I have developed a strong track record in business of solving problems, cleaning up messes, driving improvement and building strong teams. I can accomplish more in my waking hours than others and some of this comes from my skill to plan, breakdown the tactics and knock them off one by one – I call it ticking the boxes. I was so successful that I brought this same philosophy to my home life. After years of ticking the boxes at home I realized that I wasn’t enjoying the moments in life. Buy a house – tick, start a family – tick, we all get caught up in ticking the boxes. I was introduced to Mindfulness by a friend about 20 years ago and it has become a part of my life. Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.

A few years ago I became interested in trail running. Nothing extreme but around 100 km to 150 km a month. You see, trail running is my opportunity to unwind, find time to meditate and pray and to get away from all life’s distractions. The last few months I started to set goals for myself – 150 km a month, 200 km a month. This past weekend as I was finishing my monthly challenge, it was my last 5 km and I realized that I had started to tick the boxes in my personal life again.

Stop from time to time and make sure you aren’t ticking the boxes. Enjoy the journey.