When you have time to think, do your thoughts race ahead to what could possibly happen tomorrow, next week or even a few months from now? Most of us spend a great deal of our lives thinking forward to the future instead of staying in the present moment. We worry about what is going to happen in the future, especially when the present moment is less than desirable or troubling. We worry and wonder how long this difficult period will last. We fear that this difficult period will somehow create other problems for us in the future. We begin to visualize what some of those problems may be as our thoughts race ahead to the future.
Earlier this year, I experienced a setback that will delay the publication of my first book. This setback with the book coincided with me being in a creative slump. I had very little motivation or enthusiasm to work on any of my other writing projects.
As this difficult time period lasted more than a week, I began to panic about the future. I wondered if I would have my book ready by the end of the year. I was completely worried that I was sabotaging my writing career and that all hope was nearly lost if I didn't get out of this slump. I feared that I was losing control of my life and my goals as each day slipped by.
I realized that I had been guilty of living in the future. I wasn't fully living in the present moment. I was projecting my present fears about what was happening in my life into the future. I was creating all of these worst case scenarios which only created more pressure on myself to get out of my current slump. My fears about the future made what I was going through now more painful than it needed to be. Each day that I was in the slump was yet more proof of a disastrous future in my thinking.
The best way to work through this situation was for me to focus on the present moment only. It is wise to learn how to live in the present moment. When we live in the present, we are not playing up our fears or worries by thinking about what will happen in the future. We just deal with the present and let the future take care of itself.
How do we live in the present? In my humble experience, I find that when I take each day at a time that helps me to stay in the present moment. I try not to take whatever is happening in the present moment and project it into the future. Each day is new and separate from the next. If I have a stressful day, it doesn't mean that tomorrow will be the same. If I have a couple of stressful days, then it doesn't mean that I'm going to have several stressful weeks ahead of me. Whatever happened today or didn't happen today is over at midnight. Each day is new with a whole new set of opportunities and experiences for me if I choose to be open to them. Even if today feels and looks like yesterday, it isn't a signal to worry about the future. Today is still different with its own unique experiences. It isn't wise to drag what happened in the past into each new moment of our lives.
Stay focused on what is happening now, even if you don't care for it. Resist the temptation to worry and tell yourself that whatever is happening now will happen tomorrow, next week or next month. Stop your thoughts the moment you find yourself thinking about worst case scenarios about the future.
Reassure yourself that there is a reason why you are experiencing this experience. Whatever you are experiencing is happening for a reason and it will benefit you in the future. You may not understand how what is happening right now will benefit you later, but trust that you will understand how later. Most of us don't believe that Life always supports us. We believe that when unpleasant experiences happen to us, then we are being punished for something that we did wrong or treated unfairly somehow. Every single circumstance and experience happens for your benefit. It is true that you may experience some difficulties in the present moment (the short term), but you will gain so much from this experience in terms of benefits for the future (the long term). Challenge yourself to find a helpful lesson that benefits you in getting to know yourself better and supports your personal growth from your present circumstances. Ask yourself directly, "What is this experience trying to teach me?" Allow the answers to come to you when they are ready to emerge from within you.
Surrender to the present moment and its circumstances. What do I mean by surrendering to them? Don't be impatient with your present circumstances. The more we try to get in charge and force our will on a situation, the more we become entrenched in the circumstance. It is a fine line between surrendering and leading our lives in the direction that we want to go in. Surrendering requires us to be active participants who are looking for the deeper meaning of what is happening. We aren't wishing away the unpleasant or scary circumstances. We aren't wallowing in self pity and hopelessness. Surrendering means we understand that our lives are ultimately larger than the situation--it is simply here temporarily to teach us an important lesson. We allow ourselves to work through the situation without fearing or assuming that it is permanent. We remain hopeful for the future.
The more we fear something and wish it away, we invite confusion and conflict to take over our minds. Fear and worry create mental confusion that clogs up our minds. We can't think clearly or even see anything clearly once fear enters the picture. We can no longer observe ourselves or our feelings when confusion comes in. Without mental clarity, we can't recognize the lessons that our present experience is trying to give us. We can't see the new opportunities opening up or even the solutions that are coming our way. Fear simply shuts down our minds and reduces our thoughts to worry, panic, doubt, and hopelessness. We begin to expect the worst and take desperate measures.
You really do have a choice in whether you allow your thoughts to stay in the present or drift ahead to the future. Learn to stay connected to the present moment. Whatever is happening now isn't permanent--it simply has a temporary purpose in your life at this moment. Take your life as it comes and try not to think about what is going to happen tomorrow. Take one day at a time. Make it your purpose to experience each day at a time. Be hopeful for the future, no matter what is happening now.
Affirmations: I am fully present in this moment. I allow myself to find the powerful lesson within each circumstance. Each day is a new beginning for me.
Copyright©2006 Jeannine Robinson All Rights Reserved