Live in the moment. Forget the past and don’t concern yourself with the future.
This motivational cliche got me to thinking...It does have a lot of truth in it, but I don't necessarily agree with it.
There is nothing that we can do to change the past - the moment is the only thing we have and can change. Our current moment alters the course of the future, but it is not just our own moment that influences the future. But more on that later.
We all need to learn from the past while in the present. Otherwise we keep making the same unfortunate mistakes. I am a firm believer in analyzing the past - both the good and bad, about myself, my immediate community and the world around me. It is the only way to make myself better - often times learning from those around me or from my own mistakes.
At the same time, spending too much time in the past can haunt someone's present. I often dwell too much on the past and what is to become of the future. I forget the only thing I can change is the present and have Alzheimer’s when it comes to those lessons learned from the past. I only remember what happened, not how or why something happened. I need to transform those lessons quickly into an action plan for the present – not for the future.
As for the future, there are too many outside forces that put stress on creating a step-by-step plan that assures the direction of even tomorrow. Yes, you can create a to-do list for the moment, or in terms of the corporate world, a strategic plan of short- and long-term plan. However, that plan often becomes a wasteland of opportunity if not constantly evaluated in the present. The current moment of action creates the future direction – not the plan put into place in what becomes the past.
Anyway, that is my brain thinking for the day – living in the moment.
