The most important time of your life is RIGHT NOW.
The Past
The past is gone and it cannot be changed – except for the fact that you can change how you decide to look at it and you can decide how you will respond to it now.
But even if you do decide to examine the past and change your perceptions of it that is really something that you are choosing to do right now. You haven’t changed the past, you are working to make the future better by changing your mindset here and now.
The only way that the past can affect is us how we choose to look at it. You can have two people experience the same event and they can have completely different views of the event. One will choose to focus on the negatives while the other will choose to find the good and discover how to grow from the event.
The Future
The future is elusive: a dream, a hope, a fear…
We can’t control it, although we can help to shape it by the choices that we make now.
Right Now
All that we truly have is this moment, right now. You can look back to the past and you can look forward to what you think the future holds but all we can do is view them. We can’t touch them, taste them, feel them, experience them.
All that we can do is to work on our now based on how we choose to view the past and the future. That is the only power that the past and the future hold over us. The power that we give them by our choices and our thoughts.
So the question is this….
What will you do with the past?
- How have you allowed the past to shape you?
- How do you allow yourself to think about different events in your life?
- How do you want to change how you view the past?
What will do you do with the future?
- How do you view the future: is it something you fear or look forward to?
- What are your goals for the future?
- What will you do right now to make the future happen?
Don’t wait for the future to be happy. Don’t wait for the future for your dreams to come true.
If you are waiting for good things to happen later, you are denying yourself of your dreams and happiness right now.
Look at your dreams and goals and decide what you can do right here, right now to bring a piece of that to you. If you really want something, if it is really a goal then you can do something now to bring your goals to life.
If you aren’t becoming increasingly happy, excited, passionate about life then you need to take your eyes off either the past or the future and focus them on the now. If you carry around an attitude of lack and negativity those things will continue to find you and you will continue to find them. Though if you create an attitude of abundance, then abundance will find you.
What about right now inspires you?
To Your Success,
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This is so true! I have become quite passionate about this topic in the past year. Sometimes we glorify the past and sometimes we remember only the negative aspects of the past. But if we can clearly and confidently face the past for what it was, we can use what we learned to shape our future.
Like you said… the majority of our time should be focused on the here and now anyway. If we can really take in everything that’s happening today we’ll have less desire to look back or forward. All of our energy will instead be spent on today…. being fully present and invested.
Angela
http://www.habitformingsuccess.com
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Stacy Reply:
September 18th, 2011 at 4:51 pm
Excellent points, Angela! Those are all great examples of why living in the present is so important!
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Bravo Stacy! All of our power is in the NOW. You’ve done such a wonderful job of explaining that here. Thanks for this.
Hugs!
Melody
Melody | DeliberateReceiving invites you to read… Intuitive Eating For Stress Freaks – Part I
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Stacy Reply:
September 18th, 2011 at 4:51 pm
Thank you, Melody!
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Great post! It’s very hard to consciously live in the moment… it’s so much easier to let your head venture to the past or the future but I think you’re right… making this one change will truly make a difference in your life. This came at such a great time in my life, thanks for the inspiration.
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Stacy Reply:
September 18th, 2011 at 4:52 pm
You’re right, not living in the now is much easier – but the rewards of living in the now are amazing!
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You have done a wonderful job here, Stacy!!
What excites me about right now is that it doesn’t matter what I have done in the past, I can make new choices now to change where I will be in the future. Kind of like Ebeneezer Scrooge learned to do.
Thanks for sharing!
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Stacy Reply:
September 18th, 2011 at 4:52 pm
Great example, Grady! Thank you for sharing!
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What a cool post! The past is the past. The here is now. And we CAN shape our future. Like you said, we cannot control it, but we can shape it! Absolutely! Focus on the now!
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Stacy Reply:
September 18th, 2011 at 4:52 pm
Thank you, Brock!
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I know this is going to sound silly but George Carlin had a great stand up around the idea of time which is why I got a kick out of the post
Basically, like you said, the past is … past and future is then but even this very moment now turns into the past – oops, there is goes – there it goes again. You can only truly live in the very moment and that’s what matters most.
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Stacy Reply:
September 18th, 2011 at 4:53 pm
That is so true, eventually the future will be the past and it will only be the present for a very short time!
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Very true Stacy!!
