Sunday, August 20, 2006
Past, Present, Future...What Will it Be?
Life can be found only in the present moment. The past is gone, the future is not yet here, and if we do not go back to ourselves in the present moment, we cannot be in touch with life.- Thich Nhat Hanh
As a coach it has always been important to me to not just "talk the talk" but to be able to "walk the walk". That means the important things I learn and everything I coach my own clients around must be put to use and at some point mastered.
SIDE NOTE: I have been told often that the universe continues to place things in our path until we master them. Guess what? It's true.
The universe decided to pick this morning to place a "present moment" situation in my path. (Clearly, being in the present moment is something I have to work on a bit more.) To make a VERY long story short, I am working on my Masters and am required to complete a thesis in order to graduate. It was my full intention to have everything finished for a September graduation, but sometimes things just happen and we have to find a different route. My different route now includes graduating in November, which is cool with me because I have more time to ensure my thesis is stellar. Even with the extra time (at 2am) I went from dead sleep to panic mode thinking about my thesis and worrying about the process. (OK, OK, I was projecting worry onto the future..I get that!)
The skinny...I had to practice what I preach and focus on being present. Sure I could have "should" all over myself ("I should have done this..." "I should have done that..."), but that wasn't going to change the past or make me feel better. Yep, I could have plopped myself down in the future and turned myself inside out with the "what if?" questions ("What if the committee takes too long in approving?" "What if defense does not get scheduled in time?") Are you following me here? Instead, I took a few deep breathes, acknowledged that the present was perfect, expressed some gratitude for my nice warm bed, my fluffy pillow,etc. and went back to sleep.
So here is some food for thought...
Being present protects us from being completely consumed by worry. It's hard to worry when you are looking at all the cool things surrounding you in the right here and the right now. (Operative word: "cool") When we are fully present we get to unearth some new discoveries, discoveries that may have been hidden by past or future thoughts. In the present we can gain some great clarity around our intentions because we have the freedom to focus. Oh, and this is an awesome one...in the present we get to choose. Think about it, have you ever tried to make a choice in the past or the future? Doesn't work too well. Oh, and here's one to remember, we can start breathing again. (Yep, when you are riddled with worry or anxiety breathing becomes shallow.)
So which do you choose? The past? The present? The future? I know what I choose...no more 2am wake up calls!
Posted by Pam at 3:54:18 PM in Quotes with Impact (32) | Permalink | Comments (2)
Comments
Hi Pam!I love this post, and I love this in particular: "in the present we get to choose." That is very cool. Thanks for making that point! When you shift your thinking from feeling out of control to then consciously choosing a thought that moves you up the emotional scale, it follows then that you don't feel so out of control. Now that's a relief!
Hugs!
Lynne
Posted by Lynne on 21/08/2006
Hi Lynne!! Thank you so much for your sweet comments. You are right on the money regarding shifting your thinking. :) Happy Present Moment, my friend!!Hugs,
Pam
Posted by Pam on 21/08/2006
