PARTING THOUGHTS: (full story)
Regretting The Present ...
Regretting the past is bad enough, and an
enormous waste of time (the past is the past
--there is nothing we can do about it). Now,
regretting the "present", well... that's just
plain stupid (because it's so unnecessary), yet
that is what many of us do every day ...
Let's face it, most
entrepreneurs like looking into the future. Much
of our time is spent planning, strategizing,
implementing, and hoping for better things to
come. It is this relentless process of "creative
dissatisfaction" that defines much of our
financial success and way of life. And that's
great —to a point.
The danger in living too much
in the future, is that we can end up "regretting"
the here and now, the present moment. This is
because for some of us, it rarely measures up to
our vision of the future. I don't know about you,
but this was a tough lesson for me to learn (and
still learning, BTW). It is so easy for me to be
lost in the "future" of the next deal, the next
great project, the new marketing plan, that I
become totally unconscious to the present moment
—and that is the biggest loss of all.
When you think about it, this
can turn into a pretty vicious cycle: The more
dissatisfied we are with the present, the harder
we tend to work on our future, which causes us to
become even more disconnected with the present,
which causes us to work harder... you get the
picture. Okay, fine you say, "I'll just live more
in the present moment". While excellent advice,
this tired cliché is much easier said than done.
There is however, a sure-fire practical way to do
it, guaranteed every time (or your misery back!)
The secret to being fully in
the moment any time you want, is locked up in one
word: "Gratitude". When you take time to express
gratitude (i.e. being genuinely thankful for the
blessings you already have) it is *impossible* to
regret the present, to be out of touch with the
miracle of the "moment".
And what, you may ask do you
have to be grateful for? Well, for starters, how
about just being wonderfully alive in this
incredible world of ours; for your health (if you
have it, or for those helping you regain it if you
don't); for your spouse, children and dear friend;
for living in a free country; for the sky,
mountains, ocean, and all of nature's beauty; for
the fact that you can earn a great living while
1/3rd of the world's population goes hungry; and
on and on.
I guarantee that if you take
just five minutes every morning before you start
your day to quietly say "thanks" (to whom or
whatever you feel appropriate), your relationship
with the "moment" and everything else around you
will change dramatically. No more regrets when you
replace them with gratitude!
 SPECIAL
REQUEST: Joyce Miner, who is a good
friend of mine (as well as some of you), and
half of the highly successful
Duckin.com team with her husband Rick, is
being challenged with Adult Lymphoblastic
Leukemia (A.L.L.). Without a stem-cell
transplant (or a miracle) she stands little
chance of any long-term remission or cure.
The power of the Internet
for bringing people together to help each other
is incredible. I had personal experience with
this same power when it helped my son Max recover
from a life-threatening disease four years ago
(many of you have heard me tell his story during
my speeches). Now we have one of our own who
needs this power also. Please hold Joyce and her
recovery in your thoughts, prayers, or whatever
way you deem appropriate.
If you
CLICK HERE you can learn more about her
situation and how you might participate in
helping find a suitable donor. One last thing,
"giving" is the sincerest form of gratitude (for
those who *really* want to experience the moment
fully!)
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