We must commit ourselves to change today.
It’s not easy at all. But…. I believe it is essential that we heed this message and that we do so without hesitation. At times, we may feel that time has passed. Decisions we’ve made in the past make us feel stuck in negative patterns of behavior and communication.
“I’ve made my bed, now I need to sleep in it.”
“That’s just the way it is.”
“It’s the way it’s always been.”
“I am a woman, what can I do?”
“I am too young, no one will listen to me.”
“My English is not so good. People will make fun of me.”
I read this from a wise person: “When I was in high school, I couldn’t wait to get to college. In college, I’d be living away from home, I could pick my own classes, I’d be much more independent. That’s when real life begins. Then when I was in college, I couldn’t wait to graduate and get a job. In college, I was still a student, still a kid in the eyes of my teachers. Once I started earning some money, and being financially independent, that’s when real life begins. Then when I was a young professional, I couldn’t wait to get married. Being single was fun, but I wanted to settle down and start a family of my own. We could have kids and that’s when real life begins. Then when I was a working mother, I couldn’t wait until I retired. My kids would be all out of the house and married. I’d have more time to focus on my hobbies and passions. I’d volunteer and take up golf. That’s when real life begins. Here I am, a 75-year old retired woman who wants to tell the working mother, to tell the young professional, to tell the college student, to tell the high school version of myself that real life is right now. Real life is right now. It’s not waiting for you, just beyond the horizon, it’s here, in front of you. Now. Today.”
What is the most important thing that a person needs to do?
The wise persons response: “Whatever a person has to do right now is the most important thing he has to do.”
Be in the moment.
What would it look like to treat every moment, every task in our lives as if it were the most important thing to do at that moment? From the mundane to the sublime – Whether we’re in line at the post office, or in our cars commuting to work. Whether we’re tying our shoes in the morning, or putting together an excel spreadsheet. Whether we’re playing with our children or grandchildren – what would we life feel like to be fully in each of those moments?
What happens more often than not is that we are too easily distracted.
Our minds begin to drift, we take our smart phones from our pockets just to see if a new e-mail has arrived, or maybe to check the baseball score. We start to think about what else we have to do. What work projects are hanging over our heads. Some of you may be distracted right now.
It takes an act of will to try to see the choices that are before us in any given moment. It takes a conscious effort to commit our attention and energy to the task at hand.
Technology has made the challenge even greater. With smart phones buzzing constantly and a thousand notifications popping up on our computer screens, I believe it is harder than ever to stay focused. I have a good friend who has tried to develop the practice of counting to three when she feels the buzz of her phone in her pocket before she takes it out to look at it. This gives her the chance to breathe and ask herself, “Do I want to interrupt what I’m doing right now to answer?”
The greatest gift we can give ourselves, our partners, our children, our friends is our time and attention without interruption. Every day we are given many opportunities to choose between being present and being distracted.
We lose the power of the moment because we’re so rarely in it. We’re reliving the past or speculating about the future. We continue to believe that tomorrow’s the day when I’ll be more capable, more wealthy, more fit and more loving. Yet, intuition, creativity, connection, and inspiration are available only in the present moment.
“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” — Annie Dillard
Today matters……
- Take time today to start working on the script you have been putting off
- Take time today to make the 40 contacts you have been promising yourself that you would do when you had the time
- Take time today to call the loved one or a friend and just tell them how much they mean to you
- And let’s go out and make this the most powerful week you have had in months
