How many times have you caught yourself either reminiscing about the good old days or feeling anxious about the future? Well, this has been the story of my life these past weeks.
You see, I found myself in this predicament after commencing the Elite Bloggers Academy course in late February. I started the course with enthusiasm. Being a goal oriented person, I even set a target for myself on when I wanted to complete this course. A month or so into the course, I realised I would not be able to meet my target. There was so much for me to do and learn and to be honest it was over whelming.
As a result of all this over whelm, I began reminiscing about the past and what life would be like if all that happened had not taken place. There are days I wish life was more certain and I knew where this journey I have embarked on would lead to. I started questioning whether what I am doing is God\’s will for me. In some cases worry set in when I thought, what if this thing does not work out the way I desire it to. You can imagine the result of all this has been nothing but stress.
Perhaps I am not the only one who finds myself in this predicament. It happens to all of us once in a while. One day you are moving on and enjoying life then suddenly changes happen and you are left in abeyance. When such times happen, one will either reminisce about the past or they will start getting anxious about the future. Maybe a few years ago everything in your life seemed certain. You had so many plans for the future but suddenly everything took a different turn and you are wondering what life is going to be like.
We all know that fulfillment in life comes when you choose to live in the moment and cherish what is before you. This of course is easier said than done. Below are two simple things I am practicing to help me deal with life\’s uncertainties and live in the present moment.
Keeping my WHY before me.
Nothing steals joy like living in the past. Indeed \”there can be no growth for today if we live in our yesterday\”. Every time we opt to live in the past or the future we are stealing from today. So much so that the scriptures even urge us not to worry about tomorrow since, \”each day has enough trouble of its own\”.
Your WHY could be your purpose or belief or the reason you find yourself in the situation you are in. Maybe you had to leave an abusive relationship. Or You had to make a decision to stick to your values and beliefs. In my case, I had to honor our choice to be together as a family so that our children would be raised by both their parents. (You can read more about that here). Given that our WHY\’s differ, it helps to keep them in front of you when the going gets tough and you begin to question your decisions.
Focusing on the reason I started the blog in the first place keeps me going. This is mostly on days when I read comments in the face book group and it seems like everyone in the EBA course is registering success except me.
Sometimes we fail to stay in the present moment because we have let ourselves focus on other people\’s WHY\’s. Someone correctly observed that \”we should not compare our beginning with another person\’s middle\”. Instead, let us learn how to put our hope in God\’s unfailing love. We should trust that he will satisfy our longings and enable us to be fulfilled.
Accepting the situation as it is.
Another strategy I am using to stay in the present moment is to accept life as it is. It is important to let things be especially if it is not within your control to make them be otherwise. During times I have found my thoughts slipping back to the past, I immediately turn the focus on what is before me and I begin to list all the good that has come out of my decisions and shift my concentration.
Worrying and wishing that things worked out in a different way only lead to stress. Agonizing about the future does not add anything to our lives, it only takes away the joy of the moment. Instead, we should learn to accept the situation as it is and trust God to make right what is wrong.
Ours is not to be anxious but prayerfully and thankfully present our requests to God. We should learn to pray for God\’s peace as we go through the situations in life that we wish would have been different.
In my case, when I embarked on blogging, I had no idea what it entailed. It is after I have done this course (which is very useful for anyone considering blogging) that I am discovering it takes much more than writing (which is the part I love). My learning curve is very steep and all I can do is put my trust in God and cast my cares to him believing he will sustain me on this journey.
Living with gratitude
As I accept the situation I find myself in, I am also learning to be thankful for what the day presents me with. When you live with gratitude, it enables you to see that you are registering some wins and should keep going with life. When you are thankful for what is before you, it is difficult to live in the past or worry about the future.
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I believe living in the present moment is a challenge for many of us. Please pray that these strategies will enable me to be a person who lets the past stay where it is and not be afraid about what tomorrow will bring.
