I Can't Change the Past, But the Present Is in My Hands

Some people focus on the past, and that keeps them from moving forwards towards a better future. That past can hurt but it can’t be changed, no matter how badly we’d like to modify it. That’s why life consists in enjoying the power of our “here ad now” and living in the present in order to find the road to happiness.

Consciousness is in the here and now

To live in the present moment, your conscious should be focused on the here and now. You won’t be worried about the future, nor will negative feelings from your past keep you from moving forward. Living in the present implies that you are focused on what is happening to you right now.

The past and the future are like illusions. They are in your mind. However, the past no longer exists and the future has yet to be created. The truth is that tomorrow never really arrives, since it is simply a concept we have in order to understand the passing of time. Time is always now, this precise moment.

“The difference between the past, present and future is simply a persistent illusion.”

-Albert Einstein-

Living in the present could change your life

If you don’t live in the present, it’s because you’re living in an illusion. How many times have you worried about things even while still uncertain about whether they would actually happen? How many times have you blamed yourself for mistakes you committed, no matter how long ago it was? If you have done this too many times, it’s because sometimes you feel trapped in the illusions of the past and future.

Living in the present will help you improve your emotional well-being, and also improve you physical health. Not living in the present can affect it gravely.

When you live in the present and make peace with your past and don’t try to control the future, you’ll be living in a place of acceptance. You will start to accept life the way it is now. Not how you would have liked it to be.

When you live in acceptance, you’ll see things for what they are. You’ll be able to forgive yourself for the mistakes you made in the past and will be able to find peace in your heart knowing that what must happen, will happen.

Sometimes it’s hard to live in the present

Some people feel a deep anxiety, because they are eternally looking back at their lives, or they can’t stop predicting the future. But the biggest reason why many people have trouble living in the present is because we never stop talking or thinking. We’re constantly talking about ourselves. We have a hard time listening to anything else that is not our own thoughts…and we forget to connect with reality.

We like to create stories, tell them and listen to other people’s stories in order to compare them with our own. This isn’t a bad thing. In a certain way, life is just many stories strung together. The problem arises when we feel the need to create stories about everything, and we confuse them with the real world. Reality is not a concept. Reality is now. When we make this realization, peace will reach our hearts.

“The future tortures us and the past chains us up. That’s why the present gets away from us.”

-Gustave Flaubert-

Free yourself from the past and start living in the now

The worst thing about living in the past or constantly thinking about the future is that you are renouncing your internal power. If you don’t come back to the present, you’ll be renouncing your life. You’ll be vetoing your ability to create and forgetting that you’re the only one who has the opportunity to mold your life for your own emotional well-being.

If you need to make changes in your life for the better, don’t wait any longer; make those changes right now. Only when you start to move forward will you find your way. If you’re living in the past, you should know that you can’t do anything to change it. And if you only worry about the future, you know there’s nothing you can do to improve it unless you do it now, in the present. If you want to live in peace with your past and in a better future, accept the reality you have today.

It seems complicated to live in the present, but you just have to break the chains of the past and stop predicting what will happen in the future. Work on the present, and the past will only be lovely memories, and the future simply the path you’re currently taking.