Episode #234 Time Travel Addiction

Hey everybody, welcome back to the Mindset Matters podcast, I’m your host, Riley Jensen, and today we are talking about time travel, and how it should be considered an addiction of sorts. Let me ask you something: Right this moment, where are you? Where is your mind right now? Is it replaying a moment you wish you could redo? Or fast-forwarding to a future outcome you're anxious about? You’re not alone. Our minds are expert time travelers. It’s actually what sets us apart from the animals. In any given moment, we’re can either drifting into the past… or sprinting ahead to the future. Now, here’s the problem with that: When we live in the past, it often sounds like a your favorite country song, the words usually include: "Woulda. Coulda. and Shoulda.” I call that Uncle Rico Syndrome—you know, the guy from Napoleon Dynamite still stuck reliving high school football highlights and missed chances. On the flip side, when we jump too far into the future, we run into “What if?” anxiety: What if I’m not good enough? What if I blow my opportunity? What if I my boss doesn’t like my idea? Sound familiar? Let me give you a picture. It’s the 1980 Kentucky Derby. Two horses—Great Prospector and Golden Derby—are neck and neck. They’re flying down the final stretch. Suddenly, Great Prospector leans over... and bites the other horse. You can look this up online, it’s fascinating. Guess who won? Not the biter. Golden Derby did. Why? Because he stayed focused. And focus wins. So here’s the principle: We give power to what we focus on. If you're focused on distractions— like our past mistakes and our future fears—you give those things power over your present moment. Let me say this clearly: Your body lives in the present. So should your mind. You can’t make plays from the past. And you can’t win a game that hasn’t happened yet. Your power lies in the present moment. But—what if we could use the past and future intentionally? In the perfect scenario, your focus is like driving through the canyon. You glance at the rearview mirror to stay aware. You glance at the peaks ahead to know where you’re headed. But you drive looking through the windshield at the road! —in the present moment. So here’s a ratio that works: 5% past. To learn. 5% future. To plan. 90% right here, right now. That way, your lessons from the past and dreams of the future can shape your actions without running you off the road. Can I get personal for a second? When I was stuck in the past, buried in regret, or angry, my mom would look at me and say: “Time to pull out the windshield wipers!” And she’d literally make a swiping motion with her fingers and go, “Erase, erase... move forward.” I still picture it today when I catch myself slipping…. When I was overwhelmed with the future, worried about what might happen, my grandma would just say: “Let’s cross that bridge when you get to it.” That line used to frustrate me... until I realized she was right. Because most of the things we worry about? They never actually happen. If you're chasing success—on the field, in business, in life— stop time traveling. There’s no power in “what was” or “what if.” The magic happens in the right now. And if you forget that… just pull out the windshield wipers. Let me leave you with a few questions. My experience is that the great one’s ask great questions. What’s your version of a mental “windshield wiper?” Will you tag a teammate who helps you stay present? Will you drop a thumbs up emoji in the comments if this hit you at just the right time? Let’s get after today, one present moment at a time.