ou ever sit back and shake your head at what weird times we live in? Social media, smartphones, internet, and a culture that is overly sensitive about everything has really made for an odd time in modern, civilized society. I suppose if you live in Somalia and your daily stresses include sourcing clean drinking water, avoiding malaria, and not being murdered, then this column might not resonate with you; total first-world issues over here. If I could send out a PSA on one issue, it would be this: live in the moment.

Take a minute and think about how often you stress about something that happened in the past. Maybe it’s beef you have with somebody, a skeleton in your closet that you worry might be uncovered, money, occupation, your health, or something else. Maybe you had a chimichanga at a questionable Mexican establishment and you’re worried about a violent code-brown that could ensue. We—myself included—have a tendency to stress about things we can’t control. And stress isn’t your friend. Not only is stress linked to myriad health issues, it also dumps cortisol into our systems, a hormone responsible for poor cognitive function the moment it hits, as well as significant weight gain over time. Sinking intelligence and skyrocketing body-fat percentage? Sounds like America to me.

This is much more difficult to live than it is to preach, but if we all stopped focusing on the past and future and started really being present in the moment, our lives and general sense of happiness would improve dramatically. Most of us have personal and professional goals that we’ve set for ourselves, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Setting goals is actually a good habit that helps you put structure to something you want to achieve, either personally or professionally. But when you focus so much on the goal itself instead of the specific steps you’re taking to get there, you miss the good part. You’ve likely heard the saying that life isn’t about the destination, it’s about the journey. Sure, it’s corny and you can buy that poster at Hot Topic with an image of the beach on it, but that doesn’t make it false. Retirement/financial planning, fitness and nutrition plans, and professional goals are all things we should educate ourselves on and create a plan to get to where we want to go. We just need to abandon the idea that we will be happy once we achieve that goal; if you aren’t happy working toward it, you won’t be happy when you make it there. Truth bomb . . #boom.

You know where this is also true? The same principle applies to racing motocross. If you’re an amateur and you have a goal of being a pro one day, good for you. Sketch out a timeline and a plan to give yourself the best chance and get to work. But make sure you enjoy the ride every single day, because the odds aren’t in your favor and you’d hate to look back and realize you didn’t even have fun through the process. Or maybe you’re a pro rider now and you’re so focused on winning a championship that you’ve lost sight of how much fun riding is and how lucky you are to make a living racing motorcycles. I was that guy for a while. When your feet hit the floor in the morning, you should smile and thank God you get to walk out to your bike and get paid to ride it. Your time in the sun will be over before you can say “arthritis,” and then you just have about 50 years of living to do before they dig a six-foot hole and toss you in. And if you’re in the moment while you’re riding and not thinking about the results you want to get and what your sponsors/parents will think, you’ll perform much better.

In motocross, and in life, clear your mind of distractions and be grateful for all the good things around you. Focus on those.