I realized I want need to become more present in the moment. Seems so cliché and easy to say, yet is one of the hardest things to do. I spend way to much time worrying about the future, as most of us do. Thinking about…planning for…being scared of!!! The problem with that is that the future never ends up exactly how we envision it to be. Shit just doesn’t always go as planned. Think about it, when has something gone EXACTLY how planned? probably never, but stuff ALWAYS works out and life always moves on, doesn’t it.
We tend to stress so much over the “what ifs” but the key is KNOWING that even if things go worse than planned, those moments are just a tiny piece of a bigger picture for you.
Think about some of the things you stress over when thinking about the future. How much time is wasted stressing out? Time that you can never get back. Wouldn’t it be nice to know that things will work out just the way it needs to? Well the secret is, IT DOES! Things ALWAYS work out for the best even if now it doesn’t seem so. How many times have you looked back and realized that all the stress was unneccessary? Yet for some reason, we continue to act the same way again and again and again.
The lesson is to TRUST! Trust in the Universe! Trust in yourself! If you have faith in higher power, you need to have faith in yourself. They go hand in hand. Your level of trust in yourself is a mirror of the trust you have in something greater.
You should still have goals, ideas, and plans but you have to KNOW that no matter what your goals, plans, and ideas for the future are, you will get to where you need to be yet sometimes it’s not in the way you expected. You have to let go of the expectations to make room for something more grand to happen. Start thinking about all the things you want to change. Things you want to come to you. What kind of person do I want to be and what do I want for my life?
For your creations to become reality you have to take action which requires you to respond to today! The present. Think about, what can I do TODAY to move closer to what I want? How can I enjoy TODAY?
Think about RIGHT NOW. What you have in your life RIGHT NOW. Be thankful for RIGHT NOW. That’s gratitude at its highest form. Being thankful for where you are, who you are, and what you have RIGHT NOW!!
When you do that, all the worries and stress tend to go out the window. You can breathe in the air of the moment and experience life…. which is RIGHT NOW. The past doesn’t exist anymore and the future never comes. The ONLY thing we have is RIGHT NOW
Living in the past or the future, or in many cases both, does nothing but limit you from becoming the greatest you can be.When you are living from one of those places, you are actually missing right now. And if you are missing right now, you are missing life. If you are missing life, then whats the point?
Living in the present allows you to paint on a blank slate in every moment. You can create whatever you want. Whatever you dream. That’s the fun part. It shouldnt be stressful. Every moment is new. It’s not fun painting on a canvas that’s already used. When you live in the present you begin to LIVE. You begin to be HAPPY. You don’t waste any more of your time being regretful or afraid. The stresses lessen because you KNOW that no matter what, your path and all the things that have happened or are going to happened are for your greater good so you can reach your highest potential. The faster you start to recognize that and see how it’s played in your life RIGHT NOW, the more time you have to live a HAPPY fulfilled life and make every moment count and THAT is the point! Look at how fast time flies… don’t you want to be able to feel new every day? every moment.
So I challenge you to practice living in the now. One easy way to do that is just showing gratitude. Being thankful for right now. Let go of any pain from the past and any expectations from the future and just witness the miracles in front of you. Even if just for a moment a day…stop, breathe, and enjoy RIGHT NOW!
