To truly enjoy and appreciate life, living in the present moment is critical. Dwelling on the past is one way to waste the present moment. Another way is to put all your attention into the future. The future is something that may never happen. It is impossible to predict. Plans can be made, however, when it comes time for action, you are in the “Now."
How often do we put off tomorrow, actions and decisions that would do us good to take care of today? Many of us suffer from procrastination. This practice keeps important activities from being done and leaves a large amount of our attention and energy tied up in stress, worry and anticipation of the future. When you decide to take care of something you have been putting off, you liberate yourself from the hold that the unfinished event had over you.
Many times we feel justified in delaying our actions because something else needs to happen before we can act. Sometimes, there is an issue of timing involved but more often than not, by adjusting our focus to the proper activity for the present moment, we can continue to move towards the outcome we desire without
procrastinating or putting off living in the present moment.
The danger in waiting for a future event to happen before you enjoy today is that you put off living life today as you wait for something that may never happen. How often do you say, “I’ll be happy when…” or “I’ll start taking care of myself after…”?
Even if we are sure that something is going to occur in the future, we may waste away our present as we wait for the event to happen. Wishing away time as we wait for holidays, big events or even retirement puts living on hold. We actually develop an obsession with time. There is either not enough time or too much. Our hang up on time may keep us from starting anything because we feel that we need to wait for more time to come along. Or there is too much time in the way of an awaited event and we want it to go by faster.
Being stuck in the future and hung up on time creates a very special type of stress and tension pattern in the spinal cord. It focuses in the upper neck at the first cervical vertebrae. In Network Spinal Analysis (NSA) we refer to it as Phase Two—C1.
When we make contacts to help you address this tension pattern, you release tension from your neck and become more present in your body. The awareness that develops makes you more present and focused on what you can do now. You become the one who decides what to do with your moment as it occurs rather than feeling like you are at the mercy of time.
The only thing that really exists is the present moment. When you waste it, it is gone forever. When you are truly in the present moment, you can learn from the past and make plans for the future but all life takes place in the present. By making sure you appreciate the present and you will find more enjoyment and fulfillment in your life.
