The Self-Reliant Entrepreneur

January 23No Regrets

In our nature, however, there is a provision, alike marvelous and merciful, that the sufferer should never know the intensity of what they endure by its present torture, but chiefly by the pang that rankles after it.

Nathaniel Hawthorne—The Scarlet Letter (1850)

John Lennon wrote the song “Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)” for his son Sean that contained the now quotable lyric, “Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.”

It's so darn easy to get caught worrying about tomorrow when the really great stuff is happening today, right here, right at this moment, right in front of you.

This is one of the hardest things you'll have to master as an entrepreneur and human, but you've got this. Take a giant breath and then do it two more times—feel better already?

Being mindful seems like such worn-out advice—everyone gives it and nobody takes it, but it is the secret to living a life with no regrets.

Worrying about the future is just a habit, and so is reveling in the moment. Set up daily, maybe hourly, rituals that force you to snap back to the moment at hand and build them into your day.

Today, do something that requires no thought at all, say, wash a dish. But instead of rummaging over the schedule ahead while you do it, participate fully. Feel the curve in the dish, sense the water and soap as it runs over your hands, let everything else go. Weird, isn't it? Like breathing, we do it unconsciously and so we miss the experience of it entirely. ...