You can’t change your past but you can certainly learn from it, You can’t decide your future but yes you can try to make it. Both thing is possible if you live in your present and willing to take action according to your experience (from past) and willing to make your future.
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Stacy Reply:
September 18th, 2011 at 4:53 pm
Great point, thank you for sharing!
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Whenever a human being get free from his past,it really invites bright future.
Learning a lesson from past is a great virtue and planning for future is awesome management skill. Always try to develop your skills.
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Stacy Reply:
September 18th, 2011 at 4:54 pm
Thank you for sharing, Shani!
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A great article!
This is one of my favourite quotes about the present. “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery. And today? Today is a gift. That’s why we call it the present.” ~B. Olatunji
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Stacy Reply:
September 18th, 2011 at 4:54 pm
That is a great quote, Amanda! I hadn’t heard the first part before!
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Hi, Stacy!
Today is present…in other words, it is a gift. Your post is a great reminder we should be grateful for the moment and enjoy every day to the fullest. Because, if not now, then when? When will the right time come?
Carpe diem!
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Stacy Reply:
September 18th, 2011 at 4:54 pm
So true, Kristina!!
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Thanks for sharing this, Stacy.
Let the past go, prepare ourselves now, to welcome our future.
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Stacy Reply:
September 22nd, 2011 at 5:31 pm
That’s right!
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Hi Stacy, I have missed you.
I absolutely agree with you. We can’t change the past, nor control the future but we can control or change how we choose to look at things. Big lesson and sometimes it takes work. It is a choice though and that’s the bottom line.
I have missed you.
Talk soon.
Jayne
PS: I wrote on this (similar in any event)last week. I selected it for the visible link.
Jayne Kopp invites you to read… The Power of Choice to Make Changes for the Better
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Stacy Reply:
September 22nd, 2011 at 5:32 pm
Hi Jayne,
I have missed you too!
It’s great to see your smiling face again! We must chat soon!
Stacy
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Hello Stacy. What I took from this is that if you had setbacks in business esp. You should put those behind you, start fresh and set new goals. Go forward positively and don’t look back!
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Stacy Reply:
September 22nd, 2011 at 5:33 pm
Hi Ivin,
Thank you for sharing your insights! We really can start fresh when we make the deicision to!
Stacy
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Hi Stacy,
My first comment on your blog:)
Wonderful topic. The funny thing is that we live in the now moment.. everything is now. Past and future are illusions created by our minds.. some adjustments for this relative world. For example, when we look for a star.. it exists for real, now, but we perceive the past reflection of that star (the light travels millions of years to reach the Earth).
I became fascinated about this topic when I read the books of Eckhart Tolle or Neale Donald Walsch
So, it’s time to eliminate the mental illusion and live only in the now..Life is much coloured,meaningful and intense when you’re fully present.
“Though if you create an attitude of abundance, then abundance will find you.” I love this sentence. Totally agree. See the “now” as an opportunity to acknowledge the abundance and you shall experience it soon. It’s law
Thanks for sharing your insights,
~Radu
Radu invites you to read… 4 tips to cultivate meaningful business relationships
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Stacy Reply:
September 22nd, 2011 at 5:35 pm
Hi Radu,
Welcome to my blog! I have read parts of that book too and I’m sure that was part of my inspiration as that book really does get you thinking about how all you have being the here and now.
Thank you for sharing!
Stacy
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Some person who are very sticky with the past and do not forget uneven incidents of past become psychological patient.For mental as well as physical health it is necessary to forget uneven events of past.
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Stacy Reply:
September 22nd, 2011 at 5:35 pm
Yes, it can really affect our mental state and let it go too far if we let it.
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Stacy you are so right! Love the article! Sally
Sally Brown invites you to read… ‘The Help’ – A Movie Review
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Stacy Reply:
September 22nd, 2011 at 5:35 pm
Thank you, Sally!
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Stacy,
lovely post – choose your thoughts, and let your actions and emotions follow… truly the recipe for success!
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Stacy Reply:
September 22nd, 2011 at 5:36 pm
Thank you, Natalie! Yes it is a recipe for success!
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Agree with you we cannot change the past but we can impact our future.
It’s for instance essential that we try to make things happen our way and not just wait for “someone to knock on our door”. Having said that compromising is often essential since mutual benefit is preferable. So maybe we should aim high in order to reach the best possible compromise?:-)
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Stacy Reply:
September 22nd, 2011 at 5:37 pm
Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts, Catarina. Great points, we really should make the effort ourselves instaed of waiting for someone else.
