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Hi again! If you are following my blog, you might have noticed that I haven’t been around. My apologies.
The funny thing about this post is that it has changed a few times. And I just started writing it!
I guess that is what happens when you take a break and have many ideas and thought you want to get out of your head. So, if this seems a little all over the place, I’m sorry, sort of.
That brings me to the topic for today.
The past is the past.
Getting yourself to focus on today or the present is much harder than it sounds (at least for me).
This is something that I’ve been trying to work on for quite some time, and I think I might be making progress. I keep reminding myself that you cannot change what has happened or what is about to happen.
But you can control what you do right now to help you grow and achieve what you want.
Life Happens
I have realized over the last month that I haven’t been doing the one thing that I LOVE to do: Being outside!
There are always excuses for why you are not doing what you should or want to be doing. So instead of listing them all here, I will say sometimes life happens. Am I right?
We all have a thousand things that we are all trying to get a handle on.
Sometimes that leads to feeling like you aren’t getting anything done. Or worse, feeling stagnant.
These are the times I try to remember to live in the present moment. Stop worrying about what might happen and live in the now.
One thing I have started doing and has really helped is meditating for a few minutes daily (if you’re interested, here is a 30-day challenge to help you).
Not only has it helped me focus, but also to get a handle on my breathing. It is amazing how many times I realized I was holding my breath (be honest, have you ever focused on your breathing?)
Your Happy Place
Yesterday I was looking around on Wilde Escape and read the post on my first snowshoeing trip.
Not only was it an amazing adventure with good friends, but it was also a great end to 2020.
That led me to look at photos I had taken, making me remember how much fun it was.
Being happy with who you are and where you are is so important.
I also remember the way down the mountain. Not going to lie.
It was steep and a bit scary.
But trusting my new ability and gear got me out of my head and back into the game. Man, that was an epic hike!
I encourage you to spend some time outdoors, especially if you feel stagnant like I was. I have never known why, but I always feel better whenever I spend time outside.
The Past Is Just That, The Past
Returning to the stagnant feeling, I have been noticing that I have been thinking a lot about the past.
Leaving my career (and wondering if it was still a good decision), thinking about my divorce, and constantly thinking about what I will do now.
We all have gone through challenging times and periods in our lives. And sometimes, they place us in bad situations or, even worse, uncontrollable emotions.
I know I have done things that I’m not proud of, and I am sure you can relate.
Once you start to realize the negative emotions, challenges, or whatever you want to call them, you need to make a change. The way I approached it was to change my mindset. I was tired of feeling emotionally and physically drained.
I guess I owe this to my Mom, as she always looks for the silver lining of everything.
Staying Positive – The Decision Is Yours
This is something that I often have to remind myself. It doesn’t matter where you have been but where you are going. Remembering that the past is just that, the past.
I recently watched a video by Mel Robbins that has really helped me put this into perspective. And I think it will tie in nicely to wrap this post up.
It’s The 5-second Rule. I highly suggest you watch the video below.
We all make millions of small decisions daily (the best example is hitting the snooze button in the morning). But understanding that those small decisions can influence your habits is fascinating.
Understanding that there is a 5-second window that moves you from an idea to action seems silly. But being able to interrupt habits will allow you to shift gears and maybe even form new ones.
I’ve used counting back from five for the last few days, and it’s exciting that it really does work!
Did this post get you thinking?
Are you going to give it a try?
In the comments below, let me know if this helped you and how it went.
The Past is the Past: It’s Time to Focus on the Present!
Let’s leave the past behind and embrace the present with all our focus!
There is beauty in being mindful of this moment, of savoring it for its unique qualities. We can take delight in recognizing the here and now, appreciating every detail without necessarily dwelling on what used to be.
By placing our attention solely on the present moment, we can choose to create something amazing with life right here and now.
The present allows us room to grow and expand beyond where we’ve been before.
It gives us permission to explore new possibilities while also honoring what has gone before. We can learn from our past experiences and then release them as we move forward with hope and optimism toward something greater than ourselves.
The future is open to us. Let’s build it together through all we bring into this moment!
I just wanted to thank you for responding to my “We Want to Hear From You” post.
Feel free to keep the comments and emails coming with more ideas too!
There were some good ideas that I’m currently looking into.
Another great blog!
I try to learn from the past without dwelling on it. Also, try not to worry about tomorrow. So many things I worry about never happen. What a waste of energy.
In the present, I sometimes have too much on my To Do list that it’s overwhelming, and I become paralyzed.
Life is best when we balance all things.
Side Note:
Thanks for the mention.
Not sure which I prefer – Silver-lining Mom, or Scary Mum. They both describe me well.
Thanks for the comment. I agree that there are so many things that we all worry about that never happen.
And speaking of a to-do list, are they ever ending? I realized that I have multiple lists (why is that?). One thing that has helped me is to use Evernote. It really helps keeping everything in one place, not to mention being able to access it on your computer and phone is extremely convenient.
Silver-linking mom is the one that always shows herself, I’m just sayin.