Today is Just as Important as the Future
It’s Important to Enjoy Now
With warmer weather upon us, it’s a great time to remember how important it is to kick back, relax, and enjoy life. We all work hard, and most of us work too hard because we’re preparing for the future. Tomorrow. Retirement. But where we are right now is just as critical. You’ve probably heard someone say that at any given moment, you’re exactly where God intends you to be. Whether you’re religious or not, that’s something to think about. How often have you heard about someone who died right before or just after they retired? They worked their entire life for something they were never able to enjoy.
Our Culture Teaches Us to Worry
It seems that almost everyone is riddled with anxiety and it’s not a wonder because every marketing message we’re given tells us to worry about what’s to come. Do you have life insurance? Is your home protected? Do you have enough car insurance? Is your identity being stolen? How about the title on your house? Do you have a security system? Have you invested enough for your retirement? Insurance and investment industries make billions off our need to feel safe and secure.
All We Really Have is Now
Have you read Living in the Now by Eckhart Tolle? In a nutshell, he believes that anxiety, depression, and mental illness stem from too much worry about the future, and an inability to let go of the past. The past is over. You can’t change it, so leave it there, regard your missteps as learning experiences and move on. And the future? Well…why worry about something that may not come? The only thing we can be sure of is right now. This moment. If you concentrate on that, there’s nothing to be angry about or regret from the past or worry about for the future.
Can You Change the Way You Think?
Living in the present may sound simple, but it’s a difficult thing to master because worry seems to be hardwired into us. Can you change the way you think? The short answer is yes, but old habits die hard so start with something simple. Every morning, when you begin your day, instead of thinking about everything that needs to get done, think about something you’re grateful for, say it out loud, and hold that thought for as long as you possibly can. Feel your body relax, feel the smile form on your face, and enjoy the warmth that radiates from your heart.
See Yourself Realistically
I thought I enjoyed the present until the day I took a Myers-Briggs management style test. It said that people with my management style had a hard time living in the present. Seriously? Me? The Strategic Chicken? No way! But on my way home from work, I realized that it was true. I was so focused on my goals, that I never stopped and smelled the roses. I never gave myself a moment to enjoy how far I’d gotten. What an eye-opener and reality check. Society is competitive, so in our minds, there is always someone who has more or who has done better. But they all started somewhere, so feel grateful for where you are now. When you have gratitude, who you are and what you have are enough.
“Gratitude for the present moment and the fullness of life now is the true prosperity.”
Eckhart Tolle
Until next time,
Jean AKA The Strategic Chicken - Making life’s journey one strategic step at a time
