I love to sneak away and get in some mountain biking. Unfortunately, I do not have the opportunity often. This morning, when I got up, the fog was so thick I couldn’t see more than 40 feet ahead. The air was a bit cooler but not cold. It was the perfect morning the break out the old 2 wheeler. I typically listen to music on my iPod shuffle when I ride but this morning I accidentally left it behind. No problem, I would use my iPhone. I have very little music on my phone but I do listen to a load of podcasts and audiobooks. Forced to forgo the music I stuck with podcasts, a new experience. I had long assumed that biking (or running) to a podcast would not give me the energy I’d need to push hard and get up the hills.
Boy was I wrong.
I found that I really got into the discussions and mostly forgot about the hill I was climbing. I was inspired and had some great brainstorming ideas all while doing something I love to do. During my ride I heard a quote that really resonated and I immediately made a note- “live during the best years of your life” from Timothy Farris’ “4 Hour Work Week”. As I sat down to write today I thought back on some of my favorite “live in the now” quotes:
• Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep on looking until you find. Don’t Settle. — Steve Jobs
• Carpe Diem or Carpe all your Diems as Michael Hyatt says. (seize the day)
• Sometimes we become so focused on the finish line that we don’t enjoy the journey – Dieter F Uchtdorf
• Learn how to be happy with what you have while you pursue all that you want. – Jim Rohn
• The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise man grows it under his feet. — James Oppenheim
• What’s money? A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do. — Bob Dylan
• Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. — Robert Breault
The ride itself today was “so-so”. I know that to really enjoy a good trail you have to “earn your turns” meaning you have to make the sacrifice of going up before you can truly earn and enjoy the trail going down. Today I had an awful lot of uphill work. More than I remember from past rides. On top of that the downhill portions had been so eroded by the recent rains that they were not smooth but rather rutted and technically challenging. I worked as hard going down as I did on the trail up. Thankfully I returned in one piece. It was a great morning the time I needed to enjoy and recharge. I liked it so much, despite the unexpected obstacles that I plan to go again on Saturday- I’ll try a different trail. Life is to be enjoyed- through all the ups and downs.
Question: what is your favorite living and enjoying the now quote or mantra? Leave your comment below or by clicking here.