I recently had a friend say she didn’t want to plan for a particular future event (a guy who was interested in her wanted to take her on a date) because she was practicing “being in the present”. I have heard that in the past as well (ironic, I know), and I think sometimes we hear a catch phrase and don’t investigate the meaning behind it.
So, how do you stay in the present and plan for the future? Here’s the key: How do you feel *right now* about an event that will take place in the future?
I asked my friend how she felt in *that moment* about the guy asking her on a date. She thought it sounded fun. Well, then! Plan *now* to go on the date in the future, making you feel good in the present! It’s that instant gut feeling that you have before all the other thoughts, anticipation, or “what-ifs” begin. It’s the gut feeling you have before you perceive your wardrobe to be insufficient or you need to get up early the morning after.
Being in the present is about, you guessed it, being in the present, listening to your emotions in the blink of an eye. Being in the present has to do with how you’re feeling *now* when asked about a date in the future. There’s a reason you feel good or bad about a future event. You’re tapping into Source wisdom about your Path. Base your future plans on how you’re feeling about them now, and you’re still “living in the present.”
Be present while planning future events, filling out calendars, making resolutions, and goal planning! The next time you have to fill in your calendar, see how you feel about what you’re planning, and be present during the planning process. If it is a responsibility you’re not looking forward to like taxes or laundry, visualize the next good place. How you will feel when the task is complete? That will make you feel good *now*.
The biggest downfall of not staying in the present is worry. Worry causes negative feelings and thoughts that do nothing more than bathe your entire system with adrenaline and cortisol — stress hormones that age your body and have been linked to disease.
Parents worry when a child doesn’t show up when they’re supposed to (of course, they’re always “dead in a ditch somewhere”. If that were true every time someone thought it, ditches would be filled with bodies.). The “what-ifs” start popping into your head, and you flip-flop from past to future. This is when it’s important to stay in the present. Tune in. Become aware of your breath, the room, how you’re sitting, maybe some artwork you haven’t paid much attention to lately.
Trust the Universe, and that we’re in the right place in the right time for a reason. Being in the present means feeling good *now*.
