In her book,
”
Excuse Me, Your Life is Waiting: The Astonishing Power of
Feelings,
”
author Lynn Grabhorn writes that people somehow attract
everything that happens to them. She concludes that hard work,
circumstance or visualization don’t matter as much as
– emotion.
In her book, “Excuse Me, Your Life is Waiting: The Astonishing Power of Feelings,” author Lynn Grabhorn writes that people somehow attract everything that happens to them. She concludes that hard work, circumstance or visualization don’t matter as much as – emotion. She examines why “the majority of us have lived with all-too-empty bank accounts, tough relationships, failing health and often spiritually unfulfilling lives.”
According to Grabhorn, the law of attraction works in the present, not the future. One way to tell if you’re guilty of living outside the boundaries of today, is to examine your feelings. If you feel guilty most of the time, you’re stuck in the past; if you worry constantly, you’re out there in the future. Other symptoms of not living in the present:
• You’re impatient, irritable, sarcastic and frustrated.
• You constantly try to numb yourself, with work, food, sex, exercise, alcohol, drugs or other distractions.
• You have difficulty making important decisions.
• You feel unclear about your life’s purpose. (For free help with creating your personal mission statement, go to www.franklincovey.com/missionbuilder/)
When we live in the past, we miss opportunities. Like robots, we repeat the same old behaviors. Then we wonder why we don’t get what we want from life. And what’s the point in re-playing painful old tapes of upsetting experiences or dashed hopes?
Looking to tomorrow’s agenda, it’s one thing to have optimistic hope for the future, quite another to be preoccupied with impending occurrences. Worry is a robber. Don’t let it steal the hours called today. Don’t let fear and angst crowd out happiness and joy. Living in the present helps you to table those “what if’s” of life.
Living in the present means concentrating and being aware of feelings, having a clear-cut sense of who you are and where you’re going. Think of it as the ability to savor exquisite food; life becomes your banquet. It’s a focus that takes practice – a persistent redirection of thought. “Today, this is what I’m trying to accomplish. I’ll deal with that matter when the time is right.” Taking charge of this awareness can become a powerful force for your benefit. It adds new dimension to life, enhances your confidence and positively shapes your future.
If you have difficulty with this concept, try journaling and write out your responses to these questions. “Today I discovered … or, I re-learned …” “This means … and, now I want …”
Being in the present brings peace of mind. It helps you focus on your belief system, devoting more attention to what’s happening with you than fussing about other circumstances and people over whom you have no control anyway. Present-moment living means you can better direct your reactions to external conditions and behave less impulsively.
Living in the present tallies up to greater enjoyment of life – “living larger” is a term I’ve heard. In reality, all we have is the here and now. The journey is as important as the destination. Find the useful and the good, seize the present moment and live in it.
Grabhorn offers this four-step strategy to greater happiness:
• Identify what you DON’T want in life.
• From that, identify what you DO want.
• Get into the feeling place of what you want.
• Expect, listen and allow it to happen.
