Can you let go of – yesterday and tomorrow?

The most common challenge for most people is to stay focused in now rather than the issues, memories, regrets or mistakes of yesterday or the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow or spending time with the wonderful memories of yesterday.  By this I am not suggesting that planning and goalsetting are not important and valuable exercises or use of time, but that when we let the negative influences of what happened yesterday or may happen tomorrow have too great an impact on today’s actions, thoughts or decisions we will tend to let these have too much control over our life rather than the reality that is now.

All the regret and angst of yesterday’s actions, mistakes or decisions can be relived.  All the worries about tomorrow will not change what happens next and living now in either of these mindsets is just stupid – yes I said stupid. No matter how smart, wealthy or good you are you can’t change anything in the past and no matter how smart, good or wealthy you are you can’t guarantee anything tomorrow.

Now keep in mind I’m not referring to simple things like what you eat, how you dress or how you drive but the many aspects of life you can’t control and these are far too many to list.  But here are a few to consider;

-you can control how you drive but not how the person behind you or in front of you drives.

-you can control what you eat but not how it impacts your body.

-you can control what you say but not how others react to it or interpret it.

-You can control how you spend your money but not all of the circumstances that may be associated with this spending or investing.

-you can control what you read or watch but not how it impacts your mind.

-you can control your decisions but not all of their consequences.

Shall I go on?

I have many wonderful memories of family, world travels and friendships but they are just that – memories.  I have goals that I have worked toward for years and are still not reality and I have accomplished things I never dreamed possible.  So what’s the answer?  Stop setting goals? No. Stop dreaming? No. Stop hoping and planning? No.  Stop spending time remembering? No. But . . . are any of these getting in the way of cherishing what is in my life now, this day or this minute?

We are all going to die.  It’s a simple yet often complicated fact.  How, when, or where is not possible to know or forecast so what’s the answer to all of these life options?  Quit, give in, settle or hope, dream, pray, ask and wait?  Frankly I don’t have an answer for you but I do for me and that is simply – let go of yesterday and don’t get attached to tomorrow.

I will share one of my many life mantras’ with you – I will be excited if it happens and I won’t be disappointed if it doesn’t.  And one other – I am on God’s schedule not mine.

How about you?  Stuck in some aspect of the past? Fretting and worrying about some element of tomorrow? I’ll leave you with a simple question – why?