by Sarah Rawley
If you are reading this, then we have one thing in common: we live for those days where we feel we are in our element on skis, bike or foot. Where things flow seamlessly, the conditions are ripe, and we share this with people who matter most in our lives. We remember these days fondly, and seek out more opportunities to experience this feeing.
“Great Days are what reinvigorate our passion for life outside walls.” – Smith Optics
Every year I set out on a more than ambitious schedule, to travel, explore, race and teach. I could tell you what I am doing every weekend (and weekday for that matter) from now until October 1. It becomes a puzzle putting all the pieces together, and sometimes I get so caught up in the business and planning aspects, it is easy to become too concentrated on logistics and less on living it.
And then I stop.
And think about Why I am here. When I started navigating this fairly unconventional career path based more on passion than anything else. Where I have been. Who has been my influencers, motivators and inspiration along the way. And What is its purpose?
Taking time to stop and re-evaluate what you are doing: your day-to-day life, your habits, your behaviors, what motivates you, what encourages you, what drives you, is essential to a conscious life. It is far too easy to get caught up in the busywork of daily life, and forget how we got started on this path in the first place. Take a moment and look at the BIG picture. What are your goals? 10 years ago, who did you want to become? What did you want to be doing? Are you doing that now? If not, what do you want to be doing? What is it going to take to get there? What is holding you back?
I have been thinking quite a bit lately about all of this. I have accomplished many goals that I set out to do when I was still a “kid”- a bright-eyed and optimistic 17-years old from Portland, Ore., who felt the world was at my fingertips and the first stop was in the Rocky Mountains. All I had to do was go after it, and the rest would unfold. Sure enough, it has, and continues to in some very unexpected ways. I have learned many lessons along the way and I strive to learn more. I have many goals that at this moment seem like far-reaching aspirations. But I know in the coming years, they will materialize, just like many of them already have. I just have to believe in it and live each day with that mindset.
As I prepare to get on the road for one of the more ambitious summers of my life, and am feeling like I am constantly checking things off the list, in my car more hours than not, and I think, wait, where did February and March go? And now April? It is time to stop, and take in each and every day, and the people who are a part of it. And remember to continue to live what I set out to do many years ago, and what I strive to share with others, summed up in my mom’s favorite quote:
“Live with intention.
Walk to the edge.
Listen Hard.
Practice wellness.
Play with abandon.
Laugh.
Choose with no regret.
Appreciate your friends.
Continue to learn.
Do what you love.
Live as if this is all there is.”
― Mary Anne Radmacher
Read More from Sarah Rawley at https://www.sarahrawley.com/