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

Sunday Story…3 Questions

There are more things to do to move yourself forward than you can ever do in a day…morning pages, meditations, exercise, prayer, etc., etc., etc. And don’t forget you need to have breakfast, get ready to face your day (all those Zoom calls), and get the family out the door. I get up pretty early but there is a limit to how early!

 

Here is a simple strategy to move every day forward and not take 3 or 4 hours doing it. Just ask yourself (and answer) 3 questions:

 

Today:

I will focus on…

I am grateful for…

I will let go of…

 

Let be honest, your to-do list is long. Some projects have long timelines with multiple facets and seem overwhelming. Focus on one thing. Do that one thing. This will reduce the overwhelm. Remember…you eat an elephant one bite at a time.

 

It is almost impossible to be negative and depressed while expressing gratitude. Find one or two things to be grateful for…You woke up! Your body is up and moving. Your brain is on point. The sun will rise. Gratitude is good for what ails you.

 

Letting go of things can be as simple as not worrying about the things over which you have no control. What do you not need to do, worry about, or even be aware of? Just let it go.

 

Sometimes keeping things distilled down makes this whole life improvement stuff easier to manage. After all, it makes no sense to get all worked up about improving your life if all it does is make you miserable.

 

Keep it simple, silly.

 

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412

Sunday Story…Exercise and You

 You should exercise. You don’t need to exercise. It turns out we humans are not supposed to exercise. We were designed to move, however.  Exercise is a discretionary, planned physical activity. Our forebears never did this. My grandfather never ran a mile because he wanted to. However, he did physical labor all day and came home and did more in his garden and working the livestock that kept the family fed.

 

We have eliminated manual labor from our lives. I no longer Need to have a garden to feed my family (a good thing too because my garden isn’t very fruitful) but I know I should have one because it is good for my mental and spiritual well being to get my hands in the dirt. I don’t need to walk 10,000 steps a day but I know I should to maintain a modicum of health.

 

Here’s the problem…we have created so many machines that do so much for us that we no longer need to move as much as we used to. Then we have combined that with having easy access to all the calories we would ever need. We have stopped using our bodies and we no longer have to work for our calories.

 

Exercise is a choice. But the choice isn’t whether to do it or not. The choice is about the health outcomes you want 10, 20, 30 years down the road. You don’t need to exercise but you do need to work your body. Walk, pick up heavy things once in a while, and go really fast for short periods of time. Just like your ancestors…the ones that had to work to live not live to work!

 

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412

Sunday Story…Compared to Who?

This is always the question…we are constantly judging, measuring, and comparing ourselves to the people around us. Am I like him or her, am I better or worse, am I keeping up or getting ahead?

 

We have been conditioned to do this…to keep up with the Joneses if you will. It seems to be part of our modern condition. Keep striving and trying and maybe someday you will be as good, have as much, be as successful as the mythical Joneses.  

 

The constant comparison is a puzzle you will never solve. You can’t.  The question you should ask yourself is who are your Joneses? What if you find a different set of Joneses to keep up with? Maybe you need a target to keep you motivated and if so then find the right target to shoot for.

 

The other part of the equation is being at peace with your comparisons. If keeping up with the Joneses is causing you stress and discomfort then maybe you are comparing yourself to the wrong set of Jones.

 

It is up to each of us to decide who were are comparing ourselves to, who we are trying to emulate, or who we are trying to be like. Having the right role model to chase is critical to your peace of mind.

 

Finding happiness with what you have doesn’t mean you have to be satisfied or complacent. It just means you have made peace with your Joneses.

 

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412

Sunday Story…Investment

One of the proverbs I like is this:

If you want shade, the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now.

 

Basically, you must prepare for what you want in the future, now, in the present. If you want to speak Spanish because you are going to Spain you should learn it now. Waiting until you arrive in Spain will be too late.

 

10 years from now is going to come. There is no doubt that time is going to continue to march forward. The only question is what you will do to prepare for that inevitability right now.

 

Will you…

Continue your fitness journey or will you succumb to the ravages of time and ennui?

 

Move your career forward by getting additional knowledge or will you allow yourself to be relegated to the dustbin of failed to prepare for what’s coming?

 

Do what it takes to have your finances healthy or use the hope and pray method?

 

Prepare for your ultimate passing (yes, that is going to happen as well) so your loved ones can know your wishes or will you allow that inevitability to sow chaos and strife and stress among those you leave behind?

 

A person with wisdom and maturity invests in action before what is needed is needed. Be smart, be proactive, but most of all be in action!

 

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412