I want to focus on the concept of being present each day as it comes…
The serenity pledge says…
God, give me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference….
- When you are depressed you are living in the past.
- When you are anxious, you are living in the future.
- When you are at peace you are living in the present.
The point to all of this is that we all waste enormous amounts of energy/time when we are dwelling the past or living in the future. I am sure you can reflect on your being and notice this waste of time. All we can do each day is live in the present. Certainly, planning for the future needs to be done and is appropriate, but our plans have to be somewhat flexible because life does not always fit your pictures. This is where intention and purpose come in. If we have the correct intention and purpose, we are open to different possibilities as life presents them to us.
Finally, a thought I would like you to consider:
Take time to remember something you were worried about a year ago or, if you write in a journal, look at the issue you were wrestling with in the past. How did everything work out? I bet you wasted a lot of attention and energy on this issue and most likely the matter turned out fine after all.
A man once told me that 95% of the things we worry about never occur.
