Sunday Story…Careful what you wish for

 

Are words we have all heard many times. Usually, we hear them as a caution…as in it might come true.  Or when I wish for rain and get a deluge or I wish for heat and get a drought. Those are the unintended consequences that might happen should my wish come true.

 

More often than not, though, what I wish for doesn’t come true. It remains as a thing out there that I want to have happen. But all the time and energy I spent wishing it got lost in the process. I can’t control the lottery. I can wish to win it and spend all my time spending the riches I would have should I win it. All that focus on how I would spend my 100 million dollars is an exercise in futility. The time I spend wishing is time I could spend on more rewarding pursuits and more productive work. Work that may lead me to earn my 100 million dollars or being rewarded for pursuing the excellence I am wishing for.

 

A wish that shifts my thoughts and focus, though? That is a wish worth wishing for.

 

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Story…Waiting for the Next Raindrop to Fall

Or in our case the next pandemic or election snafu or riot or snopacalypse.

 

The last 12 months have been unlike any other in my memory. It seems like the hits just keep on coming and we aren’t talking about the top 40 here. More like a ham and egg boxer in with the world champ…hit, hit, hit, and hit. No matter what defense I put up something new creeps through and smacks me upside the head. All out of my control. I didn’t cause any of this to happen. I’m just an innocent bystander.

 

It is often said that it isn’t what happens to us that matters. What matters is what we do with what happens to us. It’s our attitude about what happens to us that matters. You can be mad, you can be sad, you can be any number of things…it is your choice.

 

Look life can be difficult. Things happen that aren’t to our liking, things that go against the grand plan we imagine for our lives. You get to decide what your attitude is going to be. This is the only real freedom we have and it is the only freedom every human has…the freedom to determine their attitude about their circumstances.

 

At any rate…remembering that no matter what someone always has it worse than you do might help you generate some gratitude to approach your situation with. Gratitude is the great antidote for everything that ails you!

 

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412

 

Sunday Story…Now vs. Later

 

An ancient Chinese proverb goes something like this…The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago and the second-best time is now. To put it another way…who you are today is a direct result of the decisions and actions you took last year, 5 years ago, or 10 years ago, or even more.

 

Where do you want to be, who do you want to be next year? 5 years from now? A decade from now? Or even 20 years from now? What decisions, what actions are you taking today that are going to impact your future self? The answer to that question is simple….ALL OF THEM!!!

 

At some point in the future, you are going to look in the mirror and either thank or curse the you from the past that made or did things impacting the you looking back at you.

 

We often joke about having a bikini body or getting ready for the holidays but if that’s what you want you need to start months in advance, want to be beach-ready in May or June? You better start right now. Maybe you want to learn a new language for the trip you want to take? You need to start now, not 2 weeks before your flight leaves!

 

Begin today with the end you have in mind tomorrow. If you want shade from a tree you need to plant it now.

 

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412

 

 

Sunday Story…For whom the Bell Tolls

 

Your phone and mine seem to be constantly beeping and chiming. It’s this constant call to attention…look at me! Here I am! Over Here! Answer me! Now! It’s important! Beep, beep, chime, chime. There’s no escaping the constant barrage of the pulls on your attention.

 

It doesn’t matter if it’s not my phone. The bells get your focus even when it’s not yours. You will still feel anxious and distracted when they go off and you don’t do anything. It doesn’t matter that it isn’t yours, you still react.

 

Like Pavlov’s dog when the bell tolls we salivate. We have been conditioned to react this way. We don’t even know we are doing it. We have become slaves to the call. A product, if you will, of years of training.

 

At this point, most of us don’t even realize how deep the hooks are set. We even reach for someone else’s phone when it beeps! This is not OK. None of us signed up to be a servant to the bell tolling.

 

Turn off your notifications! At least turn them off at night! Better yet, turn them off completely and then mindfully choose when to look things up. Take charge of when you want to be notified. BE conscious about your choices; break free from the tyranny of the bell.

 

For whom the bell tolls? Not for you anymore!

 

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412