Goals. Goals. Goals. From as long as I can remember, goal setting has been promoted, exalted and driven into my core system. So much so, that I became obsessed with setting them and lived in the future. On the contrary, memories, memories, memories. Those experiences, moments, and occasions in life that I couldn’t seem to detach from, which had me very much living in the past.
A combination of both goals and memories for me, spelled disaster.
If you are anything like me, you look back on past experiences, usually the negative ones and set your goals and desires on the opposite, hoping and wishing never to experience them again. You live life trying to be in control, trying to be careful and trying to protect yourself from harm. These are some of the signs of living in both the past and future at the same time. Sometimes good experiences of the past can even put unneeded pressures on us as we try to relive the glory days. In 2016 I began to view life very differently and tried to stay as present as possible. This didn’t mean that I stopped setting goals, or stopped thinking about past memories. Instead it was a motive shift and a constant conscious awareness of right now. I had to surrender to the reality that the past doesn’t exist, the future doesn’t exist and the only time that I can make anything significant happen in my life is right now. This way of life helped me to trust in God more, be alert in the moment to opportunities, allowed me to deliberately separate each day, and have daily appreciation for all that I experience. It meant that my days didn’t fly by without me truly getting each days blessings. It meant that I was in control of my time and all that is here right now, and not basing my actions off the unknown future or the extinct past. I purchased a watch to remind me that time is a mindset and it forced me to stay productive all of the time.
This changed everything.
My actions were no longer motivated by fear, worry or time pressures, rather my motvation came from the realisation that;
‘The only time that exists is now’
It’s time for you to steal time back and appreciate each moment like it’s your last, because in reality, it really is. Make that phone call, wear that special occasions only dress, open that limited edition bottle of wine, tell your partner you love them, and play with your child as if you were a child again. You have everything to gain, and it’s not worth giving up your now for two timezones that serve you no purpose and essentially do not exist.
Live in the moment, make the moment great and you will never turn back.
This is not how your story ends;
Written By Steve Whyte
Originally published at medium.com