It is difficult to live in the present, ridiculous to live in the future and impossible to live in the past. Jim Bishop
With the pace of change and the fast pace of life, living a balanced life is a challenge for each one of us. While the poor have to worry about their daily bread, the filth rich have worries about maintaining their fame, wealth and relationships. The difficulty of modern living is not just one of managing the hurly burly of life but even more difficult is maintaining a balance within ourselves so that we are neither swayed by success nor despondent when we fail. Quite often our problem is one of choices. We are spoilt for choices be it entertainment, spirituality, food, clothing or shelter. We even have a choice of death; being a martyr for a cause, a gangster falling to the bullets of the cops, a junkie dying through substance abuse, an innocent victim of a hit and run or accident or being prey to disease and illness. While today poses tough options, we are prone to seek refuge in the memories of the past or the hopes of the future and that is when today morphs into day dreams or nostalgia; both of which give us pseudo pleasure and an escape from reality.
If we seek refuge in the ‘ good old days’, we are prone to be selective in our thinking conveniently blanking out the tough phases, the difficult times and the varied pains one has been through. We gloat on the euphoria of success, the pleasures of simplicity as compared to today and the relatively slow and beautiful pace of life then. What is then left is wonderful memories that span a life time but alas like a lovely movie briefly flashes before us the scenes of wonder which have long gone past and can never be caught again. We might pine for it, seek refuge in its memory and hope to relive those days; alas it is craving for the impossible.
Most of us indulge in positive thinking, which in effect means we see the future as being even brighter, hope filled and rewarding. This will give us the strength to bear our problems today, fortify our faith in our abilities and enthuses us to look forward to the future. However the future when it arrives is nothing but the present; and lo and behold we feel inadequate to meet the rigors of the future for the problems of today are telescoped into the future when it arrives. This brings us to painful truth that while the future holds hope, it is ridiculous to live in the future for to turn dreams into reality we need to wake up, roll up our sleeves and put our nose to the grind.
Remember: The past is behind, learn from it. The future is ahead, prepare for it. The present is here, live it. Thomas S. Monson
Try these:
- List out 3 achievements from your past, 3 disappointments you faced and 3 poignant memories. Now out line 5 goals you have set for yourself. Ensure you have at least one goal for personal improvement, one career related and one for a social cause.
- Do you have a list of jobs for the day? If not stop everything and write down at least 5 things you need to do today. Also make a list of things you need to do in a months time and in the next 6 months and by the year end. Have a method to evaluate your progress and a reward for achievements too.
This post is courtesy www.actspot.com
You are also invited to visit our weekly Inspirational and Motivational Blog www.poweract.blogspot.com
