Yin vs YangThe Battle for Success in Life

Every morning I take my cat Winx for a walk.  This may seem strange, as most people do not walk their cats, but my cat loves it.  I do not have a leash, or anything like that.  I have a patch of grass on the side of my house, and some wooded area behind it, that Winx loves to explore.  It is like he becomes a kitten every time we get to go outside. I simply take out my laptop, sit in the field, and let him roam free to do what cats do.

It is amazing to me how much joy Winx gets out of a simple half hour outside.  I try to start every morning this way (weather permitting), because it reminds me about the importance of having something to look forward to.  Winx loves being in that environment where bugs are crawling through dirt stained with random animal scents, where the trees breathe life, the flowers taste good, and the amount of stimulus is invigorating.  It’s something he looks forward to daily, so much so, that every morning he cries by the door like a desperate lover in despair.

This is because the outside allows Winx to just be himself.  It satisfies his curious urges for the day, releases some energy which relaxes him, and gives him something to look forward to each & every morning.  Without it, his life would be extremely monotonous.

Now, I also have two other cats, who do not like to go outside as much.  For them, they have different things that they look forward to.  My one cat loves the garage, and my other cat loves anytime things are quiet and safe (he was originally a stray).

I think looking forward to something is very important for all of us on a daily basis.

There should be something, anything that gives us this same feeling of joy.  Something that allows us to forget everything, and just be ourselves.  It could be anywhere, real or digital, such as…

1. The Workplace
2. The Gym or other workout facility
3. A Community Website/Blog/Forum
4. With your children and/or family
5. Playing a sport or sports in general
6. The Outdoors
7. The Beach
8. A Walk or Bike Ride
9. Dancing in a Night Club
10. Video Games
11. Shopping
12. The Movies
13. Drawing
14. Reading
15. Relaxing

The list could go on forever, but hopefully you get the idea.  For me, I would say my Jiu Jitsu school is one of the places where I get to forget the daily rigors of life and just be myself.  It releases a ton of stress and energy, while feeding my inner thirst for competition and knowledge.  After rolling in Jiu Jitsu, I feel great inside and out.  I feel energized and ready for anything.  Most importantly, I feel satisfied with myself, re-energized, and ready to get back to life again.

We all should have a place like this for us.  We may not be able to get to it everyday, but we sure can look forward to getting there at all.  If we have nothing to look forward to, then passing time is all the same.  It never ends.

What kind of things do you look forward to?