Choose Your Power Now
by Machen P. MacDonald, CPPC, CSSC
Look at the letters N O W H E R E
What do you see? Where was your focus? Was it between the NO and the WHERE or was it between the NOW and the HERE? Same 7 letters and yet two totally different meanings depending on your focus. No Where vs. Now Here.
We can't always choose our circumstances but we do have the power to ALWAYS choose a healthy perspective from which to focus. Success and happiness are all about focusing your focus.
I submit to you that your power is in the Now Here. You give up your power in the No Where. Just as you can change your focus from the left of the W to the right of the W and experience a totally different meaning, you can do the same with events in your life.
Here's what I mean: When we feel out of control, not understood or unmotivated it is because we are either regretting the past or worrying about the future. Our focus is not on the now. It is elsewhere. When we are feeling courageous, confident, happy or successful it is because our focus is on the present and we are living in the moment. Many refer to this as being in the "zone" or in "flow".
Be careful of what you believe to be real. Often times people will tell me that an event that happened to them last week, last month or 10 years ago is real and that it is affecting them now. Yes, the event really happened and it is no longer real. The memory is what is keeping it real in their mind and affecting them. Like most people your memory may not be as accurate as you may like. Studies show that we accurately recall only about 30% of an event that we experience. Is 30% a "real" representation? Of course not. Don't get suckered into thinking the past is real. It is not. The only thing that is real is NOW. The future hasn't happened yet. So whatever you may be fearing or worrying about you are simply making it up. If you are going to make something up, whether in the past or the future, make something up that is empowering and supportive.
If one of your desired outcomes during this game called life is to be happy, then what is your strategy to stay present in the moment and be happy? Here are 7 ideas to keep you on track:
- Quiet your mind - meditate, pray, walk in nature, relax on a beach or listen to tranquil music
- Count your blessings - this will focus your mind to the positives in your life
- Write and keep a journal - writing keeps your heart and mind focused in the moment
- Adjust your environment - remove the clutter and distractions to reveal the peace that exists
- Stop tolerating what drains you - Are you willing to take the risk of saying "No more"?
- Set goals - gain clarity of what you want for yourself
- Choose a different perspective - there are often two sides to the same coin, if not more
What else can you do to allow your focus to be on the Now Here and live happily in the present?
Notice your state of mind when you are focusing on Now Here.
Remember, Success is a state of mind not a state of affairs as is happiness.
By Machen P. MacDonald, CPPC, CSSC
Coachmach@yahoo.com
