“If you are still talking about what you did yesterday, you haven’t done much today.”  ~Author Unknown

Stay Present

Here’s a thought/challenge: stay in the moment.

When I write ‘stay in the moment‘ I’m sure y’all get what I mean. Being in the present versus dwelling on the past or looking ahead to the future. Living as much as you can in the here-and-now.

Cyclic Gremlins

I was driving home from work last Thursday and by the time I pulled into the driveway I wasn’t feeling very good. Why? Well in the car I allowed myself to start up with the following:

• “I’ll never find my true purpose…”
• “I don’t know what I’m doing with my life…”
• “How will I figure out what my ‘one thing’ is?”
• “What if…”

Good News & Bad News

The bad news is (and I was pissed) I was back ‘there’ again. Worrying about the future and beating myself up over the past. The good (dare I say GREAT) news is that it lasted much quicker than usual.

Due to my spiritual practice and the techniques I use on a daily basis, I caught myself winding down into a spiral of negative past/future thinking.

The Solution

Want to know what I did? Well, at first it wasn’t pretty. I sat in my chair grumpily looking at the internet (not a solution I recommend to any of you reading). Next I told my husband how I felt. I shared feeling words and really talked it out. I then paced around my Christmas tree (literally walking in circles as I talked) and released the negative feelings.

By the time we ate dinner I was feeling much better and had a smile on my face.

Now I know what I ‘did’ sounds silly and simple, but it’s taken years of effort and practice to get to the place where I am able to:

• Release a negative emotion that quickly, allowing it to pass through me and not get stuck;
• Realize I am criticizing my past or worrying about my future, keeping myself out of the present moment;
• Let go of this self-doubt that quickly and move onto conscious statement of empowering visionary success.

A Challenge

So this is my challenge to you: live in the present moment. I know, I know. Easier said than done, but SO much more productive when you do.

It’s becoming clearer and clearer to me every day how every single breath is a momentary choice. Right now I can start worrying about the calls I have to make when I start approaching nursing organizations about my big Art of Nursing event. Or I can choose to be in the moment and do something productive with my thoughts.

The next breath comes and goes. I can choose to be present or I can daydream behind my current reality. Guess what? Your future is based on your present moment awareness. What kind of future do you want to have?

Your Turn

I encourage you to live as much as possible in your present moment. How will you keep track of this? What will you do to remind yourself? What practices do you have to put into place to keep yourself focused in the here-and-now?

I’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment or question below. Share with myself and our community how you will stay presently joyful and full of life. And if you enjoyed this article, go ahead and use the social media buttons below to share the post with your friends and colleagues. Enjoy your health today! Thank you.