Do you feel anxious all the time about what will happen next?

Are you afraid of the future?

Do you spend your time whining and cribbing about the past?

Or,
Are you always painting daydreams about the future?

Do you think the future will bring happiness?

Are you living in the past by always remembering the good old days?

Well, sorry to say my dear friend, you are losing the time you have now. Every time we go back on a great memory and chuckle(or cry) how great it was. We are living in the past. It is something you have done. Maybe it is worth remembering but not important enough to eat away your present.

If you find yourself daydreaming all the time, your wishes will remain just wishes. They will never come true. You have to leverage the present moment to take action. There is no other way.

All your lofty daydreams won’t make you the next trillionaire or the next Batman. You will not make Brad Pitt or Megan Fox your partner(according to your preference. ;) )

Those dreams will eat your life away, drain your energy and make you guilty of not doing anything.

Dreams have a place. They can inspire us, uplift us and transform us but only if accompanied with action. Now is the time to take action.

“Living in the moment means letting go of the past and not waiting for the future. It means living your life consciously, aware that each moment you breathe is a gift.” - Oprah Winfrey

A Beautiful Experience

I live in New Delhi. As of October 2011, it has the highest number of cars in India. It is one of the most polluted cities in India.

There are a few pockets of greenery still left in the city. Every time I encounter such a small forest, I stop and breathe in the fresh air. If I am cycling, I take a few moments and just enjoy being at those places.

Those green havens provide a welcome change than the usual dusty roads. And suddenly the realisation kicks in that I am more aware of myself and the nature that surrounds me. The nature has ways of reminding us of the present moment.

There are No Problems in The Now

Take a note of all your problems. Look at them closely. Whether it is paying a mortgage or meeting a deadline, they are in the future. Every moment you spend making yourself anxious about such problems is a moment lost. You have not done anything and you are reinforcing the habit of anxiety.

If you focus resolutely on the now, you will discover you have no problems. There are no limitations but your choice on how to use the available moment.

(A small caveat, if you are really hungry or face a life threatening situation, you do have a problem in the now. Please ignore the above paragraph. )

Fresh Ideas are Revealed in the Now

How often you stumbled on an awesome idea or insight when you were in the toilet, taking a bath or taking a walk. The great ideas come to us when we are in our most relaxed and receptive state.

If you have a mind that is anxious and frustrated, it is actually unable to reach a good decision or get a great idea. A quiet and reflective mind acts as a receiver of knowledge whether it is in the classroom or in life. An alert and present mind is the most receptive.

As it is for literary or factual knowledge, the same is true for sports as well. While playing any sport, being in the present moment sharpens your decisions and improves your performance. Repeating my Karate instructor, “Karate comes in a relaxed mind and body.”

Your Best is in The Now

“What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday, and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow: Our life is the creation of our mind.” - Buddha

You can do awesome things and rock the world. You can only do that in the present moment. So whatever your dream is, no matter what you want to be. Just start. Use the present moment to the fullest. Let go of future. It is not in your control. Future results are nothing but the cumulative feedback of the actions you take along the way.

If you give your very best this present moment, be assured of great results. The key is giving your best, every single time. Future will eventually take care of itself.

Just One Step At a Time

We all have a million things to do, a thousand goals to kill and earn a trillion dollars. But wait!! You will achieve nothing by running around. Deliberate and rock solid focus on one thing till it is finished is important. Taking up one thing and giving it all is the key.

The realisation that we have only this moment makes me feel the importance of doing only great things at a great quality. It is the time we have that is limited.

Now is the All We Have

“Yesterday is a cancelled check. Tomorrow is a Promissory note. Today is ready cash. Spend it wisely.”  - Kay Lyons

Live in the Now. All the problems just melt away. It is difficult. But worth it. Using the present moment is brave, wise and awesome. And when in doubt, please remind yourself that you are awesome.

Please comment your thoughtful insights. :)

Related Posts:

Tagged with:
 

One Response to Living In The Now

  1. [...] and analyze the past but have do you take enough time out of your day to just be in the moment? Living in the now makes you think about your way of life and what you can gain (like leaving your fears behind) from [...]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>

CommentLuv badge