When we choose to ignore forgiveness and hold on to anger and grudges, we end up living in the past. Our everyday life, how we feel, and what we think is colored by what happened weeks, months, or even years ago, and that’s no way to live. It can be part of what makes you feel so trapped. It’s time to stop being stuck in the past and learn to live in the present.
Once you embrace that idea of living in the here and now, it becomes much easier to forgive and move on. Here’s how that’s going to happen. When you learn to live in the present, you aren’t all that worried about the past. The past, in fact, is simply how you got to be in the present. It’s what has shaped you into the person you are right now. It’s shaped the people and events around you to where they are today. When you learn to not only live in, but appreciate the present, it’s hard to feel negatively about any part in your past. If the things you are angry or hurt by didn’t happen, you wouldn’t be who you are today.
Of course embracing the present and both the joy and challenges it brings with it isn’t always easy. Start by being present. Notice the people and things around you. Pay attention to what’s happening and try to see the best in everything. Find joy in the small things. Appreciate everything you have. Slow down and don’t be afraid to stop and smell the roses.
Being stuck in the past is one danger. Being too worried about the future is another. When our eyes and our mind are constantly on what’s to come, it creates a lot of anxiety. The problem is that we don’t have control over our future. Learning to live in the present instead of agonizing about the future can do a lot to relieve anxiety and stress.
Does this mean you shouldn’t prepare for the future by starting a savings account, for example? Of course not. You want to prepare and do what you can to ensure a happy and secure future for yourself and your loved ones. You simply should worry about and get stuck on things you have no control over and thus miss the beautiful present you’re living in.
Does this mean you should ignore the lessons taught by the past, and possibly repeat the same mistakes again and again? Of course not. Our past shapes us and makes us who we are today.
Living in the present simply means that we no longer allow ourselves to be trapped by it. Living in the present with forgiveness allows us to let go and move on with our present life.
ACTION FOR TODAY:
Take a day to reconnect with your present self by taking yourself out on a date. Do something you love that you don’t often get to do. The last three weeks was all about reconciling with the past.
Every single day in the challenge was all about setting the foundation for the present and looking to the future. You are so strong for making it this far.
