CAN't Stop Us

T-Minus 2 months till training starts

T-Minus -6 months SINCE we started collecting cans

T-Minus 7 months till our journey to Africa and our project comes to a finale

Time is weird.

Some days you can be sitting at your desk counting the minutes as they roll by while other days the time seems to fly by in a blink. If we want to get really deep we could even say that time doesn't exist, only the now exists. Either way, what we do in the present now will affect how we are in the future now.

In the future now will Cans for Kili have collected enough cans? (Yas) Will we have trained enough to summit Mount Kilimanjaro? (Heck Yas) Will we have impacted our community and our world to the degree we desired? (OH Yas) Though I never studied human psychology or behavioral science, the one thing I do know about human nature is that worrying about our future now is absolutely inevitable.

I am called Maverick because I am a taker of risks, more so physically (like running a full marathon even though I only hit16 miles in training) than emotionally but that is my name nonetheless. As the group daredevil, one might expect me to fear less and embrace challenges more. But that isn't necessarily true, I still worry about my future now just like everyone else. And though I still have yet to master the art of overcoming worry of my future now, I have come a long way.

Here are some of my favorite tips and quotes that help reduce the stress of worry and negative emotions surrounding my perception of my future now. (Did that even make sense? Hahaha)

1. "If a problem (challenge) is fixable (achievable), if a situation is such that you can do something about it, then there is no need to worry. If it's not fixable, then there is no help in worrying. There is no benefit in worrying whatsoever. - The Dalai Lama XIV

2. Acknowledge your worry - never ignore them… EVER. I'm a procrastinator and I love to procrastinate my worries most of all. When you acknowledge, analyze and understand your worry you can determine if it is solvable or unsolvable. Either way you won't need to worry because you can either fix it or you can't (i.e. the quote above)

3. Meditative type exercises - I've never felt better than going to a yoga class, Pilates or listening to a mindful meditation podcast. There is something rejuvenating about these activities that help realign your priorities and fix perspectives.

4. Focus on the next step - Getting from A to B won't happen instantly. If you can break your goal/worry into small progressive steps forward your worry will begin to disappear as you go towards fixing your problem or achieving your goals. What is a step that you can take right now to get you to wear you want to be?

For Cans for Kili, we take small and large steps forward because every can COUNTS. As long as we put our heart and soul into this project then we will succeed, and if we know we will succeed then we need not worry!

My last tip for you is to live in the NOW. Don't waste your precious time over-analyzing your future. You end up wasting time that could be spent with friends collecting cans or planting trees.

Until our next adventure,

Maverick

P.S. Don't forget to donate to our CANpaign. Collecting cans is just part of what we do, for every $10 donated we will donate 1 tree to Keep Indy Beautiful to plant in our city. Donate here