No one “lives’ in the past. The past is the past. It’s gone. You don’t ever have to put the past behind you. It will ALWAYS be behind you. What we did in the past defined who we were at that time. But you’re not that person anymore, you’re the one living today. We change a little everyday, it is simply inevitable. That is why when we gloat about or regret what we did in the past we only harm ourselves. Although the past is an important part of our lives, it is in the present where our capacity to make transformations is settled. We are not the sum of our past, we must concentrate in on living in the present. Living in the past is a problem because it robs you of opportunity to enjoy the present. This will cause unhappiness and you will then avoid issues in the present. It causes you to replay the event over and over and then you make up false scenarios by rumination. Replaying the past and creating these false scenarios will make whatever happened so much worse. The worst part is you drive yourself to this unhappiness and there is not truth to any of it. How terrible does that sound? We have to stay present and not live in the past. There are things in our past that were good and bad. We all make mistakes and choices sometimes that are not good or helpful, but again we are constantly changing and know to be better and not be defined as what was then. “ We do not heal the past by dwelling there. We heal the past by living in the present.” - Buddha
No one “lives” in the future. So many people worry about the future which involves unrealistic thinking. We worry about a problem that doesn’t even exist. We constantly want to know the answers to what we will have in the future. Again, this is just another situation where we put scenarios in our heads that will most likely not even happen. This can cause havoc on our present just like replaying past situations. I am not saying you shouldn’t focus on your future, but more goal setting and not creating scenarios that don’t even exist. We can’t predict the future and I am pretty sure we are all aware of that. That is why we have to live in the present day. We have to cherish each day as it comes, we can’t sit around and cry and weep about things in our past and we can’t sit around and stress over what is to come. Imagine just living your day as it is, one day at a time. The present day is all yours, you can make it into whatever you want (obviously we have responsibilities during each day). You should wake up every morning thankful you are breathing, then if you are like me go back to sleep for 20 more minutes :) What I am trying to get at is we can have a happy fulfilled present day life if we don’t live in the past or the future. What happens to us is meant to be and when it is something bad it is meant to show us that there is something better coming. The universe will find that for you, just sometimes it takes a little patience. Let’s start living, lets start appreciating the present day. I know it is easier said than done. I was someone who constantly lived in the future (still am a bit). I constantly worried about the future and it would stress me out on a daily basis. Then I realized I was creating situations in my head that didn’t even exist. I was never one to live in the past, as to me the past is the past and all I did was learn from mistakes I made to be a better person. Create a present day that makes you smile. Ask yourself after reading this, do I live in the past, present or future? If you can honestly say you live in the present, then I am very proud of you as it is hard to do. If you answered one or both of the other two try to acknowledge the things that are in your past and future that you are torturing yourself with. Learn from everything, don’t blame, don’t make excuses. Understand what happens in your life and create your present day.
“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift; that is why they call is present.”
MUCH LOVE, XOXO