The Beauty of Now
I dream
about the future; many say I do so far too often. I’m guilty as
charged…it’s true. I love the opportunity of the future – what we can accomplish, where we could go,
how we’ll get there, and with whom
we’ll take our adventures.
However,
last week my girlfriend and I took a quick weekend trip to Southern California,
and of course spent most of our time at the Disneyland Resort. On several
occasions, she asked me, “What’s been
your favorite part of the trip so far?”
Every
time, I answered, “right now…”
Each time the question was posed,
I literally couldn’t think of a better moment than the very moment in which
the question was being asked…each time. (A possible milestone in my own personal growth and development, as I'm
usually obsessed with everything BUT what's happening right now…but that’s
another story for another time…)
I felt
compelled to share these OneMoreStep thoughts on the ‘beauty of now’…Perhaps this rings true for you,
people on your teams, loved ones at home, colleagues at work, or maybe even for
our friends…No matter what we have going on in our lives, right now, these truths apply:
We’ll never be younger than
we are right now.
If that ‘imminent’ thing
we’re dreading is looming, it’s still just that, looming. It isn’t happening just yet. Why worry?
The annoying disappointments
of yesterday are long gone; in the past. We don’t have to deal with them now.
Most of what we’ve ever
learned in school or in life can finally be put to use, right now.
Even if we haven’t quite
accomplished our goals, we can hustle and work toward making our dreams
realities, now.
If we’re in a rut, or a
rough patch; it’s only a season…it
won’t be this way forever, it’s only this way right now.
If life is good, and we’re
really enjoying it, then we’ll soon miss the way things are, right now.
Moments that make us happy are never
more wonderful than when they’re actually happening. Sure we always have
the memories, and pictures capture an image of what was happening in those moments, but our most cherished moments capture our hearts and minds, right now, when they’re happening.
So
instead of worrying about what’s yet to happen, or the unfortunate things that
have happened, we should focus on what is happening…right now. Too often we don’t enjoy what’s happening right now, and pretty soon we find
ourselves asking “what happened…” and
all we can think about is how good we had
it back then.
I like
what our friend Andy Bernard says in one of his last monologues on NBC’s The Office – Series Finale:
“I wish there was a
way to know you’re in the ‘good ole days’ before you’ve actually left them.” – Andy Bernard
We can
dream about how it should be, how it’s supposed to be, or how we’d like it to be…OR we can accept and embrace the
way things are, right now…today. Because
what’s happening at this very moment is real…it’s not a dream.
And
that’s what makes NOW beautiful…it may be a mess, but at least it’s not a
fantasy, it’s real.
Embrace
it. Accept it. Enjoy it. Love it. Love the NOW…because
down the road we may look back and wish we had embraced more, accepted more,
enjoyed more, and loved more. If we all truly go
OneMoreStep, doing all we can do, TODAY, for people around us RIGHT NOW, imagine living in that world…imagine that fullness of
life, every day.
“Talk
about a standing ovation. Everybody take a bow. But don’t talk
about tomorrow tonight. I love the now…” – Jimmy Buffett, “I Love
the Now”; Floridays album - 1986
Enjoy the season…enjoy
the now.
Taylor
This is a great post! It reminds me of something that I strive and look for each day called, "FLOW". Be here now; as I would like to call it - the state of finding so much enjoyment and interaction with something, that you find yourself in a timeless capsule. Ahhh what a great feeling!
ReplyDeleteTaylor.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.
Throughout the years, when I sense the energy or excitement is low at home or in the workplace, I like to shout out to everybody, "Are You Going To The Party?"
They reply, "where? When?"
I say, "It's right here! Right Now!" DON'T MISS IT!!
Life is not always a party for everyone. But if you miss it when it's here, you'll never get to celebrate lifes awesomeness!
(Thank you for the spiritual lineage, Bro!)
Great post Taylor. One of my favorite songs from Van Halen is "Right Now" (sorry David Lee Roth fans).
ReplyDeleteYour post reminded me of book that was recommended to me by Gary Greene of Greene Resources. This is a quote from their website:
"There is a wonderful children’s book, The Three Questions by Jon Muth, that describes Greene Resources’ culture best. The book’s three questions are: “What is the best time to do things? Who is the most important one? What is the right thing to do?”
The book concludes: “There is only one important time, and that time is now. The most important one is always the one you are with. And the most important thing is to do good for the one who is standing at your side. For these are the answers to what is most important in this world. This is why we are here.”
Thanks for the reminder of the need to stay in the present and enjoy NOW.
Best,
Stan
@9INCHmarketing
"The longest and hardest 9 inches in marketing is the distance from the brain of your customer to their heart."