Good Morning!

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“One must always maintain one’s connection to the past and yet ceaselessly pull away from it.”-Gaston Bachelard

Good morning! In order to find true contentment and lasting joy, we have to live in the present. If we become overly reflective of the past or overly concerned about the future, we begin living in our minds instead of in the physical world surrounding us. We must be present to what is actually happening this minute and our role in the here and now. Thoughts of yesterday or tomorrow pull us away from creating today.

This quote inspires my realization of a healthy connection to both past and future. However, beyond making this connection, we must pull away from letting either past or future control our daily lives. We can learn from the past, but let’s not dwell in it. Let’s not focus on the past and give it energy to repeat itself in our present. Instead, let’s learn its lessons and apply them today. We can be “researchers” in our own lives, noting what has influenced us, made us happy, and what we regret, and apply this research to maximize the good in today.

Of course, this is easier said than done. The human mind is very good at worrying and anticipating obstacles. But, time spent worrying is wasted time we will never recover. Statistically, ninety-nine percent of what we worry about never happens. Likewise, we are over-critical of our past mistakes. Often, looking back on events in the past, we are quick to find something we should, could, or would have done differently. But we cannot go back. We cannot do anything for yesterday’s mistakes, errors in judgment, hurts, or injustices. So why do we hold onto this pain? What will it give us? If the food in our refrigerator was rotten, would we keep it as a reminder to not be wasteful in the future? What good do either of these practices do besides sap our energy from living “in the now?”

When we are attentive to today, we can work to apply new knowledge and have fewer regrets to reflect upon when we move forward. When we are attentive to today, we create our future.

Let us look forward to the future with passion, excitement, and expectation, knowing that by living “in the now” we can create the tomorrow we desire.

Your Turn:
Notice today how many times you spend living in the past or worrying about the future. Consciously draw your attention back to “now;” the only place where we can create true change.

Today’s Affirmation: I keep a healthy relationship with the past and a hopeful heart for the future.