What Are You Doing in The Present That You Will Regret Tomorrow?
13th December 2021
The Present is an article written to help us look into our present lives and see what it means to be in the present moment, how to be there, why we have to be there, and the importance of being in the present. In it, you will learn a technique that will help you overcome deep fears and reduce stress levels significantly.
WHAT IS THE PRESENT?
The present means the here and now. It means living for the here and now, not reflecting on the past, or looking into the future. It means focusing on the current events, people, places, and things. For example, what are you doing now? Then focus on that for a while.
It’s not about what you did or what you will do. Rather, it is about what you are doing, right now.
The present is not only about doing things but about thoughts and words, too.
What are you thinking about right now? What are you saying to yourself or to others or things right now?
This is what I meant by the present. It means living for the now, not for the past, nor for the future. This doesn’t mean your past is not important. It means your focus at the moment is about the present.
Related: Life Coaching Ultimate Guide
You might already know that thoughts, words, and actions are very important parts of you. These also have their past, present, and future.
But in this article, we are focusing on the present thoughts, words, and actions.
It might be a bit of a struggle to focus on the present at first, but as you keep practicing, you will realize that you can do it with ease, each time you try.
HOW TO BE IN THE PRESENT?
Now, with the fact that we are always tempted to think of the past or the future instead of thinking about the present, how then can we focus on the here and now?
There are some ways and techniques to do just that. These techniques differ from one person to the other. The way I do it is what I am going to share with you here, and I will be more than willing to hear from you at the end of the article below.
Being in the here and now is what we choose to do, intentionally since we naturally love to think of our past in most cases.
Sometimes, it is very rare to look into the unknown future. Some people simply live in the past, each and every day of their lives.
Look, the stories we tell are all in the past. Even today is already yesterday in the progress, right?
The present is always unseen until it passed, and I think this is one of the reasons why we always regret our past.
If we give enough time to the present as we should, we might be able to make the right decisions at the moment, and that means fewer regrets for tomorrow and the days to come after. This also tells us more about the urgency of focusing on the here and now more and more so that we avoid regrets.
Again, this might happen automatically, in order for us to focus on the here and now. But I always initiate the thinking about the present, myself. I choose to do so, and I think this is the first technique if there are other better techniques at all. I do this by going into a quiet place such as a nearby bush or forest. And as I walk around, I try to focus on what I see at the present moment.
Sometimes, when in Nairobi, I go into my own room and think of the here and now. I can do this by having a look at myself in a mirror, or by looking at the city through a window, and then think of the current houses, birds, people, and animals that I am seeing. In this way, I live in the present. My thoughts, words, and actions are focused on the here and now.
However, this doesn’t stop the mind from roaming and wandering into the past, present, and then into the future.
Whenever I look at the buildings in Nairobi, I always ask myself, “How long will it take Juba to be like this?” and this question is no longer in the present because my mind has actually gone back to my national capital at the time.
Even as I wrote this, my mind was not always in the present. Our human minds are such complex spiritual entities that seem to exist in multiple places at the moment.
Now, does this mean it is impossible for us to think of the here and now? The answer is yes and no.
It is possible to stay in the present, but you only do this intentionally even though you may find yourself going back and forth into your past and then into the future, and then back to the present. We can do this by focusing on ourselves, other humans, other things, events, and the current places that we are in.
WHY TO BE IN THE PRESENT?
What is the reason for us to be in the here and now? The reason is to escape the bad past and everything in it. This means we are trying to focus on something we don’t yet have bad memories about, the present.
Also, the present is not the past because we can at least try to do something about it right now, right here, to prevent being sorry about it or regretting it in the future.
However, focusing just on the here and now is not helpful in itself unless we trust and rely on someone who holds the past, present, and the future, and this person is God.
It doesn’t matter whether we believe in God or not. God is still in control, and this is the harsh reality of life. We don’t have to look to ourselves but to God who is holding even our present lives. God is indeed in charge of our lives.
Doing our part in the here and now, and asking God to help us do our best, are the best ways to stay focused on the here and now, with a purpose.
This purpose is in the fact that we live because there is a reason to live.
Whenever humans give up on the here and now, life for tomorrow is but hopeless. This means our hope and trust is in the Lord.
We don’t trust and rely on God so that we please Him to protect us. Rather, we do this because it is part of us. We know that He designed our lives and that He understands us better than we do, or much better than other humans do.
And this means that even the present life is in God’s hands. We don’t know what will happen in the next minute, do we?
WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING IN THE PRESENT?
Is it important to think of the here and now? I think it is important to think about the present because it helps us focus on what is important for now.
Trying to focus on more than one thing at the same time is not healthy and it’s not recommended even though our minds still roam whether we like it or not.
This is why it is important for us to try to focus our attention on the most important thing, the now.
Being in the present means better understanding ourselves, individually. It gives us a chance to look into ourselves from the here and now perspective, not that of the past or the still yet to be known future.
Therefore, thinking about the here and now is so important in many other ways that I may not be able to mention in this article, but let me hear what you think about it in the comments below.
As we focus on our present state, we can see how far we have come, and how far we still have to go, even though we simply have no clue about what will happen to us in the next minute.
This kind of habit gives us confidence that we are still here and ready to improve our lives as much as we can so that we reduce future regrets.
Thinking about the here and now helps us appreciate ourselves. It helps us appreciate others in our lives at the moment. It helps us to be thankful for what we have at the moment. It helps us become content with our current abilities, identities, and even possessions.
We then appreciate the place we are at, and the things in it that we can have access to at the moment, here and now.
FINAL WORDS
What do you see in your present moment? It can be what you see with your optical eyes. It can also be what you see with your mental eyes. What do you have access to right now? It can be a thing or a place. It can be a thought or something physical.
Who do you see right now? It can be someone you don’t even know. It can be a friend, a colleague, or a biological relative.
As you look at whatever you have access to at the moment, try to think of the here and now for a moment.
When you think about the here and now, try to be thankful to God for whatever is right there for you, good or evil. If you are in danger, ask God to take you out of it.
You might be in a deadly relationship, and you must come out of it, now. I trust God will listen to your prayers if it is according to His perfect will for you. He did to me when I was in dangerous places at a time.
God took me out of those places miraculously. He can do the same for you if you ask Him with the knowledge and trust that He will do something.
I hope The Present as an article has been helpful to you, personally. If so, would you please like to share your views about it in the comment section below?
I will deeply appreciate your thoughts and this will make me improve either this article or other articles after.
I wish you and your loved ones well during and after the global pandemic.
Shalom!
FURTHER READINGS
- Present or here and now—Wikipedia.
- What is the present moment?—Mind and Soul.
- 10 Tips to Start Living in the Present Moment—Becoming minimalist.
