Aerial View:

• Intro thoughts

• Mindful Minute: Embracing the present season of life and the beauty of impermanence

• Conscious Consumer: The Bull Bar

• Quote of the week

• 3 key questions to reflect on

Welcome back fellas, I’ve been really enjoying life lately, both the ups and the downs. It’s led me to reflect deeply on the season of life I am currently in.

I’m a 28 year old single guy surrounded by incredible people with whom I have meaningful robust relationships. I have the privilege of being able to refer to my work as “building” and thus never feel like I am working. My team at NADS is absolutely elite and I feel like I’ve actually assembled the Avengers. I live in a great apartment and have a car I like that takes me from point A to point B AND it connects to my spotify playlists. I have hobbies, I live an active lifestyle, and most importantly, I get to eat like a king (real, nourishing, whole foods.) I have an awesome dog. Seriously, he’s the greatest. I don’t take myself too seriously, and sometimes I get to make people laugh with my humor. Life is pretty sweet.

I also experience bouts of anxiety, sometimes even panic. I have moments where I question my bigger picture purpose. I sometimes work on my projects so much and over stimulate my brain that I am forced to stop and slow down. I still can’t crack playing the guitar and singing at the same time, and I my hairline isn’t what it used to be. My life doesn’t look exactly the way I envisioned it would at 28, and there are people in my life I wish I was closer to. And again, I repeat: life is pretty sweet.

Writing this enabled me to put words to my current season and give it even more power to really FEEL its weight. I am equally as excited as I am grateful about the season of life I am currently in. I am doing my best to remain present here and although I’m not entirely where I want to be yet, I am damn proud of the progress I’ve made in furthering my steps along the path while remaining authentically true to my internal voice/desires. I refuse to settle and I know the seasons of life that unfold in the future will each be entirely awesome in their own way. I know that they will possess both the good, and the bad. Expecting only one or the other is not realistic, and there is power in accepting this.

This reflection has brought me to today’s topic that I really enjoyed writing about: How to embrace the present season of life. Ready? Let’s get into it.

Mindful Minute: Embracing the present season of life and the beauty of impermanence

Where are you at right now? Not geographically, but seasonally. Are you happy with the season of life you are currently in? Perhaps you’re frustrated and feel as if you can’t catch a break. Or perhaps you’re thriving and feel as though the wind is truly at your sails. Maybe you’re somewhere in between.

Here’s the good news and the bad news: this season—whatever it is—will pass. Yet, we make it heavier by resisting it. 

We cling to what feels good and fight against what doesn’t, forgetting that both are fleeting. The discomfort isn’t in the season itself—it’s in our struggle against it.

Zooming out, we can see the ebbs and flows of past seasons. Zooming in, all we can see is now. While presence is essential, perspective is powerful. Accepting the temporary nature of this moment frees us from its weight.

There is freedom in surrendering to the beautiful impermanence of the present season.

But how do we do this? 

We can start by simply reminding ourselves that this too shall pass.

Good or bad, whatever season you are currently experiencing will inevitably pass. Time goes on, circumstances shift, and the world around us changes. As a result, we evolve. 

We are each an ever-evolving work of art—a blended reflection of past experiences and a projection of future desires, shaping a uniquely imperfect masterpiece in the only moment that truly exists: the present.

During a challenging season, the pain and discomfort is typically not from the situation or the circumstance itself, but the emotions and feelings associated—usually in the form of frustration about not being where you want to be. We are wired to rush—to crave being there now. The voice inside your head is playing tricks on you. But here’s the thing, you are NOT the voice inside of your head. You ARE who responds.

Remember, we are not our thoughts. We are our actions. 

And so, our actions must triumph over our thoughts. 

If you’re reading this, you’ve made it through every season of your life—the good, the bad, and the brutal. Be damn proud of that. You’ve faced every storm and come out on the other side. Your actions have enabled you to have a perfect record of surviving your darkest days.

So why would this season be any different? You’ll win again. You are inevitable.

Every single step you’ve taken, every thought you’ve had, every breath you’ve taken, has led you to now.

You’ve had your peaks, the periods when you feel invincible and clear minded.

You’ve also had your valleys, when you question everything and manage to somehow get by.

If you’re in a peak, cherish it. Maximize your momentum and seize every single moment, as these will be incredible memories.

If you’re in a valley, cherish it. Feel the pain and frustration. Give it space to exist and permission to flow through you. Embrace every moment, as these too will be incredible memories in their own way, and will likely be looked at as lessons.

One day you’ll look back on these lessons with a gentle smile and feel a sense of pride knowing you made it through. These moments that feel as though they hold a tight grip around your heart will become the memories that rest a gentle hand on your shoulder, guiding you forward. So sprint towards them—the fleeting moments of both joy and desperation. 

Without darkness, we would not know light. Duality gives life meaning.

Reminder: every little thing is happening for you, not to you. The spilled coffee, the pay cut, the beautiful woman that smiled at you in the cafe—all of it is unfolding in your favor. The meaning? That’s yours to decide.

Some of it may not make sense. In fact, it probably won’t most of the time. And that is okay. Life shouldn’t be a puzzle to solve, it should be an experience to embrace. So why not sit back, drop your shoulders, exhale, and consciously choose to smile at the magnificent chaos unfolding around you?

Discovery of self is life’s true pursuit, the unpredictable seasons of life slowly revealing the answer to the question we each so desperately ask ourselves: Who am I?

We must constantly remind ourselves that winning is not an outcome—it’s an attitude. Owning your attitude is how you own your season. Owning your season is how you win your season. 

Choose to win your season.

Conscious Consumer

Quote of the week

Quote from of one of the GOATs Billy Shakespeare himself. Our response creates our reality. Winning is an attitude. Enough said.

Rise and Reflect - 3 Questions to Inspire Impactful Action and Critical Reflection

1. Have I slowed down and taken a step back to really reflect on what season I am currently in?

2. Am I happy or unhappy with my perception of the current season?

3. Do I have a tendency to ruminate and dwell on the negative seasons when they are happening? Why? Can I benefit from embracing the negative?

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Thank you for being here.

Sails up, eyes open.

Until next time,
Dan Baird