What about you, what strategies do you use to stay in the present moment? please share in the comments section.
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Great inspiration! Thank you Rosette
Thank you Josine for this encouragement. Glad you enjoyed the post.
I needed to hear this.I have been feeling low lately.Hopefully if I put this in practice I will feel much better.
Oh Julian I hope you feel better. Glad the post was helpful. Just remember living in the present moment is a moment to moment choice. You will get there.
Thank you Rosette. This was very inspiring as usual.
In addition to trying to focus on the positives in whatever situation I find myself in – I decided I will always “just show up”. This is something my gym instructor taught our class. Whatever the situation, whatever the problem – just show up. If you feel like you really don’t want to work out – just show up at the gym anyway. Push yourself to get to the gym and the rest will take care of itself. If you feel like you have a disastrous day waiting for your at the office – just show up, then take each task, each hour, each encounter one and at time and the rest will take care of itself. I have found this strategy to be a very simple but effective one. I know what I need to do and where I need to be. I may not want to be there or do that particular thing but I just need to show up and God will handle the rest!
Oh Akusa this is so encouraging and I am going to put it to use. Just showing up each day as it’s presented to me. Some days are really tough.
Very inspiring post Rosette…. I repeat this that you are a blessed young lady full of wisdom….the post content leaves the ears, mind and eyes satisfied….
Indeed, it’s a big challenge to live within the present challenging situation/environment and even letting go the past challenges… be it with family, at work/business , at church, relationships with friends etc…
In the first place, its everyones wish to live a happy, peaceful and fully satisfied life…but all the latter can’t fall on someone without facing some challenges… we are who we are at present bcause we get purified as we move and learnt in this walk of life…Allow me to share one or two points that hold me to carry on from my past and present challenging situation/s… I do plan for the future and let God’s will be done…
1. The first thing I do is the acceptance of the past challenges and try as much to forgive myself if I ignited it….and to ask for God’s forgiveness and pray for such challenges that be-fell on me and had no control to get over them…in so doing it gives me positive energy not only in my mind but also physically….. and I find myself forgetting and moving on with positive drive in facing today’s challenge….
2. I must admit here that as I am growing I become somehow happy meeting certain challenges because at the end of the day I am taken a step higher but also strengthens and gives me stronger will to tackle and face/view life differently when I overcome…. All this I do with high wings trusting that my father who is in Heaven and on earth is intervening and going before me… this trust leave me with inexplicable peace and positivity….
One thing I realise is that everything happens for a reason/purpose in life, be it good or bad… and it’s for this fact that I have leant to accept quickly on my present challenges, invite God’s intervention… and positively move on… I do not allow disappointments to suppress my success behind it… rather I take it as a stepping stone to someting better after the lessons leant….I also feel that if something doesn’t work, then it only means that it wasn’t meant for me or else its not time for it, therefore I hold it aside and diversification comes into play….
Let’s continue to pray for God’s wisdom in this walk of life to making right choices and proper decisions….
Once again thanks Rosette for sharing all the inspiring posts… may God continue blessing you so that more can also be blessed through you…..
Thank you Grace for sharing these very insightful tips with us. Indeed everything does happen for a reason and God’s timing is always the best.
Thanks Rosette – this spoke to me. I referred back to a quote by Dr. Suess that my older son Nathan wrote down last year – it says, “sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory” which together with your message underscores the importance of “treasuring the present”. My strategy of trying to live one day at a time is to practice “letting go and letting God” – I call to mind how far God has brought me and the family and I know that the same God will carry me through whather I am facing. December 2016 through to April 2017 have been for me and the family a case of day-by-day trusting God and He always has come through even beyond our expectations. Lets us keep our eyes fixed on Him as he doesn’t call us for what we cannot handle – 1 Corinthians 10:13.
Oh Jennifer this is so inspiring. Thank you for sharing. I will keep in mind that quote that Nathan uses indeed we should treasure the moments and when they become memories we should cherish them.