Being Present

     There is a book called Chop Wood Carry Water, and its main focus is learning to enjoy the process.  This book is about a man who decides to drop everything and follow his dream to becoming a Samurai Archer; he arrives at the school and is ready to start shooting arrows, but the first thing they have him do is chop wood and carry water; the village does not have heat or running water, so it relies on people to chop wood and carry water.  The main character is frustrated that he isn't shooting on the range, so one day he blows up on his sensei.  His sensei tells him that he must work and earn his way to being an archer, and first it starts by supporting his community by chopping wood and carrying water.  Through many lessons and parables as the book goes on, the sensei teaches the main character that in order to perform to the best of your ability, in whatever he is doing, he must learn to be present in that moment.

    I started reading this book because a clinician at Iron Sharpens Iron (a wrestling camp I went to almost every summer) told us campers about it.  He helped us craft goals that didn't align with the uncontrollables (placements at tournaments), but the controllables (how hard we work).  One of my favorite quotes from this book is, "the ultimate illusion of the human experience is control.  The person you want beside you in battle is the guy who has surrendered the outcome, and surrendered to the fact that he might die.  When you surrender the outcome, you are freed up to be at your best, to be in the moment, and tot trust your training."  I think this quote resonates so strongly with me for many reasons; it stresses the fact that the outcome is uncontrollable, and the only thing that can be controlled is what one does in a moment.

    In previous years with wrestling, I have always created goals for myself that involved placing at a certain position in a tournament (oftentimes winning nationals or placing top 3).  I would get so upset when I failed at reaching those goals that I completely overlooked all of the growth I had achieved while attempting that goal.  My junior year, I was so focused on my state finals match, not focused on the task at hand, that I lost my semi-finals match in overtime, even though I had won state the previous years, and I was supposed to walk through the bracket this year.  Being present is so important; in life, the only thing you have to do is die; everything else you choose to do, so it's time we all start to choose with a purpose and really enjoy what those choices are.