“Dearly beloved we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life”-Prince Let’s Go Crazy

Living in the present allows you to focus on the here and now.  It creates a space where you can actually experience life.  If you worry about the future or dwell on past fears, you cannot live in the present.  Living in present time creates an opportunity for dreams to come true.  You can notice the warmth of the sun falling on your face; watch the ocean waves break and reach a state of well-being.

As a child, I realized I was plagued with fear that came from anxious thoughts.  I believed my teachers when they said I was stupid and I kept this self-image bottled up inside for years.  The anxiety became explosive when my father died suddenly when I was fifteen years old.  It went off the charts when the electrical system in my heart died seven years ago when I was fifty-eight.

I would have these thoughts based on these incidents:

“No one likes me because I’m stupid”

“My father died because I was a bad son.”

“This feeling in my body reminds me of the time when I passed out, I’m going to die right now.”

“I will never be happy and joy doesn’t exist in the world.”

These thought permeated my existence throughout my life.  They would make me feel anxious, depressed and worst of all defeated.  I believed that I would never discover relief much less peace of mind.

I learned that living in the present was the goal I wanted to obtain.  One day I had a memory of my grandparents picking me and my sister up in their white with blue bucket seats 1965 Mustang convertible.  We drove down to the Jersey shore while the wind whipped my hair, heart and brain into a state of contentment.  I wondered why can’t I feel this sense of calmness all the time or at least some moments?

The obstacles of being able to focus on the present are:

Fearful thoughts

Deep Regrets

Longing to change a wounding life experience

Woulda, Shoulda, Coulda thoughts

Self-loathing and Self-Punishing

Entrenched conviction that none of the above can ever change

So gradually I decided that I needed to let go of all that negativity and replace it with:

“If I have a negative belief about myself, it is crucial that I challenge this mind set.”

“This bad feeling I am feeling right now will only last a short time and then I will feel better”

“Fear is going to raise its ugly head from time to time. Fear cannot stop me attaining happiness if I don’t let it.  I will tell myself that this feeling is only fear and I will watch it fly into the sky.”

“Loss and emotional pain are part of life and at times I will have to gracefully roll with them.”

“Letting go of all the self-hating thoughts is not as difficult as I imagined.  Holding on to them is not the same thing as trying to find resolution.”

“Spinning the negative thoughts around my head does nothing but exhaust me.  I don’t need to do this anymore!”

“I almost died from the electrical system in my heart breaking down.  I have had a pacemaker since May 1, 2009.  I was granted a new lease on life.  I am a very fortunate man and am learning to appreciate life each waking moment.”

“Living in the present gives me confidence, optimism, a sense that I have control over my thoughts, and most of all FREEDOM!!!

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