Being alive is a gift and living is an opportunity to make the best of that gift. Many distractions can rob us of living time especially our state of mind. One toxic state of mind is reliving the past or trying to predict the future. It looks like a balanced strategy to map out your path but its not. The risk is that your past recollections can cloud present situations and future fears can cause stagnation.
Maximize the present to get to your desired future
It’s worth figuring out what future YOU desire and commit to living towards it. The present is the only way to the future especially the future you desire. When grounded in the present you actually have a shot at reaching that future. Don’t fall into the temptation to limbo between past and future because it’s the fastest way to get stuck. Its work in itself to get unstuck and that’s if you even realize you are.
Mistake #2 Waiting for the BIG BANG to start living
I picked up the idea somewhere that I could calculate life on the sidelines first and then get to living. My objective was to preserve my time and effort so I could launch it when I came across the BIG BANG.
BIG BANG Definition: the point where the stars align and your permission slip is stamped with the approval to go forth. It’s the point where fear subsides for courage because of the guarantee that everything will work out.
The problem: I didn’t think I could miss out on living because I was alive so I spent a lot of time enduring the present. Whenever things didn’t work out I’d contemplate the life that could have been mine but was erroneously granted someone else.
Thriving in the present never occurred to me as an option. It was an ongoing cycle of coasting through until the future I had visualized so perfectly in my mind came. Imagine the rude awakening when I realized that the life I wanted was up to me to live. From the moment I accepted this I’ve started on the journey to the future I desire.
The take home
It’s no lie that things are rough right now but that’s not an excuse to put your life on hold. In any case your life goes on even when you disconnect from the present. The last thing you want is to wake up ten years from now and realize you can’t get them back. One of the things I regret the most is that I didn’t spend time actually living. I calculated and overcalculated and missed out on so many opportunities.
Don’t get me wrong I’m not terminally ill or anything and this isn’t my subtle deathbed speech to you. Its just coming to a point where I have decided to make the best of the life I have. Instead of wallowing in self pity about what I could have done better I’m moving forward. Not just moving forward for the sake of it but with excitement and wonder at what my story is becoming. Stop waiting for the BIG BANG, it’s right now
