The Power of You (Here and Now)

I went for a run this morning at Starkey Hill. Damn, it was glorious. First of all, I love the feeling of my body moving swiftly through space and feeling the earth under foot (aka running). And second, the trail here in Guelph, Ontario is gorgeous: winding through pine forests, hardwood forests, up hills, over wetlands… and all as the sun was rising in mid-August. It was freaking perfect.

   

As I was running, though, I noticed something interesting. Nostalgia bubbled through my mind with images, smells, and feelings from my past—other times I was in the woods, or running alone, for example. I found myself thinking about my personal journey and even longing for days past.

   

Then I realized that I was in heaven right now, and that my past is simply what brought me here. This was the moment I was running on the earth, smelling the pine needles and the wet green leaves. In the bigger context, I was running during the morning at an offsite with my leadership team from Shopify; and the process we are in (at the time of this writing) is amazing as well. 

   

So I snapped back to this moment. I focused on the path in front of me and how, as much as my past holds keys to who I am today, the best is yet to come. And the only place to create the future that is to come is right here, right now.