Learn from the past.
Plan for the future.
Live in the present.
A good friend of mine has been under a lot of stress for sometime and a while back she decided to try meditation as an alternative to reduce some of her stress and also to become more present and stop trying to constantly multitask.
A few days ago I was asking her how she was coming along with her new meditation habit.
She told me that she was doing okay, but that it was quite difficult to force herself to calm down, be in the moment and be able to meditate on a daily base.
I started meditating many years ago and I do know that it takes quite a bit of practice to be able to quiet the mind and to manage to sit still for even 5 minutes. It will take constant practice and some days are better than others.
The important thing is not to quit when you start a new habit. It will get easier. Keep on going.
Your mind will tell you all kinds of stories, why you won't be able to do what you are trying to do and why you should just forget about it.
Don't listen to that voice.
Another problem is that everybody wants instantaneous results. It doesn't have to be good results. Just fast.
Look at fast food. Is it really good? No, but it's fast.
When we were babies we wanted our needs tended to as quickly as possible. Sleep, eat and then our diaper changed.
As children get older it still takes a while before they can perform any type of action that doesn't produce instant results.
One thing we love about children is that they live in the moment. They can't grasp that the present moment will affect the future because they haven't had enough experience doing one thing continuously and having a specific result come from it eventually.
This is true about children but unfortunately it is also true when it comes to a lot of adults.
We hear a lot about being in the present moment. I think it is great thing to learn to be fully present with what you are doing in the moment or being fully there, in conversations with others.
If you are in the personal development field then you probably want to change the direction of your life, but at the same time you also want to be more present NOW.
This almost sounds like a big paradox.
Be here NOW..... but you also want to change your direction of your life.
Can we do both?
Yes, I do believe that it is the perfect approach.
Be fully present now, while you are thinking, planning and taking action that will lead your life in the direction you want it to go in the future.
So this is what I have to say to my good friend......
Keep on going. You are doing better than you think you are!
Good habits will take some time to develop. Nothing worthwhile is easy. But one year from now your body and your mind will thank you for sticking with it.
Yes we can be here NOW..... while planning and taking action to create the future that we want.
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