“Realize deeply that the present moment is all you have. Make the NOW the primary focus of your life.” ~ The Power of Now
Our ability to leverage time is one of the most powerful tools we have if we want to accomplish anything in life.
One of the biggest factors impacting our ability to leverage time is dependent on which dimension of time we choose to mentally spend the majority of our time in. We can choose the past, the present, or the future.
Below is an exercise to help you become more aware of how you leverage you value your time.
The Time Mind Exercise
Think back about where you were, exactly one year ago today, on this exact date? Now try to remember what were you doing? Where were you? Who you were with?
Now think ahead exactly one year from now on this exact date. Where do you think you will be exactly one year from now? What will you be doing? Where will you be? Who might you be with?
Okay, you’re doing great! Now think back about where you were exactly one week ago today? Now fast forward the clock to a week from from today?
Now, go ahead and do the same exercise back and forth with increments of an hour, a minute, and a second.
Did you experience or feel that as you got closer and closer to the present moment, that time was passing you by?
Even as I type these words and you read them precious seconds, moments, and hours are are passing into the abyss of your past.
Time Dimensions – Where Do You Live ?
Some of us spend our time living in the past. We reflect back on decisions we made, retracing our steps and wondering what would have happened had we chose differently. Guilt, shame, and regret play a significant role in keeping you tethered to this dimension. A dimension of time in which you can do absolutely nothing about to change it. It’s actually one of the biggest wastes of the most valuable resource you have available to you to achieve anything!
Others of us spend a great deal of time worrying about the future. We rehash in our minds all of the what if, what might, and what could happen. All in an attempt to prepare and protect ourselves from what might, possibly, maybe happen to us in the future. Thinking ahead, in and of itself is not a bad thing. Spending too much time in this dimension will cause you to continuously creates anxiousness and anxiety and you end up missing opportunities to accomplish anything in the present.
If you spend a great deal of time worrying about the future, a great point to remember is that 97% of the things we worry about never happen or we realize that we either handled them quite well or we learned a life-altering lesson that we needed to learn.
I am not saying that you shouldn’t have goals or plans for in the future. I am saying to make sure you don’t waste the present, worrying about what might happen in the future. Why? Because the present moment is the only moment you can impact.
3 Thoughts on THIS Present Moment
In THIS Present Moment You Can:
- Apply what you’ve learned from the past to make better choices in the NOW.
- Take actions that will bring you closer to the future that you desire.
- Form the foundation of your future with every passing second, of every minute, of every hour, of every day, that you are here on this earth!
Remember right NOW you are sculpting your future so don’t waste any clay!
As Morgan Freeman said in the movie, The Shawshank Redemption, “Either get busy livin’ or get busy dyin’!”
So what are you waiting for, isn’t it time to get busy livin!
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