It has occurred to me that often our biggest obstacle in achieving great things in our life is the ability to preserver.  The willingness not to give up.  How do we stay motivated?  How do we keep from giving up too easily?

Perseverance to achieve greatness can be applied to any number of worthy goals- healthy eating, exercise, sleeping well, relationships, aspirations, and the list goes on and on.  For many of us we experience a yo-yo effect.  A rollercoaster ride through life.  Times of making that which is most important to us a priority, and times where if we are totally honest with ourselves we let it slip to the bottom of the list.  Why is that?

Through my best inner evaluation I think the downs are mainly due to a slip in remaining present.  We get too hung up on the past, or we focus too strongly on the future and all the strength and power that lies in the now goes by the way side.  When we don’t stay in the moment we can lose all there is to love, appreciate, and draw strength from right now.

The question is- how do we stay present?  How do we keep ourselves in the now to avoid the tumbling ride down the roller coaster instead of the smooth sailing of still waters?  My belief is that it takes practice.  Being present, like everything else worth achieving, takes practice.  Meditation is what helps me to practice stillness, to bring myself to the present moment.  The more you practice achieving the stillness in the back of your mind, the more easily you have access to it.  And we all know how much we need stillness through some of life’s climbs.

When your mind seems like a stormy place, and you are on the verge of giving up, giving up something which in your bones feels right, find the strength to preserve by focusing on right now.  Nothing more, nothing less.  Don’t get caught up in tomorrow or yesterday.  Do your best today.  When you wake up tomorrow, it is a new start.