As I was enjoying my morning coffee and quiet time a couple weeks ago, thinking and praying, I found myself getting very caught up in the future. Trying to plan things out and make a road map for exactly what I was going to do, where I wanted to go, and how I wanted things to unfold. As my thoughts began to snowball, I started to feel slightly overwhelmed. Praying for clarity and direction, I took a deep breath and just sat with it. As I quieted my mind, it came:
Just be patient.
Just be patient. Let the flow of things happen and do not be worried with how the rest of the year looks.
Focus on today and do the best possible job working towards the future, but with only the present day in mind.
I think we all get caught up with trying to plan and control what the future holds or looks like. So much so, that we can forget the beauty in the natural order of life.
When we are entirely focused on the future, we miss the moments of greatness happening now, in the present.
I always have to remind myself that life is not a race. I don’t have to do things immediately. There is a graceful plan already prepared for my life and sometimes I just need to sit back and let that plan take it’s shape.
I’m not saying we need to be lazy or not work toward goals with some sort of idea in place of what we want for ourselves. Having goals and working towards them is absolutely necessary, but when we get stressed out by them, that is when we need to take a step back and remember:
Just be patient.
The definition of patient is: being able to accept or tolerate delays, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious.
What this says to me is that being patient is an exercise in strength. Being tolerant to the fact that not everything can happen right this very second takes a strong resolve. Some things take time and the more you carefully work on crafting your present moments and goals, the better the future begins to look.
If we want something, we need to work hard towards it. If we want a change to happen in our life, we have to remember that change begins in our daily routines, practices and habits. If you can’t change just for today, how can you change for a lifetime?
They say “one day at a time” in AA, but really this is a wonderful practice for everyone all the time. Today is the day. Not yesterday and not tomorrow. When we remember that our todays are ultimately what turn into our future, it makes it easier to make today as best as we can, knowing that what we do today is molding our future.
The Dalai Lama said,
“There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done. One is called yesterday and the other is called tomorrow. Today is the right day to love, believe and mostly live.”
There is a peacefulness that comes when you begin to live for today. What can you do today to get you closer to where you want to be?
When we let go of the days that have not yet come and allow our todays to build into our tomorrows, things unfold just as they should.
And when life gets hectic and the thoughts of the future, or even the past, begin to become too loud, it’s important to remind ourselves: