“Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That’s why we call it The Present.” ~Eleanor Roosevelt
Living in the moment and being present is much harder than it sounds, especially in today’s day and age. There’s always something coming up that we need to prepare for or anticipate, and many of us keep our lives so well documented, that it’s incredibly easy to get stuck in the past..
Given the fast paced, hectic schedules most of us keep, a certain level of anxiety, stress, and unhappiness has become very normal. You may not even realize it, but this tendency to get sucked into the past or in the future can leave you continually worn out to the point that you’re just trying to pass the time when things are less than ideal (which can be a lot). When you focus on passing the time or when you wish your life away, you’re losing so much potential for success.. Constantly wishing your vacation was sooner, or counting down the days until you get to start a new job is only wasting the time you have on this Earth, and in this life! —And time is something you don’t get back.
“Time isn’t precious at all, because it is an illusion. What you perceive as precious is not time but the one point that is out of time: the Now. That is precious indeed. The more you are focused on time — past and future — the more you miss the Now, the most precious thing there is.” ~Eckhart Tolle
Instead of wishing for the past, or waiting for the future, it’s vital to bring ourselves to the present. “What can I do right now to make today count?” Can you make today better by choosing to be present? Can you work towards success today? Spend time with the ones you love and actually spend time with them?
Focusing on the Now (with the future and your goals in mind) keeps us rooted to our values and beliefs while we lay the framework for the future.
Here are some tips to help you Take Back Your Power and begin Being Present:
- Think about the past in small doses, and make sure you are focusing on the past for a reason (to relive a pleasant experience, identify where you went wrong, or figure out the key to a past success). Make sure you’re there for a reason, and if you’re not then move on!
- Think about the future in small doses, and make sure you are focusing on the future in a healthy, low-anxiety way (don’t spend time worrying about the future, think about the future just long enough to prepare for it and then move on). If you can’t do anything about a possible future situation, then focus on the Now instead!
- Stay in the present moment for the vast majority of your time. Think about the sounds, the smells, and the feelings you experience throughout the day. Look around with a grateful attitude, and do your best to end the day better than you did the day before!
“Always hold fast to the present. Every situation, indeed every moment, is of infinite value, for it is the representative of a whole eternity.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe