Do you spend time regretting yesterday or worrying about tomorrow? If so, you’re not alone. We can all be guilty of that at times. The present moment, often referred to as the Now, can be something elusive for many of us.

So what does it mean to live in the Now? It means being fully present to appreciate the moment in real-time. It means letting go of the things that have nothing to do with the moment. The past is gone and we can’t rewind and change it. The future is not here. Staying in the present can help us deal with what’s happening now.

There are times when taking your thoughts to a pleasant time in the past or envisioning a pleasant time in the future can be helpful, however guilt and regret about the past or fear and worry about the future are not helpful.

Today we’re looking at how negative thoughts about the past or future can spoil the present moment. For example, don’t worry so much about your children growing up and leaving, that you miss the precious time with them while they are young. It’s no fun to be suspended somewhere between regrets about the past and anxieties about the future. Alice Morse Earle said, “Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That’s why it is called the present.”

The future will come, but it will present itself as the Now. In other words, the Now is just a future you were worrying about yesterday. And when it’s here, you may not be enjoying it because you’re busy being worried about another future. In that way, people are trapped in a crazy cycle where they chase their idea of the future, but they’ll never be able to catch it. Eckhart Tolle, author of The Power of Now, wrote, “The present moment is all we have…The future is (just) an imagined Now, a projection of the mind. When the future comes, it comes as the Now.”

Tolle isn’t telling us to stop planning for the future. Planning is needed, but worrying is not. It’s like people who go to a dinner party but spend so much of the evening worrying about what needs to get done at work the next day that they don’t even enjoy the party. This is how it’s easy to miss the Now by worrying about tomorrow. Like it or not, life is not on hold while you’re busy worrying about the future. The Dalai Lama said, “There are only two days a year that nothing can be done. One is called yesterday and the other is called tomorrow, so today is the right day to love, believe, do and mostly live.”

Many authors and spiritual thinkers encourage people to live in the Now. Henry David Thoreau succinctly expressed how people often get trapped. He wrote, “I wished to live deliberately…And not, when I come to die, discover that I had not lived.” At the end of life, nobody wants to have regrets for the things they planned but did not do.  

So, don’t let your fears and anxieties rule you and hold you back from reaching your happiest and most meaningful life. Yesterday is gone, forget it. Tomorrow will come and it is unstoppable and unpredictable. What you only have is the Now, the fluid present. We encourage you to go out there, and really live life now! It takes a lot of courage to let go of the baggage that weighs you down, to stop overthinking about the past or future, and instead grab the moment.

What about you? How can you live in the present moment? Being in the present moment helps you be in control of your thoughts so you can make good choices for now that contribute to your future. Make the present as pleasant as it can be by allowing yourself to be curious about life and try new things. Sometimes getting away from the busyness of life and taking a walk in nature can bring joy to the present moment. So, drop the regrets and worries! Dare to be you so you live a life you love! And don’t wait for the “right time” to take that long-awaited vacation. As you make the Now the best it can be, you’ll likely find you’ll have less regrets about the past and an even more fulfilling future. And remember to enjoy each day, it’s a gift!

Chanhassen MN residents, Doug and Lynn Nodland are success coaches and owners of The Balance Center in Excelsior. Contact them at WeCare@TheBalanceCenter.com

© Doug and Lynn Nodland 2021 Articles and videos may be shared in their entirety with attribution.