No Limits |
The Freedom Blog™
Don’t Look Back (Or Forward)
Written by Steven Griggs | stevengriggs.com
“With the past, I have nothing to do; nor with
the future. I live now”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Don’t let the past steal your present” Terri Guillemets
And how
many times a day do you find yourself dreaming of the future?
We are
all doing it constantly.
If you
really think about it our days are made up of a constant stream of reviewing
the past and looking into the future.
You aren't really doing anything in the present because it doesn't really exist.
The truth
is that the present is the meeting point
of the past and the future.
It is the
split second between when we are moving from what is going to happen next (the
future) to what has already happened (the past).
It feels
like the present because you can see yourself doing whatever you are doing
right now and it looks like the present because you can say “I am right here in
the present” but it isn't and you aren't because your present, which was the
future, has just become the past.
Instantly.
So the
present doesn't really exist. It’s not really somewhere that you can “be in.”
Just as
you are saying the word “present” you have already gone from the future to the
past.
So there
is no middle ground, no place where the present exists. It’s a constantly moving
moment that exists as an infinitesimal gap between the future and the past.
The
closest thing to the present is the immediate future and the most recent past.
But we
constantly hear people talking about being present or staying in the present moment.
But how
can you?
How can
we exist in a present that doesn't really exist? What are we to do?
The key to
expanding your moments of “present” is to reduce the amount of time you spend thinking
about the past or the future.
You will
still be going from the future to the past but you can refocus your viewpoint.
You can
reduce your mind’s need to time travel and keep it close, keep it right here,
right now.
As best
you can.
Try to focus
on the things going on around you.
Feel your
body, feel your breath going in and out. Feel your body resting on the chair
you are sitting in, feel your feet on the ground.
See the
clouds rolling by, the birds in the air, the wind in the trees.
Smell the
smells, taste the tastes, feel the sun on your face, really “be” with the
person you are talking to.
Step away
from your mind’s endless churning, from its constant searching and reviewing.
Reduce your
visits to the past and future, I say reduce
because you can’t eliminate your memories or stop dreaming of future
possibilities because it’s a basic part of our human mind, but you can pull
back from your need to dwell in the past or the future.
Make a renewed effort to stay right
where you are every day.
Every time you start drifting off into past
recollections or looking forward too far, pull yourself back.
Get back to now.
Not the present but now.
Focus on what is happening “now” even if “now”
is moving instantly from future to past.
It’s the closest we can get to the present.
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