The Power of the Present

Time is an important concept to human beings... it dominates our lives. We are driven by the demands and boundaries of time, yet time is beyond our ability to control - rather, we learn to "manage" it. There is an entire industry birthed around helping us "manage" our time better. Don't get me wrong, it's an important concept. I, for one, want to make sure I use my time on this earth as effectively as I can. But I wonder if we all wouldn't find a greater measure of freedom if we thought about the concept of time differently before we attempted to "manage" it?

Time is a continuum and a constant in our world... at any given moment we will always have experienced a past, be living in the present, and be facing a future. How did that mere fact become so controlling in our lives? Think about it - we are endlessly juggling the implications of our past, the demands of our present, and our thoughts about the future. I hear so many people say "live in the moment" or "live one day at a time"... we all are familiar with those phrases and perhaps they have lost some of their impact due to simple overuse. But the truth behind these sayings is that nothing is truly REAL except for this very moment, and now the next moment, and now the next... and on and on. Unfortunately few of us think that way... somehow we've allowed our past and our future to become more dominant and real to us than the present moment. How much time do you spend truly immersed in the moment at hand versus thinking (often worrying) about what happened in the past or what may happen in your future?

Let me give the past the acknowledgment it requires - yes, we understand that our past shapes us. We should learn from it and teach those lessons to others. But is the past deserving of the power that we so willing give it? Should the past, whether it be our childhood or what happened this morning, be the lens through which we see our present? Often we don't even use the past to define our present moment; rather, we spend so little time in the present that we use our past to frame our future and spend our energies on those thoughts. The present moment has no place to exist or be enjoyed when we do this. Then comes the cycle of regret for not effectively using our present moments which have quickly become our past. The past is not real... yes, it happened, but it ceases to exist.

What about the demands of the future? As a entrepreneur coach I would never suggest that you don't think about it... in fact, I am a big believer in setting goals, intentions and planning for your future. We all must have dreams that inspire, guide and push us closer to fulfilling our destiny. Hope for our future is a powerful and important emotion. However, many people spend more time shrinking back from the fear of their future, and this is when it begins to control and take us away from the power of the present moment. No matter how obvious the concept is, it bears repeating: the future is not real. It hasn't happened yet and neither you or anyone else can predict what will occur in the future moments. How have we been so persuaded to spend so much thought time in and on our future?

Live in the present moment..it's not just a feel-good quote on a plaque. Make the most of what you can do right now. Put the past and the future in their rightful place, but stop giving them top billing in your thought life. The past and the future are not real... we truly live moment by moment, whether we want to or not. Recognize and embrace that principle in your life and walk in the freedom that it offers.

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Do You Know How Much Time You Have Left?

One day we are all going to die. I'm not trying to be negative here or a dooms-dayer but this is a simple life truth. The sad thing is that many people who think they have a lot more time may have a lot less than they know.

Do you know anyone who recently passed away and didn't see it coming? I did - several as a matter of fact, but again I don't want you to think that all I am going to do is this brief article is focus on the negative death stuff - I'm not. But I did want to get your attention on a very important topic - living life with two things in mind - your now and your eternity.

First of all - no one can answer this question cause no one knows the date and time and circumstances of their final earth moments. This has over the years, been proven to be a good thing. Think about it - if you knew exactly when your time here was finished - can you imagine how stressful life would be as you counted down the years, days and minutes?

So, in reality you really don't know how much time you have left but what you do know is that you have this moment as you are reading this article.

And if you are fortunate you have the next moment for the next thing on your to do list. And, you have your plans for this weekend or this summer or even later this year's trip to La La land. Sorry folks, you really don't have these - you just have the moment now as you read. Want me to be really negative - you don't know if you have enough time to finish this article just like I don't know if I have enough time to finish writing it.

OK Tim, I get it but what's your point? If I don't know how much time I have left, why should I waste any more valuable time reading this article so I can move on to something more important or meaningful. (Wow - that hurt! - kidding.)

My point is simply this - how are you living - like you have forever? Just now? Eternity? All three? None of them?

Now - Eternity - The present - Tomorrow - Yesterday - I could go on for pages defining or describing these simple words but in the end their meaning is very personal and unique to each of us.

Back to my point so I don't leave you totally frustrated with my writing style.

We have now - we know we do - we are present, aware, laughing, crying, thinking, listening, talking - etc.

We have yesterday - regrets, memories, stories, disappointments, mistakes, failures, achievements, successes - etc.

We don't have tomorrow, next week, next month, next year. It's that simple folks. So, let me ask you - what or how are you using what you have knowing you don't know when it will be over?

Are you spending time in - worry, stress, selfies, jealousy, disappointment, anxiety, anger, blame frustration, fear and/or regrets etc. OR are you spending it in peace, joy, growing, learning, worshiping, sharing, giving, laughing, praying and/or gratitude etc.?

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