Numbers 4 and 10

As part of my movement to more things #FitFluential, earlier this week I posted a new list of "10 things you must give up to move forward". I'm also all about #relentlessforwardmotion, and this posting is a continuation of the other.

Number FOUR is "Procrastinating on the goals that matter to you"
Lawdy, I've been doing this for years. Don't worry, I'm not going to go to the wayback machine. I'll use an example from 2012. Early in the year I set a goal of becoming a CPT by my birthday. Looking around the room, I can't see my framed certificate hanging on my wall. Nor is there a card in my wallet. In essense, i have NOT achieved that goal. And it mattered A LOT to me; enough so that I wrote it down in three different notebooks and created a folder in Evernote about it. I chatted online with several people about their experience, their choices about which company to use for training and certification, and their trials and tribulations along the way. I made numerous phone calls to various companies, getting tuition and time frame information. I even wrote all of THAT down and kept those sheets readily available. The one I decided to go with offers discounts to Veterans. I've written down and colored in their info, and posted it on my bulletin board at work.And that's as far as I have gotten. I have no one to 'blame' except myself. 2013 will be different, and I WILL achieve my goal. Come hell or high water.What have YOU been putting off? How would your wellness benefit by just DOING IT?

Number 10 from the list is "Not appreciating the present moment". Ooofff. This one is a toughy for me. I've been in many a 'meeting' over the past few years that centered on being "mindful". WTF does THAT mean? Seriously. I have no real idea. I mean, of COURSE I am mindful and in-the-moment. If i wasn't, i'd fall down stairs or crash my car or get into the shower with my clothes on (i've never actually done this, btw. oh, wait. that isn't true. I did it on my 21st birthday, right after I was jumped in the hall and covered with shaving cream by my Platoon mates at Fort Jackson, SC. but I digress....) I have a propensity for not being able to turn my brain off. I'll lie in bed, tossing and turning, thoughts of what to do tomorrow, next week, next month racing through my mind. Sometimes I'll zone out while watching a TV show and let my mind wander to the next thing on my to do list. More often than not I'll get up and go DO that other thing. I've been trying to work on settling down at the end of a day, but still struggle with the guilt of doing nothing (#5 on the list, btw). Several years ago started indoor rock climbing. I thought it would be a good winter-time hobby, and I was right. I loved being in the gym, watching and learning from others before I tried to send (do) a route. One thing that I noticed about it was that once I was on the wall (and later outdoors on rock)...my mind was void of ALL other things. I was able (forced?) to be in the moment. And you know what? I LOVED IT. I have found the same clarity of mind through trail running. If i need to clear my head, I go for a run in the woods. The trails around here are almost all single track, with the occasional sprinkling of either a jeep trail or snowmobile trail. On the trail, I need to focus on my footing. I need to alter my stride so I don't jar my knees or twist an ankle.And I am appreciative of not twisting an ankle or a knee. Somehow, though, I don't think that this is what is meany by Number 10. This is going to be a work in progress for a while. What does mindfulness or 'appreciating the present moment' mean to you? Do you work at it, or does it come naturally for you?