Purposeful Growth

The present moment is life’s gift to us all; this present of life is life, for the present moment is all that we really have. Many of us spend far too much time in the illusions of the past and future, missing out on the gift of the moment. When we begin to spend more time in the present moment we notice that life is easier.

Eagerly anticipating future events can be very pleasant–anticipation adds to the pleasure of an event–sometimes surpasing the pleasure the event itself brings us. Unfortunately, pleasant anticipation does not characterize how most of us, most of the time, spend our future thinking.

Instead, we worry. We worry that the positive events we desire and plan for will fail to materialize. We fear that things will go wrong in important areas of life: health, finances, employment, love, family relationships, and business. We think about what can go wrong, imagine it happening, and fret over what will become of us when, not if, the bad things happen.

I’ve heard worry likened to sitting in a rocking chair; we expend lots of energy, but don’t get anywhere. The only positive aspect of worry is that it initially alerts us to contingencies for which we should plan. Other than that, our worries rob us. What do we lose? Joy, peace, tranquility, and calmness are present moment emotions. They are all casualties of worry and fear.

As if it’s not bad enough that worry and fear of the future rob us of the joy of the present moment, so do guilt and regret. Though the past is past, we often dwell there re-living mistakes we made, wrongs we committed or had committed to us, and decisions we made that we regret. When we re-play the events of the past we feel the emotions again as if the event were happening now.

Re-plays are fine if we’re recalling something pleasant. Savoring a past positive event can be very enjoyable and can build self confidence and self esteem. Even remembering negative past events can be helpful if we learn from them. But instead of savoring and learning we often bury ourselves in useless and self defeating thinking about what might have been if…if we made a different decision, or chose a different solution, or stopped short of saying a hurtful thing.

Guilt and regret are like baggage we carry on our backs through each step of life’s journey, making the journey more difficult than it need be. When we put down our baggage we notice that life’s journey is easier.

The past holds wonderful lessons for us. Because of our past actions we are able to experience the logical consequences of our behaviors. We can choose to repeat or avoid similar behaviors, depending on whether those consequences align with whom we choose to be.

How do we begin to live in the present moment when we’re so used to living in the past or future? Be aware of what you’re thinking and what you’re feeling. Ask yourself if your thoughts and feelings relate to the past, present, or future. Simply being aware will help remind you.

To focus on the present, concentrate on your breathing. Focus on each breath in and out. Then focus on your senses. What are you seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, and tasting? These are all present moment events. Start doing this and notice how rich each present moment becomes.

The very best resource I’ve found for living in the present moment is Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now.   

Now you’re stopping to smell the roses! Each moment of the present is a present–and what an adventure!