Positive Mind
LOOK AT NOW
“We are not creatures of circumstance;
we are creators of circumstance.”
Benjamin Disraeli
“Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a
matter of choice. It is not to be waited for;
it is a thing to be achieved.”
Frank Lloyd Wright
I was chatting to someone I know only through her work – she runs a small teashop close to where I live; it has spectacular views all the way down to the sea. It’s a magical place to sit and think and to ponder; especially for a writer - we tend to do a lot of that! It’s a place that gives you time to shut off from the world – even if it’s only for the few moments you might be there.
“Do you remember the very pretty girl who worked here?” she asked. I nodded, taking a sip from my tea; “well she’s been diagnosed with cancer and it’s serious!”
You know those times when you’ve been pacing through life, working hard but not really thinking too much about where you are going, and then something gives you one heck of a jolt; as it did for me that morning in the teashop by the sea. You hear someone else’s story, like this beautiful young women becoming fatally ill; and it makes you stop; it really makes you think about your own life and how you view it.
Do you catch yourself daydreaming sometimes, or thinking of things that happened at some time in the past, or even of something that may (or may not) happen in the future? There is a tendency in all of us to think like this, and when we do, we’re not actually living in the now, and by not living in the now we fail to utilize what is often referred to as ‘the power of now’ – something that can dramatically improve our lives in so many ways.
But how does this relate to the café owner, and more especially, to her friend who is seriously ill.
Those of us who have had dealings with people on their death beds; both old and young and who are in their own way forced to look back on their life, so often say, “given my time again, I would have done it all differently”; and I guess like me you would prefer to say, “you know what, I might not have got everything right, but I’ve appreciated every moment; everyday of my life, and it’s been good.”
Life is not just about being happy and putting a smile on your face, it’s also about appreciation for life too. What if you woke up in the morning and said to yourself – “is this the day that I die?” When you think these thoughts it can put you in a state of gratefulness, of gratitude. It allows you to be reflective and appreciative of the day. Rather than taking things for granted, you begin looking for what’s good and what’s right, looking at the beauty in the world and those things around you. It makes you live in the present moment – the now, but so many of us fail to utilize that power.
In reality the only thing that does exist is what is happening right now. The past no longer exists, and neither does the future, it simply hasn’t happened yet. Both the past and the future are just a part of your thoughts and memories, they only exist in your mind, not in reality. You may not like the present moment – but this is because you are thinking about what you feel the present should be. You are comparing the present moment with something else and not appreciating what’s happening now; for example you may be focusing on past mistakes, or allowing your ego to dominate the present moment, or thinking about the future and forgetting the now.
Some of you might be thinking – ok that sounds feasible, but how can I feel good about now when I’m in debt and the bank sends me threatening letters almost daily; or my wife or husband has just left me and I’m feeling really miserable at the moment, or I’m unemployed and need a job. If this is you then you are probably thinking about what the now should be instead of dealing with what is going on.
Let’s take the scenario that you don’t have a job - you’re probably looking for one; but ensure you don’t focus on the fact that you don’t have a job; or how difficult getting the right job may be, concentrate on going out and getting that job, doing what has to be done now and not worrying about the way things should be. You need to see where you are, and focus on what needs to be done now.
I’m not saying accept your present situation, and don’t do anything to improve it, I’m saying deal with your present situation and do everything you can to improve your life, you can do it - beginning now. There’s a conception in most of us that says ‘one day when things change, when my life improves, then I’ll begin to appreciate it – but we have to realise that life is happening right now, it happens every moment within the privacy of our own minds – and you know what, if you’re practising being unhappy, or constantly telling yourself your life is awful, then at some point in the future that is exactly what you will get. You need to be rehearsing a life full of richness, of excitement and happiness, and appreciate those things now so you can fully appreciate the art of living in the present moment for the rest of your life.
It’s impossible to have a problem and live in the present moment at the same time. When you live in the present moment your attention is completely focused on what is happening at that moment. There are no thoughts of the future or the past. If you are at work – focus on work, if at home focus on home life, if you are with your friends focus on them. In doing this your subconscious mind is released and free to begin working on improving your life for you. But if you are focussed on the past, or worried about the future, your subconscious mind gets lost in the confusion – it doesn’t know what you want and is forced to go from the present to the past and present to the future without being given the time or ability to create the situations you need to improve your life in the present moment.
When you do practise living in the present moment with the intention of improving your life, you begin to utilize the enormous power of now – you leave the past and future where it should be, putting your energies into doing everything you can to improve your life now.
This sends a powerful message to your subconscious mind, letting it know you are here now, and ready to get to work improving your life. Your subconscious only understands the present moment, it’s where it is happiest, it cannot understand the future, nor the past.
To begin working with the power of now you have to get your mind to work differently, you have to focus your mind on what’s happening and what needs doing now – you must stop comparing, or hoping for things to get better – dealing instead with what is and what has to be done. You will then begin moving forward, and you will allow your subconscious to create situations that you want to experience.
Begin by taking a look at your current situation and ask yourself what’s wrong with the very moment you are in. Don’t think about what happened to you yesterday, in fact anytime in the past, nor should you focus on what might happen in the future, not even ten minutes from now, look at this very moment and see if there is anything wrong. Don’t say “Oh! My partner left me a few months ago!” because that’s not in the present moment, you are looking at something that is not happening, focus your mind on what is – form a picture and see what’s wrong.
Actually you should find nothing wrong with the present moment; it is what it is and once you accept that you can begin living your life again. You can’t turn your mind off, but you can make it work differently for you, that’s what you need to start doing.
The next question you should ask is – do you find you are waiting for something to happen, for example perhaps, make some more money, meet someone new or for a better opportunity to pop up? If you answered yes, then you are not living in the present moment.
To begin thinking about living in the now is not easy to achieve all your waking hours - in the beginning anyway; but by practising, over time you will find this working for you and you’ll enjoy the process. So, try this; next time you are driving, or taking a walk, pay attention only to what is happening around you, listen to the sounds, what are others doing, look at the little details you would normally miss, just take pleasure in being you for those moments.
Exercising your mind in this way will help your mind focus and utilize the power of now and you’ll enjoy the present moment much more, allowing you to move forward with your life and achieve those things you always dreamed of.