I watched a 69-year-old man being interviewed on a morning show after climbing to the summit of Mount Everest. He was asked why he did it.

He said that when he climbed the mountain he enjoyed the present moment for longer stretches than he was ever able to do anywhere else. He enjoyed all the moment had to offer for three to four weeks at a time. Waking up each morning was so enjoyable that he couldn’t put it into words.

I understood exactly what he meant because I was just in that mind frame, listening to a little yellow bird sing on my walk. My enjoyment lasted for fifteen seconds. I have felt this way for brief moments during meditation, yoga, sex, a conversation with my wife, a good joke, and playing fetch with my dog. The only reason I can’t access this man’s ability to enjoy the now for weeks at a time is because I’m not as satisfied with what I currently can enjoy. When the 69-year-old man was on that mountain he appreciated each and every moment because he set his mind to do just that. I guarantee that there are climbers that don’t appreciate each step they take to reach the top. All they want is the ability to tell others that they climbed Mount Everest. This man knew the beauty in each crunch of snow, every sip of water and each breath he inhaled because he had to. Climbing Mount Everest is such a dangerous adventure that a person never knows if they will make it back alive.

I never know if I’m going to make it back home from work each day, but I expect I will, so the level of enjoyment is not as intense. The stress level isn’t as high. If I needed to stay on “enjoyment alert” because I felt like I might be dead soon then I could probably keep my focus in enjoying the present moment a little longer than the usual fifteen seconds before my brain goes off into worries about the past, present or future.

There are millions of cancer, heart disease, car crash, and animal attack survivors that can tell you how sweet life is after a near death experience. This high eventually fades and we fall back into our normal routines and forget to soak up the moment while we have it. This man trained his mind to let the joy radiate out of himself. The problem is he needs a mountain to access his present moment for such long stretches.

You can access your joy without the help of Mount Everest. The underlying joy that flows through our veins, hearts, and brains is there to be let out and experienced. You just need to teach yourself to focus on each and every step, sip of water, and breath you inhale and realize that you had better enjoy it while it lasts because you won’t last forever.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 5th, 2007 at 7:14 pm and is filed under Motivation, enjoy everything.