I'm not sure if it's the stage in life, the about to be a dad thing, or just my ability to randomly think of things, but I wanted to share something I've been pondering a lot lately...

It might sound like an incomplete thought...because it is...

I'm still working on forming my opinion of it, but I thought it'd be worth sharing.

Beware The Barrenness Of A Busy Life.

~Socrates

I've spent a lot of time lately thinking about being busy.

This badge of honor that a lot of us wear on our sleeves about how busy we are.

I've been toggling back and forth with it a lot lately...

For those who know me well, you know I'm always "busy."

I can hardly sit still to watch 30 minutes of TV with my wife on the weekends.

I wake up, make a pot of coffee, and start working on the daily tasks involved in my mission of building the most empowering gym around, as well as helping other small business owners do the same for their communities.

Most days I look up and it's 8 pm, I haven't taken a pee, let alone sat down to breathe and enjoy the moment.

I've spent a lot of time trying to become more self-aware of why?

Part of it is I love what I do so much that I don't think of it as work, and I'm deeply motivated by a much larger mission than the day to day tasks...

Plus, I'm all for working hard for what you want and earning it.

That has to be a piece of it...

But part of it has to be this idea that busy equals better.

I'm trying to reflect to ask myself what is this need for us as humans to be so busy.

The most common line I get from new people whom I meet with on day one at the gym is...

"I'm so busy, I don't know how I'm going to sneak this in."

And I totally get it...

For myself included, it's an absolute struggle to get 3-4 workouts in per week...

But I'm thinking the bigger picture here...

What's up with the obsession with being busy?

There has to be more to life than just increasing speed.

I mean think about....

We rush to get old enough so we can move out of our parent's house...

We rush through school so we can get out of it and start working...

We rush through work so we can get out of it and work just enough to retire...

So that's it?

We rushed through 80% of our life only so we could enjoy 20% of it.

Every day is this rush to get more done and collect more stuff (houses, money, cars, etc)...

But for what?

We are moving so fast that we rarely have any time left to enjoy the things we are doing and the life we are currently living.

I'm writing this to help me just as much as help you...

I'm working on slowing down, being in the moment, and enjoying the present.

Some strategies that I've currently been using:

I removed all apps from my phone that way I can only access social stuff from my computer which is less accessible throughout the day, especially at night and on the weekends
I spend 5 minutes in bed before I get up thinking about all the awesome things in life right now.
I drive without the radio on. I use that time to reflect, ingest the surroundings, and decompress.
I prioritize 3 hours a week to workout as it helps clear my mind, allows me to enjoy the moment and fuels me with more energy.

For me, that's allowing me to slow down just a little, be in the moment, and enjoy not being busy.

As an entrepreneur, my clock never stops....probably just like the parents out there.

Until the kid arrives in 4.5 months, what you see, my brand, is my only baby.

I'm still working on being 100% in the moment with my wife, family, and friends, because quite often, although I'm not "working" my mind is rushing with more ideas, more thoughts, and I'm not actually present.

So as I challenge myself, I challenge you...

“Slow down and enjoy life. It’s not only the scenery you miss by going too fast – you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.”

When the time comes to leave this planet we won't look back and regret doing more, but instead, we'll regret feeling more. You will not regret not working more, but rather not connecting, not loving and not enjoying life more…

I wrote this for you, just as much as for me, and it's still a draft, a work in progress.

I hope you enjoyed it and I'd love to hear your thoughts.

1% Better.

Dedicated to Your Success,

Doug Spurling