I believe it to be quite a common mistake, for us as humans to allow our minds to live and focus in on time frames that do not offer us much benefit.
Often we allow ourselves to linger far to often among the unchanging shadows of our pasts, or put too much trust into the promise of our future, as if it were a guarantee. There are no guarantees.. Anxiety and frustration, stress and worry invade our present time, and it hardly ever is because of what is happening to you right this second is it? Be honest, generally most of our stress is generated from past regrets, and future possible worries.
How many times do we rush through our day, because of our need to get onto the next thing? The next meeting, the next hour, the next appointment..
How often do we give our loved ones half-hearted quick hugs because we really don’t have the time to be stationary? How often do we walk out in the sun, and truly enjoy the feeling of it on our skin, or the simple joy that can be found all around us… right this second.. right now..
The happenings of now are seemingly unimportant. We pretty often inadvertently allow ourselves to “live” in an autopilot mode, because we are focusing our attention elsewhere. I think this is a total disservice. By doing this, not only do we rob ourselves of a whole other level of appreciation of life, an enjoyment of the small things that make our experiences so much richer, but we also put ourselves in the position to make sloppy decisions. It is extremely unhealthy in that, if you think about it… all the choices you ever make, are made at a certain “present” point in time. If we are not truly present in mind, or even if we only allow ourselves to be half present, than how can we ever hope to live our life to its potential? Making a non-decision, can be as disabling as making a wrong decision. If we don’t strive to focus on here and now, than what kind of choices are we making? How are we putting forth our best effort?
Think of your life right this second.. Take some time to live in your right now, for that is truly where all of our opportunity lies. Its not in the winds of the past nor the guess of the future, but in your actions and reactions that are happening right this second.
I couldn’t agree more.