Learn to Live in Actuality
Many of us have mastered the neurotic art of spending much of our lives worrying about a variety of things—all at one. We allow past problems and future concerns to dominate our present moments, so much so that we end up anxious, frustrated, depressed, and hope less. On the flip side, we also postpone our gratification, ourselves that “somebody” will be better than today. Unfortunately, the same mental dynamics that tell to look towards the future will only repeat themselves so that “someday” never actually arrives. John Lennon one said, “Life is what’s happening while we’re busy growing up, the people we love are moving away and dying, our bodies are getting out of shape, and our dreams are slipping away. In short, we miss out on life.
Many people live as if life were a dress rehearsal for some later date. It isn’t. In fact, no one has a guarantee that he or she will be here tomorrow. Now is the only time we have, and the only time that we have any control over. When our attention is in the present moment, we push fear from our minds. Fear is the concern over events that might happen in the future—we won’t have enough money, our children will get into trouble, we will get old and die, whatever.
To combat fear, the best strategy is to learn to bring your attention back to the terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened. “I don’t think I can say it any better. Practice keeping your attention on the here and now. Your efforts will pay great dividends.