All we have is the present

How many times have we heard it said, read, felt, known and understood that all we really have is the present?

Think about it. Where are you as you’re reading this? Look around the room or space that you are occupying. Look at your hands and feet. Your body is in the present. Your mind, however, is a different enchilada altogether. Are you focused on reading these words or are you simultaneously thinking of an incident from your past or about something that could happen in the future?

All we really have is the present

I usually feel taken aback when someone that I know and care about dies. One of the first thoughts that courses through my head is, “that was their life. They came, they saw, they conquered”. What did the whole make-up of their being mean to this world, their family and friends? Right now, today, how has this person’s life affected my life?

I think about people I know who work in high-paced jobs that have them going into the office at 7:30am and leaving at 7:30pm many days. A co-worker shared (news of) the demise of a friend of hers who worked for a large manufacturer. This person was in their 30’s, single and working many hours per week. She had suffered from health problems such as hyper-tension and a stroke when she finally succumbed to a heart attack. As far as my co-worker knew this friend of hers was not thrilled about the work she was doing, but she had a strong drive to try to keep up with the pace that was being set before her by her superiors and to accumulate money so that “someday” she could take one of the special trips she was always talking about. This person’s death caused me to pause and look around at my life to see where I was not paying attention to the present because I was too focused on the future.

A good friend has taught me the value of acknowledging other living human beings. Many is the time that I get into an elevator with another person and instead of staring straight ahead in a stupor while waiting for the elevator to reach my floor, I think “what would Patti do?” and I know that she would look over at the other person (and if they didn’t seem like an ax-murderer) she would acknowledge them with a “good day out there” or “love the color of your dress” or “wow looks like a lot of work there that you’re holding”. Most of the time when I do acknowledge the person, they seem pleased to have someone notice them.

It is heartening for me to realize that simple actions such as acknowledging a stranger in the elevator, enjoying the sun on my face on a warm autumn day, or listening to the stories on NPR as I piddle around in the kitchen, these moments are the “present” moments that make up our lives.

Do I still feel conflicted with wanting things in the present that I don’t have? You bet. Do I sometimes look wistfully back at my past and wonder how things would have turned out “if only” I had made different choices? Yes I do. Yet I also know that when I am willing to sit in the present and “be”, my chances for experiencing the peace of gratitude are much greater.

As I get older I am coming to realize that some of the fantasies that I used to dream about to get me out of the present moment because it was too uncomfortable or boring to feel, may not come true. And more and more I am learning to look around at what “is” in my life to acknowledge the moments that I do have, where I have chosen to put myself today as a result of a sequence of nows. This is the reality of who I am. I’m pleased to say that most of the places that I look in my life, feel pretty good.

All we really have is now. Look around and take a breath. Acknowledge your present and let it tell you who you are and the choices that you are making. What actions would you continue to take now and what new actions may you decide to take now that you are aware?

Coach Lynn Kindler offers Professional Life Coaching for individuals and groups wanting to actively engage in conscious choices for their lives and work. She is a graduate of Coach University, an Associate Certified Coach through the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and has obtained certification from SUN (Success Unlimited Network™). Lynn is also a member of ICF. Lynn is currently pursuing her credentialing for the next level of certification through ICF (PCC-Professional Certified Coach and MCC-Master Certified Coach).

Her forte is helping clients discover their life purpose so that they can live their lives “on purpose.” She also coaches high profile people who want to define a successful life in their own terms. Coach Lynn leads self-care retreats in the state of Texas that combine Spiritual growth along with Career and Personal Success.