At the beginning of this year I chose “Here Now” as my phrase to focus on and be more like.For me Here Now means: being present. I find myself daydreaming about the future or just the next thing. For fun I look at airplane tickets: future. For fun I browse vacation rentals, or try to plan the next camping trip. It’s fun and all good things, but it majorly takes me away from the Here Now. I chose Here Now because I want to love the present, and I want time to slow down. Am I really here, now? Or am I in my head, in the future? Let’s be Here Now. Let’s read these words, take a breathe and notice our posture. Let’s bring ourselves into this moment. How many times a day do you think about the future? It could look like planning a vacation, or adding something to the grocery list for tomorrow. How much is the “next” on our mind? Let’s ask ourselves these questions: Are we:
Trying to keep busy
Searching for entertainment
Avoiding something
I want to challenge all of us to notice when we drift into a daydream about any other moment but the present. Notice when we go into task mode, filling our mental to do list. My when is usually when I’m not doing anything, it’s when I’m still. I have 10 minutes of nothing, and that’s when I day dream, plan an amazing party in my head for no reason.Next ask why. What is missing from the Here Now that makes the future more appealing and alluring? My why is purpose and excitement.Close the door to the entertaining words “But wait there’s more!” and accept/enjoy the Here Now.Remember reading books as a kid and turning to the last page to find out the ending? Maybe you still do that! What is so enticing about the next page versus the one you’re on? You are in the next. You are in the next season, day, week, or year that you’ve been hoping for, planning, and thinking of. So before you think of the next remember that you are in the “last next.”Don’t listen to the alluring and entertaining voice of next, it will have its time. All it is doing is robbing you from the rich moments of the now. “Next” will only be satisfied by more nexts. If you’re dreaming of being done with something like school, a large project, if you’re picturing yourself in a new city because you can’t wait to move, if you’re tired of chasing your littles and can’t wait till _____, if you’re growing impatient for your season to shine remember this moment, as is. Be here, because “next” will come and have its time and it’ll be way more satisfying when you're Here Now.