually within the world. This was also because we didn't look to social media for the "inspiration" we saw the real mistakes, the real triumphs, the real stories. Social media is the story of what people want you to see, what people are comfortable "sharing" with strangers, what people "perceive" is success or great to them. Reread that last statement, what "you perceive or want people to perceive". Is that YOUR life? I know I have fallen into this trap multiple times and honestly part of the reason I am writing this as I strive for 22 and beyond to live in TODAY.

Have you taken a job, jumped into a relationship, or done something based on planning for the future? Not thinking of today, not taking into account the feelings of today, the questions of today, the concerns of today, just thinking about the what ifs, the might happen, the then this/that. Yes we all have and most of the time we look back and it's not the month, year, years we thought they would be and where we would be. Sometimes even worse off than we were before. I look at many young athletes who have a goal of being drafted into the NFL yet don't want to go play with their friends/teammates (who may be NFL worthy) because they believe they are better, don't want to get hurt, see the $$$ signs, same for entrepreneurs and workers, they see the $$$ before the passion for the role, the passion for the idea, the passion for the company. It's in times like this where we again turn to the digital worlds to reassure us of "success" or what "that vision" looks like based on what the person wants to share digitally with all their followers. Did you read about the steps backwards they had to take to get there, did you read about the learnings they had from going to that useless meeting where a future opportunity would present itself along with making a lifelong friend, playing that bowl game where they created memories that can't be taken from them and met the player who challenged their skills to be even better. When we look to reality, you can find beauty in today. When we look to social media or to the future, we get envy, we get jealous, we get "perfect".

My racing career, education, and business career have all had so many learning points, failures, heartbreaks, and setbacks. Now looking back on some of these failures, heartbreaks and setbacks, they were from looking at tomorrow, looking at the future, and not taking the signs of today, not taking in the moment of today. Did I learn yes and no, yes as I look back today thinking back through why these might have happened, no because I continued to do this and will continue to do this, but I hope that through bringing it to a daily consideration when I wake up I will realize more and more the value of today and the value of what I do today makes a different tomorrow and leads to what happened yesterday I look back on that helped build a better TODAY.

Next time you look online, look at social media, look for a career move, plan for a future, think what does TODAY "feel, look, and do". Does it feel right today with what you know? Does it look like what you would accept doing today? Would you do a step back to DO what you want no matter what? I also challenge you to reach out to someone DOING what you want to do in the future and see if TODAY you feel the same way with all the challenges, all the missed "life events" all the different feelings that come with whatever THAT is. Just know that TODAY never happens again but tomorrow can be changed by what happens today and how you look at every TODAY in the future. If you made it this far, first off thank you for taking the time to read this, and second, YOU are my inspiration even if I don't know you because you believe in the value of TODAY. I hope we can connect, chat, and be true to who we are. What success looks like to me will be different than you and almost every other person you speak to. I'm going to go outside now and appreciate TODAY, because TOMORROW will thank me for what I am doing today and yesterday helped me come with my best self to TODAY.

Thank you for taking time to read this, I appreciate you. Please share and comment if you like, dislike or have inputs. It's amazing the impact you will have on TODAY's generation!