"You are where you are where you are."

A long time ago I heard a cool quote: “Wherever you go, there you are.” It’s a reminder to be present with what’s immediately in front of you. Our physical bodies take us into physical spaces where we engage with real things. Our minds can be anywhere else, but having a simple mantra like this helps you be reminded to come back to the present moment. 

This quote took an extended meaning last week I was at an event and I heard Mario Wilson, a former Navy SEAL, speak. He said “You are where you are where you are.”

He didn’t misspeak, and that’s not a typo. 

The first part, “you are where you are” directly correlates with the idea of being present. You physically can be nowhere but one place at a time. But the way we show up in that physical space has a lot of variability, and that’s what Mario was commenting on. It’s more than just being somewhere, but the energy you bring to where you are that shapes the experience.

Beyond being physically present, it matters where you are personally on an emotional and spiritual level. The being that you bring into every moment plays a huge role in what it becomes. We’re creating the future and the actions we take today have real impacts on what happens next, and our energetic state is very responsible for what we end up putting into the world.

It’s the difference between showing up bravely or afraid. Abundant or scarce. At peace or stressed. Open-minded or closed off. And while we’d want to choose the former in each of those scenarios, we’re often not in control of it. Our energetic state decides that.

And that’s because our physiology influences our psychology. Our thoughts change depending on what state we’re in. If you’re tired, you're less disciplined. If you’re stressed, you’re more volatile. It’s the reason why being ‘hangry’ is a thing - our state hijacks our mind and brings out a certain version of ourselves. 

“You are where you are where you are” - emotionally, spiritually, and psychologically. That’s why it’s so important to take care of yourself, otherwise you might be putting yourself in the right places but compromising the ways you’re actually showing up to them.