What are you doing today?
Could you do it yesterday? Were you prepared? Did you have the experience? The knowledge? The know-how to get it done?
Minutes. Hours. Days. Weeks. Months. Years. Our lives are built by moments – the experiences, obstacles, accomplishments, and opportunities that help us to become who we are and who we strive to be.
It’s incredibly easy to get caught up in the “trenches” of life. Fooling yourself into believing that you aren’t going anywhere. That you’re stuck. That today is no better than yesterday, and that tomorrow will likely leave you feeling the same as today.
But today is better, and tomorrow can be even better. Our experiences build upon one another. Our training culminates. The challenges you face may suck, but when overcome, leave you that much stronger. That much more prepared. More secure. More confident. More poised and ready for the next one.
18 months ago, I put on some crappy old Adidas basketball shorts and and old t-shirt, stepped outside, and decided I’d start running.
It wasn’t pretty.
It fact, it was downright ugly. A block or two after walking out the front door, I was spent. I was done. I was gasping for air. No endurance. No strength. No matter how much my mind wanted me to believe I could take a few more steps, my body wasn’t ready. At least, not yet.
A couple years ago I got fired from my job. Instead of looking for a new one, I decided to create my own. I barely knew what I was doing. I had no idea if it would work. Or if I’d get a single client.
It wasn’t pretty.
But I trained. I learned. I took on new challenges. I pushed myself harder each day. I did more. I worked hard. I didn’t take any shortcuts.
Last weekend I ran my first marathon. I felt guilty and upset when I hit the wall at 18 miles. That my body wouldn’t respond to my mind after 3 hours of running. 3 hours, when 18 months ago I couldn’t run for 3 minutes.
For the past 2 1/2 years I’ve ran my own business. I got my first client. Then another one. Then a lot more. And I haven’t looked back. I still worry about the future. I still wonder about the “next client”. I still second-guess myself.
But I know that I can do today what I couldn’t do yesterday. So can you. We fall into the trenches, unable to see the progress we’re making as we get caught up in the day to day.
But we are making progress. We are doing things we couldn’t do yesterday. We’re learning. We’re growing. Both the shittiest and the best experiences are still just that, experiences. One’s that help mold and shape you into the person you are.
Life is about progress. It’s about looking at today – the now – and embracing that this moment is THE moment.
Do today what you couldn’t do yesterday.