I have been thinking about how powerful living in the present can be. Totally free of worry about what happened before, learning from past mistakes but not letting the thoughts around them intrude into the present.  Living without concern that this or that might happen – it might, but then again it might not!  The present is really all we have that we can say with certainty.  It can be a difficult present that bring up future thoughts such as where will the next client come from, or how can I survive in this economic climate?  But if I think of how things are right now, well it’s really not that bad.  I have time to research, time to explore creatively my next steps and my bank balance although not too healthy, is not yet in the red.  Certainly not at the very present moment!!  I am healthy too and feel good.  The sun is pouring through the window of my office as I type this blog and as I look around the first daffodills are attempting to open their buds to the advancing spring.  I am prepared for my coaching workshop with all the handouts ready and I even know in my mind what I am going to cook for dinner. 

We can focus on the gloom and doom around us – and there’s plenty at the present but we can also choose to focus on the present moment and see what advantages that throws up.  Today  – right now for me it throws up time to think, to improve the quality of my attention to what “is”  – using the quiet down time to reflect on what is actually going on for me right now and to nurture what is good in my life and what I can be grateful for.  Do I really want to focus on somewhere I am not, someone I cannot be, what might happen?  That seems to be a kind of self thought distruction.  This does not mean that I am never going to plan for my future but it means that I will not allow frustration or discontent to cloud my present.   It is not the plans or facts that hinder us but our thoughts around them.  When they start to take us over that’s when we become unhappy or anxious.  So what’s right now for me? I am glad that I even have time to stop and notice as I am writing,  that currently these thoughts feel good, calm and light –  like the sun on the daffodills.