The Present Tense is the Only Tense

How often do you find yourself looking to the past or the future?

“If I had done X then Y would’ve happened.”

“I need to do Y in order to make Z a reality.”

Yeah, those examples are abstract and far from enticing. But let’s look at the bigger picture.

There hasn’t been a time in your life where you haven’t looked to the past or the future to make sense of the present. Does that ring true?

I know you are nodding. I am, too!

We have all done it. That is what we do as humans. We look at the past to make sense of the present and we look to the future to justify and further redirect the present. It’s not that we don’t have expectations or hopes or dreams – we do! We just use these moments as ways to further validate what we have not accomplished or what we will soon accomplish.

We live too often outside of the present tense. We really do. We focus so heavily on goals and the future or dwell so intently on the past that we forget where we are and the time we are in.

OK, let me be clear and state that it is important to make future predictions. It is important to set goals and make strides toward achieving them.

What I’m saying is simply this – how often do you beat yourself up for a situation that went bad, only to question what you COULD’VE done differently or what you will DO differently later on?

Let me be clear again in stating that you are not wrong in your feelings or beliefs. You should learn from your past to help direct your future. But you mustn’t forget to live in the present.

The greatest impacts you make – in your own life, toward your goals, in someone else’s life – are gonna come from a present moment. You always live in the present tense. Right now, you are living and moving along as you read this blog. And you should not forget that these are the moments that count because they are the ones that have an impact on what you do in the future and how you react to events from the past.

I know this blog is heavily jaded. I’m sorry. Maybe it makes sense. Maybe you are scratching your head and wondering. Perhaps you are thinking “this guy is a nut and has no idea what he is saying.”

Nah! I’m not here to let you down or give you a false sense of hope or belief.

My purpose in this particular blog is simply to live for today. When you wake up, that moment is your moment. What you do with that moment is entirely up to you. The future has not been determined and the past can’t be changed. So if you decide today, this moment, that you are going to change your diet, stop drinking, and lose 50 lbs.; if you decide at this moment that you are going to get stronger, hit the gym and workout to make yourself stronger and healthier and will practice it every day going forward; if you decide that today is the day you are going to grow in your company and want to get promoted that the boss will be well aware of your stance; if you decide that today is the day you will start a journey that leads to a career that you always wanted; if you decide today that you will begin your journey of finding the love of your life, then that’s what needs to be done…today…at this moment…right now…

What’s most important is that it must be done every day, repeatedly, in order to accomplish the end result, in order to achieve success.

That, my friend, is called living in the present tense. If it doesn’t exist in the moment, it won’t exist in the future…and it will never be remembered in the past.

Make today count. Make this moment count. Repeat the moment because it will always be present. That way you are striving for a greater future and will have a prosperous past to share because you will continue to live in the present moment…the present tense…the only tense that matters in order to leave a legacy and create an eventual better you!

This is your life. This is your time. You owe it to yourself to get the best from you possible.

Your best self is waiting to be discovered. You have one amazing life so make it the best life possible!

It’s time to ignite!