present Archives - Brian Ondrako

A Moment Like This

At the moment, we feel like this is going to last forever.

We’ll have more opportunities, like this one, to do it again.

Things end far too abruptly but the worst pain is the slow-burning kind.

The ones where we could’ve invested more time but took it all for granted.

Those are the ones that hurt the most.

We may not be able to control the abrupt changes life offers but we have to recognize the ones that are coming up in the distance.

Be grateful for the opportunities when they are in your possession and recognize that each day is one less you’ll be able to do this.

They are precious reminders of the changing tides of life.

A Moment Like ThisBrian Ondrako2023-04-22T16:36:40-04:00

A Needed Break

Here’s my encouragement today.

After you read this, wherever you are…

1. Set a 5 min timer on your phone

2. Put your phone away (preferably on “Do Not Disturb” as well)

3. Sit or lay down with your eyes closed

4. Focus on your breath and let your mind wander wherever it takes you.

Everything and everybody can wait.

Take those 5 minutes to be still.

Do it for yourself.

You need this.

A Needed BreakBrian Ondrako2023-02-12T09:31:44-04:00

Slow The F Down

Why are you going so fast?

Where are you trying to rush to?
Have you considered what you’re missing out on right now?

Look around, smell the roses, and take in the fact that you get to be in this moment.

Soon enough, it’ll pass us by.

Slow The F DownBrian Ondrako2023-01-26T10:07:42-04:00

Sparklers

One hour.
One minute.
One second.
One new idea.
One purposeful decision.

A spark that lights a thousand future flames starts with one cataclysmic moment.

We can’t agonize about a year out or five or even ten.

We need to focus on today.
On the present.
On right now.

This could be the moment we’ve all been waiting for.

If we’re willing to seize it.

SparklersBrian Ondrako2023-01-26T09:53:09-04:00

Secret Ingredient

There are many ingredients that go into building a foundation for a happy life.

One of those must be living in the now. Living in the present. Not worrying about moments past or moments promised.

It’s all about now.

What are we doing to squeeze every ounce out of this moment?

Secret IngredientBrian Ondrako2022-09-10T17:26:59-04:00

Tempus Fugit

As we are reading this, time is evaporating. Not nearly at the speed it appears it has been going as the present time always feels slower.

When we peek into the past it feels like time has moved at hyperspeed.

But, then again, the moment we are in now will become that blurred memory soon enough.

We can’t take for granted what we have right in front of us. All of the opportunities are at our fingertips.

Some are easy, low-hanging fruit while others possess a much larger barrier to scale.

Decisions take time but so do indecisions.

Just start leaning in and enjoy the unknown adventure ahead.

Remember, time flies.

Tempus FugitBrian Ondrako2022-09-10T15:32:05-04:00

Bold Strategy

We get so caught up with big and bold. Be seen, be heard, be cheered.

But it’s actually the moments that most people don’t witness that are the most important to a happy life.

It’s reading a book to your kids and giving them a hug and kiss goodnight.

It’s a “how are you doing today?” with a significant other that turns into a long conversation.

It’s being able to sit with ourselves and be stress-free.

Those moments take up the majority of our lives. Those simple, “uneventful” moments almost get forgotten because they are routine.

Maybe we should consider why they are that way and embrace them more. They matter way more than any glorious achievement does.

When we lose people close to us, rarely do we remember their greatest achievements. We remember the small stuff, the little quirks, and the subtle nuance.

We remember the mundane.

Those become the most important memories.

The ones we often take for granted.

Bold StrategyBrian Ondrako2022-07-13T21:03:04-04:00

The Vast Unknown

Before we use a telescope make sure we look into the microscope.

Our thoughts shape our mindset.

Our mindset shapes our actions.

Our future, although unclear, is being shaped by each one of our decisions today.

It’s the inception of the most microscopic idea that starts us on our journey.

It influences our confidence, beliefs, and attitude.

We must start at the smallest possible level before we can ever look forward to the vast unknown of the future.

Progress always begins there.

The Vast UnknownBrian Ondrako2022-08-23T09:04:40-04:00

Chasing Happiness

If we’re chasing something, we’ll never be happy.

Chasing money
Chasing fame
Chasing a partner

It never works out favorably.

Because we can’t calibrate when we’ve “achieved” it. And if we could, then what?

Instead, happiness should be a journey. We challenge ourselves to start something hard, we do meaningful work, and we surround ourselves with people who spark our enthusiasm and give us energy.

By making those choices, we become happier moment after moment and day after day.

Just like 10 years ago when we had no idea what would’ve made us happy today, we can’t be for certain what the following years hold.

All we can do is keep showing up every day.

There is no “X” on the map that marks the spot.

Our future terrain has never been explored before.

It’s our job to do the work every day to find our footing and forge the correct path.

Chasing HappinessBrian Ondrako2022-06-14T21:02:37-04:00

A big difference between kids and adults is that kids are willing to be silly and carefree with a very short view into the future. They aren’t thinking too far ahead which allows them to live in the moment.

Adults are always looking around and wondering who is watching before they can normally let go and be themselves. We get crippled by a cloud of fear that we create over ourselves.

