Since leaving my job I am continuously being asked the question, “What are you going to do now?”
It’s kind of funny when you think about it. Whenever someone asks that, they don’t really mean NOW…they mean NEXT.
“What are you going to do next?”
That is when I feel stupid. To think about what I am doing next raises lots of questions of just what the heck we are doing. At this point we think we are in northern Michigan through August, and then taking a road trip in September. Along the way I am trying to grow my passion…this site…this idea. My wife is embracing her passion of learning and teaching yoga – and together we are giving our kids an experience not often found in the classroom.
Beyond that, there is no plan. There is also no nest egg, trust fun, or savings account to fall back on. There is no net.
Stupid, right?
Awhile back I heard an interview with George Clooney where he described never having a “back-up plan.” His thought is that when there is a “back-up plan,” it makes it easier to quit when things get tough. So, if you have only one plan, and that is what you are committed to, well…there is no quitting.
Which makes me think, how many other George Clooney’s are out there that we have never heard of because they happened to have a back-up plan?
“What are you doing right NOW?”
Well, to answer that question, I feel more courageous. Right now I am focusing on living my fullest with what is right in front of me. It is not always easy, but this is the space where I feel peace, purpose, and guidance. I can feel the Divine in this moment, yet the more I start to think into the future, the less I feel connected to the Divine. It is not that I don’t trust Love will be there for me in the future, but when I get to that moment it will be the NOW…and that is really the only place the Divine lives…right here…right now.
Living my YES is not about “who I am going to be,” – but rather being the best I can be NOW. There has never been a moment in my life where I didn’t have everything I needed in that moment, even when it felt like I didn’t 
It was okay. I was fine. It was perfect the way it was. It is perfect RIGHT NOW.
Fear is a bastard. Not that I take it personally, but fear shows up in my life under the name “future,” and when I go down that road I often get worked over. When my thought jumps ahead I can feel it in my body, and I force myself to breathe back into the present.
In this present moment I feel courageous, but can easily feel stupid if you want me to outline my future. So, which is it?
Courageous or Stupid?
We’ll see!
Travis —
I don’t know if it’s courageous or stupid — but it is inspired. And I mean that in the deep spiritual sense of the word.
Evan
I see you my friend. Right now.
whatever’s nudging us to do we already exude the capacity to…
its cuz the doing is always in how we be
and so stupid no sir courageous surely
huggabuggas on this nowness focus o yours
to be sure it’s what i’ve always recalled you being of course;)
luv luv luv whatcha up to
whee that i found it.
huggabuggas.
Travis,
You are right on with this. Just the other day I was thinking about how our generations are so consumed with having to have a retirement plan, backup plan, insurance plan, etc. There is some good sense to all of those but whatever happened to living life to its fullest right now and not spending “now” storing up nuts for later. I don’t mean that you should live life carelessly but at least live it freely. Don’t rack up credit card debt buying things we don’t need but live each day without the stress of “I don’t have a nest egg, or enough money saved for the next time I’m out of a job.” I think when we live that way we live in fear that something bad will happen and then rarely leave our minds open for success. I’d rather live with confidence, passion, an courage. The abundance will come when we keep going after what we are passionate about. Again, I don’t mean we just sit on our couches, eat whatever we want, buy whatever we want with money we don’t have and just hoping the unexpected check will show up in our mailbox just because we are being positive and grateful. We need to be active but active without fear – as you are teaching us about. The other end of the spectrum though, is living in fear because we feel we don’t have the things we need, or never will, or worry too much about “what if?”, or keep telling ourselves “That’s not me. I can’t succeed in that. That’s for more fortunate people.”
Keep up the inspirational examples and I know you will do well because you are already doing well.
Some may define it as courageous, and others may define it as stupid …I define it as GRACE FILLED and bigger than you can imagine because you are saying YES from the heart.
Can’t wait for you all to swing through OJAI …please?!
xo
Go courage….someone has written (MBE)…and I am paraphrazing….ruminate and the trial begins! I take control of my thought and discipline it not to ruminate….living in the now.