Life has a story isn’t perfect. It was never intended to be. The story comes with its ups and downs has it builds this brilliant ark. It’s twisting plot the leads you one way, and then the next. None that is in your control. So why fight it any long? Why even cover it up with a mask? The real question worth asking yourself here is this, how come your fighting the current? Wouldn’t it much easier to allow the current to aid you along?
When we ask ourselves these questions, when just lean into the current half heartily, only see a lack of results. It’s normal to question why it’s so much simpler for everyone else. As we are pulling back down those masks we always clung to, thinking perhaps next it’ll be our turn. The next time we feel down on might bring with it the freedom to surrender to life’s current.
Leading us to crawl back to our vises and move along blinding ourself from the struggles of the stories arc. Saying it’ll all matter next time, we can just later.
Marcus Aurelius and many other philosophers often asked themselves this one single question, right this moment I’m fear death because I wouldn’t be able to do this. If your story met it’s end right this moment would mean you could no longer indulge in this vices you use to mask the plot twist that holding you back. You would be forced to trade them to meet whatever lays on the other side of that door head on in that very moment.
Whatever that obstacle maybe you are trying to hide from, put it into this very context. By doing so you come realize just how small the obstacles truly. While when left unfaced they never truly go away, but one day you will close your eyes and just fade away. Is it really worthy of leaving life unlived? Of course the answer is no.
Which brings us back to starting point. The one where we make today that day we were waiting on. So put down the vices, put away the masks, break those obstacles down into just what they are, only words upon the current page of life’s winding story.
Yes it’s difficult to do when the obstacles look and feel so tall. This the reason you are having to change your patterns. But listen the old habits didn’t form from an unwillingness to try. They came about from the prospective you met those challenges with.
So in cultivating this new resolve you must also change the way you view the obstacle your trying to overcome. Marcus taught himself to remember to see everything around him for what truly is. For example when sitting down for a meal he wrote to remind himself, the peace of meat even though it would look tasty was nearly a peace of animal carcass. Or how the wine he drank was nothing more than crushed grapes. The point here is that everything is simple what we make of it.
We builds story around everything we encounter. The secret lays inside of how you chose to build that story. When you come to a hill along a hiking path, how do you chose to see it? Do you view it has a hill that is going be to strenuous to climb? Or do you chose to view it for what is really is? Just a simple mound of dirt with an incline unique to its self. Giving you the opportunity to get the blood pumping.
Remembering to bring the trials of everyday life into those simpler terms will go a long way to help you. As you continue to build the practice of turning words and thoughts into works.
Project Mindfully Outdoors 
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