“The only thing that is constant is change” is a famous quote by the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus. Life is always changing and evolving. Something is beginning and something is ending. A goal is reached, and a new goal is set. As humans, we often find ourselves focused on the past or longing for the future. It takes work to stay in the present moment. I wrote about this in an earlier post-it’s hard to stay in the present when your present is not so pleasant. One of the most unpleasant places to focus is on the past. Ruminating over all our mistakes, used-to-be’s, losses, things we could have done differently.
When we stay in the present, we can fully focus our attention on what is and make better choices about things to come. I love the analogy of the door closing and the door opening.
How do you feel when something you really wanted didn’t work out? The door is closed and that can be tough to swallow. How do we shift our focus from the door that is closed to the one that is opening? Staying in the present and looking toward the door that is opening is key to reaching goals successfully and staying grateful.
Throughout my life, I have found myself always wanting to do something bigger, different, more challenging. I never really felt like “I made it.” I wanted to be somewhere different-now. Not tomorrow or a week from now-just now. What I realized is that even when I made it to the next new thing, I still felt the same. Wherever you go, there you are. Doors closed- relationships ended, new ones began. I moved, I switched jobs, and yet I always felt the same. It was so hard to stay in the present, and not wonder what I was missing.
What’s the lesson? Things don’t work out for a reason. I know that’s cliché. However, if we really concentrate on the present moment, we will find many blessings and miracles. Staying in the present moment helps us to find peace with wherever we are in life. We can stay in the present moment and look towards to the future without feeling like we want or need to be there now. It’s a practice in mindfulness. It’s having hope for the future, and a grounding in the present.