Instead of telling our kids what to do maybe, we should take a page out of their playbook and just throw the whole playbook out.

Be spontaneous.

Be silly.

Live in the moment.

Carefree LivingBrian Ondrako2022-04-28T20:10:33-04:00

Elementary

I remember walking my son to kindergarten and being amazed at how much he’d grown and how fast those first few years of his life went by.

It reminded me of when I was in kindergarten, over 30 years ago, and how quickly the time seemed to pass. I still remember the fifth-grade classes being on the third floor and thinking, “I’m never going to get up to fifth grade. It’s going to take so long. I have so many years ahead of me.”

As I write this, my son isn’t in Kindergarten anymore. He will be heading into fifth grade next fall.

How quickly time passes us by.
How precious our time is.
How easily we dismiss it.

The game clock is continually running and there are no timeouts. This moment is fleeing just like the last.

Embrace it all.

Because, remember, this all ends.

ElementaryBrian Ondrako2022-04-28T19:47:39-04:00

Being Present

One day at a time.

One conversation at a time.

One moment at a time.

Instead of hoping and envisioning what could happen. Be present with what is happening.

This moment matters the most. Cherish it and give it our all.

We may not know what the crystal ball holds for us in the future but we can make this moment the most glorious it can be.

Happiness isn’t found in dreaming of the future; it’s in living in the present moment.

It’s about just being.

Being PresentBrian Ondrako2022-05-06T13:33:04-04:00

Daylight Savings Time

You can’t turn back the clocks.

Days can pass slowly but years sometimes feel like they’ve flown by. That’s how our minds look at the past. More highlights versus seeing a whole rewind of the game.

That’s why it’s so important to continue the work of staying present.

Did we accomplish what we wanted today?
Did we say the things we needed to say at the moment?
Did we make decisions today that set us up even better for the next day?

We might not be able to turn back the clock but we can surely slow it down at the moment.

Stay focused. Stay present. Stay still.

Enjoy this time before it’s gone, too.

Daylight Savings TimeBrian Ondrako2022-02-08T19:38:01-04:00

A Frame Of Reference

They say a picture is worth a thousand words but it’s also worth a time stamp. It’s an imprinted memory with a date circled.

It gives us a wormhole, of sorts, to the past.

How were we feeling at that moment?
Where was our life at?
What was happening to us?
Who were we becoming?

A single picture, a snapshot, can open up a wave of thoughts and emotions about life already lived.

How does that make us feel?

Are we sad that the moment is gone or grateful we had the opportunity in the first place?

Pictures capture moments. Moments become memories. Memories give us a view, although distorted, of our past.

It provides the perspective to live in the moment and not waste any of it because eventually, the present moments will become memories that we either capture with a picture or, more importantly, keep close by in our hearts.

A Frame Of ReferenceBrian Ondrako2022-01-13T22:00:42-04:00

Sharpened Focus

Going into this past year the main storyline had been that Jimmy Garoppolo was probably in his last season as the 49ers starting quarterback. They drafted his replacement. Trey Lance was eager. They were just waiting things out.

Despite all of that distraction, his perseverance to stay focused has been something to admire. Even as they were going into must-win games over the past three weeks of the regular season, one to make the playoffs and the last two to stay alive, the main storyline that remained was “could this be Jimmy Gs final time suiting up in a 49er uniform”.

It had to be on his mind. It had to have been asked in every interview. The pressure to perform was at an all-time high.

And he rose to the occasion.

Did he play his best game against the Packers in the divisional round? Absolutely not. He struggled at times. He made errant throws. But he never lost focus.

When the pressure was at its highest he made several elite-level throws to help the team to victory.

He could’ve been thinking about the off-season and his next team, his shoulder injury, his thumb injury, or a myriad of other things. He could’ve been distracted.

But he wasn’t.

He was focused solely on the game and even more sharply on each play.

That’s what can happen when you focus and live in the present. You aren’t worried about the next play, the next drive, the next game. You are solely focused on the task at hand. Playing this play like it’s the only one that exists.

Because it is.

We don’t know what the next hours or weeks or months have in store so why worry or why let others’ loss of focus and dreaming of the future get in our way?

We can’t. We must stay tuned to our process. To our own cadence.

One second at a time. One thought. One play.

Our success depends upon it.

Sharpened FocusBrian Ondrako2022-06-28T19:30:44-04:00

Tomorrowland

What does tomorrow look like?

What opportunities or obstacles will present themselves?

How will we react to these situations?

These are all great questions but also unnecessary at the same time. Because we have no idea. We can assume what might happen but tomorrow is unknown.

If that is true then worrying becomes meaningless. If we don’t know then why do we put so much pressure on our emotions to fantasize about the good and bad of it all?

We could argue that the present moment, the one you are in right now, is the most valuable and the one that is ripe for the most change.

Instead of spending energy on the unknown stressors of life put the focus on the present moments and work toward improving those. Incrementally, the future will most likely be a brighter one.

And if it’s not, we’ve at least put in the practice to handle it when it comes.

TomorrowlandBrian Ondrako2021-07-18T20:05:27-04:00