What's Right Now?
Lately I have to admit I’ve been feeling a little overwhelmed with all the things I have going on. And when I get into that mode, I start looking at the things that aren’t happening, and all the things that are going wrong, and all the things that I wish were different. And what I really find myself doing is not having an attitude of gratitude about the present moment.
So when that happens, I pull out one of my favorite books by Dr. Spencer Johnson called, The Present. The book touches upon learning from the past, living in the present moment and not feeling anxious about the future. It reminds me of a timeless principle that I need to use, that perhaps we all need to use more often, to recover some of that mental, physical and emotional energy. We need to make the most of the moment in front of us. We can begin by asking ourselves a very simple question, “What’s right now?”
While those three small words may seem like a very simple, straightforward question, it actually has 2 parts. The 1st part is:
“What’s RIGHT now?”
When you read that question, did your mind immediately change the wording to ask, “What’s wrong now?”. We spend so much of our time focusing on things that we don’t have, things we don’t like and things that we didn’t do. It’s incredibly motivating, and sometimes challenging, to stop and ask ourselves what’s right now? What’s right about the meeting you just had? What’s right about the opportunity to go to work (either at an office or the kitchen table) and be really busy? What’s right about the fact that you’re working so hard and focused on so many things? It means that you’re doing something RIGHT! We need to celebrate that more often instead of focusing so much on what’s going wrong.
The second part to the question is:
“What’s right NOW?”
What is it that’s in this window of opportunity, this moment that you’ve got in front of you, that you many never have again? For example, when I’m working with my clients, I remind myself that this is the moment I have with them. I have to make the most of it because I may not have the opportunity again to share my thoughts and ideas, to help them get the future that they really want. Or, my wife and I can get so busy with our daughter, that at times it can feel overwhelming. But then I stop and remind myself that in a few years I won’t have that opportunity again. Often, taking advantage of that time now requires extra effort. But so often, making that effort brings unexpected joy.
No doubt when we have too much to do, we may spend time wishing things were different. However, that can drain us of our physical, mental and emotional energy and rob us of joy in the present moment. To regain our attitude of gratitude, we need to ask ourselves, “What’s RIGHT now?” and “What’s right NOW?”.
