Live Stress Free in the Power of Now

Have you noticed how caught up we are about our future plans? High school students are anxious about what they’ll do when they graduate and college students often are consumed worrying about what their next steps will be after college. The prevalent pattern for all of us regardless of age is to be focused on preparing for the future, tomorrow, next year, retirement and on and on. We are as much preoccupied with the future as we are with the past.

There is a whole lot of programming out there about future planning. We learn to set our goals and to plan the steps. We learn to visualize and see the end result. What is often forgotten in this process is that we can’t see the bigger picture at all times. In fact the human mind/brain system can only discern a small portion of all that is available. It’s that 80/20 rule where we are conscious of only 20% of what is.

No matter how much planning we’ve done we can’t get too attached to our plans because there may be steps we couldn’t see that will take us far beyond the outcome we had envisioned.

We also need to remember that it is not our job to determine all of the “how’s” that are necessary to achieve our goals. Trying to figure out everything about how our plans will manifest creates serious stress. We can get so lost in our thoughts that we can’t figure anything out and we lose our way.

The best plan for the future is to engage in the present moment. Our brilliance truly exists only in the moment. When we let go and know that our innate wisdom always looks out for our very best interests, has the bigger picture, knows all the resources we need, and is always streamlining the process we can relax and enjoy the ride. We can expect short cuts and surprising turns that take us to a future that is much more than we had imagined.

Lynne is currently supplementing her income with part time substitute teaching. When she gets a nudge that she should be available for subbing, she looks online to see what is available and then signs in. In the classroom she can enjoy a prep time without worrying about other commitments, knowing she is right where she needs to be.

When Vivian spends a day away from work at a conference, she is able to stay fully present without making phone calls or checking messages, knowing she is just where she needs to be. In the present moment we are all just where we need to be.

There are tricks to mastering this process. The only real moment is this moment. Anytime our focus shifts to the past or to the future we have left real time. We have lost the power of now. There is a tendency when looking at the past to remember difficult times and then to project more of the same into the future. This is a prescription for stress.

While practicing staying focused in the now, being vigilant about keeping our attention on this moment, we have discovered many benefits. We stay relaxed instead of moving into urgency. We get to enjoy each moment for its gifts. We trust that each moment will bring with it the knowing of what is most important to attend to.

The more we practice being present, the less we identify with the outer trappings of our lives. We then identify more with the true presence of ourselves. This is the greatest gift we can give ourselves; this is the greatest gift we can give the world.