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Hi Stacy,
I don’t have the slightest idea why anyone would want to focus on making the same mistakes they made in the past. Looking at the past only seems useful to remember things that worked, or happy memories. Maybe that’s the way the mind works, so that you don’t keep burning your hand on a hot stove. But your thinking should be dominated by all the other thoughts of what you do to prepare a great meal. That doesn’t mean I’m telling you to “Get in the kitchen”, (some of my daughter’s friends seem to have that attitude), but the analogy carries over to success in other ways, I think.
Lou
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Stacy Reply:
September 22nd, 2011 at 5:38 pm
Lou, That is a great point! Thank you for sharing your insights!
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Focusing TOO much on the past or future is bad, you’re right, but it’s definitely important to keep them in mind! I try to remember the past, be mindful of the future, but keep the majority of my life in the present because that’s what really matters most.
~Rosie
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Stacy Reply:
September 22nd, 2011 at 5:41 pm
Rosie,
That’s very true, we can’t completely ignore the past or the future. We can definitely learn from the past and enjoy good memories. Knowing that the future is coming can be a good motivator. As I like to say, we really do need balance in all areas of life!
Stacy
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Now this is something to really remember. A lot of times people are so engrossed with their future plans and past mistakes, and they dwell on those things so badly that they forget to make the most out of “right now”. Kind of a bad habit that we all need to break.
Easther Sudharta
Easther Sudharta invites you to read… How Important is Blog Ranking?
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Stacy Reply:
September 24th, 2011 at 7:23 pm
That is very true!
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I’m okay with leaving the past in the past without dwelling, but I do tend to think a little too much about the future – overanalyzing, you know? Gotta work on that!!
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Stacy Reply:
September 24th, 2011 at 7:44 pm
I think we all need to work on it from time to time!
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You’re so right ! We can’t change our past or future but we can help to shape it by the choices that we make now..!!
Love the article. great work!
Dev
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Stacy Reply:
September 26th, 2011 at 4:39 pm
Thank you, Dev! Great to see you again!
Stacy
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Brilliantly said Stacy …
- nothing to do with past… you cannot change it, worthless to think about
- Future is unpredictable… you have no control on what is going to happen next… it’s you actions now decide will it be good or it will be a nightmare for you..
- Present is present here … you can make it happen thing now, the thing which you haven’t done yet… act now and your past will be forgotten and future will be sweet….
excellent post… really liked it…
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Stacy Reply:
September 26th, 2011 at 4:40 pm
Thank you very much! The present is the only thing that we can do anything with because of those exact reasons!
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Hi Stacy,
I always love coming to your blog…your posts are always so inspiring. I live by choice…I can choose to embrace what’s in my life, be grateful for it, and celebrate where I am right now, or I can live in the past with frustration or the future with worry. When I catch myself going into the negative places, I always try to do something that makes me appreciate where I am now.
Great post!
Heather
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Stacy Reply:
September 26th, 2011 at 4:43 pm
Hi Heather,
Great to see you here again! Gratitude is a great way to focus on the present!
Thanks for sharing!
Stacy
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Hi Stacy,
What about right now inspires me? Great question!
I would have to say that it is all that I have overcome in my past, to get to this point I am at today. Right now, I wake up everyday with a positive outlook on that day and I can definitely say that it was not always this way for me. In fact it was probably the exact opposite. Also knowing that my future will only get better is the complete opposite of what I used to think, just one year ago.
Thanks for sharing Stacy and have a great day!
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Stacy Reply:
September 26th, 2011 at 4:50 pm
Hi Ian,
Thank you for sharing your inspiration! It sounds like you have been on the right side of the slight edge for a year! Great job!
Stacy
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Great post! Inspirational. But what if you are on the on the other side? What if all you see this moment? I am so great at suppressing that I have suppressed my past and my future. I can’t remember the past and there is not much that I can look forward to in the future… I am not saying this out of a state of depression but frustration, I’d like things remember and look forward to. Any thoughts?
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This post is so great, I think that so many people (myself included) live in the past or focus too much on the future. I love thinking of “Carpe Diem” whenever I feel like I’m not living in the moment enough.
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Great article.It doesn’t matter if our past is bad or good.The most important is we’re moving forward with a good insights.
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