Things seem pretty rough sometimes.
How dare I suggest that you can find everyday joy? How DARE I suggest that you should be happy with all the suffering and injustice around? I must be one very calloused and selfish person to not be alarmed at all the imbalance in the world today.
How worried do you need to be?
Like most people, I want to help make the world a better place. Like most people, I wish to see more agreement (and action) to address global over-population, climate issues, war, poverty, discrimination of all kinds, the pandemic, etc.
But I ask you., how worried do you have to be to make a positive impact on any of these issues?
No matter how bad your life can get, you can always step back and notice the Present Moment. Here, in this Present Moment, is your chance to make a change. The opportunity is always there. Always. You are here and surviving in the Present Moment. You survived yesterday. History suggests you will pull through today and hints you will pull through tomorrow. Therein lies the power of the Present Moment.
In the Present Moment, you have the power to make changes so the tomorrow of your fears never happens.
Your fears of tomorrow are those of a tomorrow that –as yet- doesn’t exist. (Ever drive by a bar that has a sign that says, “free beer tomorrow”? Makes you think!) In the Present Moment, you have the power to make changes so the tomorrow of your fears never happens. It is said that 85% of all the things we worry about never manifest. This is certainly true in my life.
Lately the pressure seems almost unbearable. A brief look at the headlines gives one plenty fodder for worry to last weeks. The physiological, mental, and emotional stress from this invariably takes its toll. Our energy is diminished. Life seems harder still. Our lives begin to spiral downward, we scramble just to keep going.
When you are not healthy, by GRAND DESIGN your body’s energy will turn inward to restore the body system back to a state of healthy balance. Once that state is achieved, this energy is released outward in a positive way – and can be directed toward better family relations, community activities, and ultimately, making the entire world a better place.
Selfcare is essential if you want to be a part of the solution.
The better you take care of yourself, the more energy you will have to release outward, and it is always positive in nature. When you are feeling good, you smile more. You open the door for someone. You play a game or make cookies with your kids. You offer to volunteer at the local church or community center. You have good vibes to share.
When you are filled with angst and fear – even legitimate – it kills this energy that you could be using to help your family, neighbor, and/or your favorite global cause.
It KILLS it.
The Power of Pause
A wonderfully effective way to change the future in the Present Moment is the power found in pressing the ‘Pause’ button. When you are feeling angst, anger, resistance, upset, etc., pause and breathe. This ‘Pause’ gives the Universe the time to introduce insights – a way to see the situation that you were unable to see on your own, or perhaps even – a solution you were unable to conceive. Another way many of us do this instinctively is to stop and pray and ask God to help us see things that we – in our current state of upset – cannot.
The secret is the self-talk.
No one else can get into your own head and replace the bad, untrue statements with empowering, truthful ones. No one else can stop them. You must exercise your awareness muscle and start to notice them yourself, then consciously, deliberately, replace them with a more positive option. Meditation is a great tool for calming the mind and allowing insights you were not previously able to conceive. If all else fails, take a nap.
“Whenever fear, worry, or unhelpful images parade through your wandering mind, DOUBT THEM! Don’t think you have to vanquish or overpower them, just doubt them. Instead of doubting that you will succeed, doubt that you will fail.” -David Costi
Author/Speaker Wendy Lyn Phillips recommends the following:
REFUND: Exchange lies that you have bought
REMIND: Remind yourself of your value, regardless of what others tell you. (Your body is a temple, so take care of it! So often we don’t value what we have until it is gone.)
REPEAT: Affirmations. Write them down, repeat daily out loud with emotion.
REWIND the negative, evil voices in your head as to why you won’t achieve something, or aren’t good enough, etc.
RESTART over. We’ve all had lots of start-overs. Why not one more? I heard a speaker at a business conference say recently “I have made over a billion dollars…and 3 billion dollars in mistakes.” (Kelly Fidel, “Sales that Scale” webinar, July 21, 2022.)
You can use the power of the Present Moment to change your tomorrow.
You CAN use the power of the Present Moment to change your tomorrow.
You can.
Choose it. Play with it. Find your everyday joy in the fun of it!