xoxo,
My Mornin Coffee 
Hey Barista – I 100% agree with this. It is so incredibly important. Sometimes if we refuse to apprecaite the present/NOW, events happen in our lives or things are taken away from us to force us to do so…and it is a much better situation if we can prevent that. That said, I am looking to start a new career and am over the corporate life, so I am trusting in the universe that I will find my calling…but I know people who have gone for over a year without a job and are still looking. How do I make sure to apprecaite now and still plan enough for a successful future? Interested in your thoughts on that one.. thanks 🙂
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Well there’s only so little we actually control, one of which is our perception and meaning of things/events. So as far as preventing bad things from happening, I’m not so sure we can prevent them it as much as we can prevent how we feel about it and relate to it. Trusting in the universe to find your calling is awesome but I want to warn you to be prepared for lots of “bad things” to happen on the way. All kinds of things will come up in order to test you for the lessons you need to learn.You will always get through them but whether you learn the true lesson is up to you.And THEN when you learn it, guess what, you’ll be tested again and given a chance to pass. and probably over and over again until you slowly stop attracting the “bad” things…. OR maybe you’re perception of it will just alter 😉 I think as fas as planning enough for a successful future you should start by defining what success REALLY means to you. And im sure you’ll be forced to learn that lesson along the way. I believe that when you find your calling and you dedicate yourself to that calling, what may “seem” like failure at first will do nothing but propell you into greater and you can’t reach anything other then success.You change your perception and you LEARN through those “bad” times. It will test you to see how bad you really want what you say you want. And when you pass, the success will come (however you define it) because you stop at nothing. SOOOO to finally answer your question (HAHA) I would say to think about that question “What can I do TODAY that will bring me that much closer to where I want to be tomorrow?”.You don’t have to think TOO far ahead. Think of driving to a far destination at night. As long as you keep moving towards it, you only need to see a few feet ahead at a time. Just know the next step will present itself to you when ready. Remember FAILURE=OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN
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I love this post and I completely understand the struggle to maintain a sense of staying in the present. It took me a while to make peace with the fact that it’s okay (heck awesome even!) to want things, but I still need to maintain a sense of dettachment and vulnerability – openness so that the universe/god(dess)/whomever can present me with something better if it so chooses.
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Yes that was a wonderful way to put it. While on this Path I have found the struggle too with feeling guilty for wanting things but then I remember that I deserve things. Just like you said, we have to maintain a level of detachment and not give our power to THINGS. The expectation that THINGS will complete or fufill us when we really need to find that fufillment and completion within ourselves. Thats what ALL lessons lead to. What we are searching for on the outside we need to complete on the inside
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Here flippin’ here! I don’t know if you’re familiar with A Course In Miracles but one of the lessons is that miracles make up for a lack (albeit false) to return the balance.
Check out this article by Danielle LaPorte if you have a sec, it speaks to why you shouldn’t feel guilty for your dreams.
http://www.daniellelaporte.com/inspiration-spirituality-articles/do-you-feel-guilty-for-your-dreams-dont/
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Its funny you bring that up because im currently reading “Add More -ing To You Life” by Gabrielle Bernstein and she constantly refer to that book. She has a book coming out soon thats similar too. I was literally reading before I went to bed and was thinking about getting that as my next book. Your post I read this morning affirms that. Thank you. Proof right here that signs will come to you that lead u the way you need to go. Up to us to pay attention.
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I totally agree–the in between, unplanned moments are usually the best. We’re usually so set on getting from point a to point b that we freak out when we end up somewhere unexpected (and possibly better). Great post!
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yea isnt it awesome when you take a road trip for the first time and you discover a nice little stop off the side of the road that you never knew existed. It’s what makes roadtrips fun and worthwhile. Road trips are boring when all u wanna do is get to your destination. The unexpected is what makes you wanna take more!!
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I’ve been thinking along those lines last couple of days too – not much hassle in the NOW, yet some say we are, like, genetically incapable of NOT dwelling in the past & NOT fretting the future… Dunno, lol, sometimes i manage not to sweat it, yet sometimes… aghh!!! 😛
You commented just before me on Truth and Cake – and that’s how i learned of your blog, i followed the link – i am really glad i did!
Best,
Lena
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That’s an awesome point!!! it is somewhat impossible to not think about the past/future bc we are like machines and our brains run so much subconsciously. BUT I believe we can have moments, even if very brief, that we can be fully present with only NOW so with practice you can get better and better at it and build that muscle. Therefore when we are doing other things we will become more mindful of those times we need to let the past or future go and just focus around us. That’s what meditating can teach us. To notice those moments when your mind drifts away and bring focus back to the present.
thanks so much for your input!!
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