simpledimple

A lot can be said for keeping things simple. Simplicity equates to low stress and manageable bite-sized pieces of whatever your task or activity is. Complexity just makes me think of tricky mathematical equations that are near impossible to solve. Simplicity however, even simple me can manage that.

Last week I saw a meme that went something like “people living in the past are depressed; people living in the future are anxious but people living in the present are at peace. I don’t know about you but being at peace certainly sounds like where I would prefer to be. What if I consciously choose to live in the present? Can I train myself to do that and avoid the pitfalls of living in the past or future? I am going to give it a bash and see how I go. Sounds simple to me.

All I must do is focus on the present and what is right in front of me instead of dwelling on the past or worrying overly about the future. If I get the present right the future will take care of itself. All too often I have struggled to get going on projects or follow-through with them. I over-think everything and try to see the future impacts and outcomes of my actions. The future is uncertain and filled with flow-on repercussions of my current actions. That results in inaction. These projects are doomed and are canned like so many others before them in the growing scrapheap. Once again, I have been defeated by my past failures or my future fears. I never seem to learn. I keep doing the same thing and getting the same result, but I never fucking learn.

No more of that bullshit for me. Simple solution is to start with the smallest and simplest of tasks and see them through to completion. I am only now finishing this little writing piece that I started and abandoned six months ago. I could change the sentence in paragraph two to “six months ago I saw a meme…..” but that would be dwelling in the past and I do not do that anymore.

I am happy to report that I have built up some momentum. Momentum is a wonderful thing but cannot exist without action or motion. Momentum helps you keep going but you must take that initial action and start moving before momentum can kick in.

Focussing on the present is still new to me and something I must consciously do. I plan on repeating it enough times until it becomes a habit. For now, I am forcing myself to live in the present and not live in the past or delay gratification to the future when something eventuates. I love road trips, I love all travel, and have learned along the way that the journey is more important than the destination. Living for the moment is so satisfying when you do it right. Previously I would look forward to trips (I was a future guy) then they would fly by and I would be left with the memories. All I could do was start planning the next one and counting the days that seemed to take forever. I haven’t had the chance to take any trips lately thanks to Covid-19 but next time I plan to consciously dwell in the present and think to myself “shit I am really doing this” or “this is what I looked forward to so soak up every moment, you are here now and that’s what it is all about”.

Another simple action and reminder is to change passwords to words that inspire action. “NowMotherFuqa” is a password that reminds me in no uncertain times that I must be present focussed. It works for me. I tackle things and finish them. I build momentum and smash through to-do lists most days. Satisfying does not even begin to describe how it feels to accomplish things every day. It spills over into my personal life and I am more present and a better listener as a result. I do not sweat the small stuff anymore and feel like I am more productive and less harsh on myself. I still reflect, which is taking stock of the past and what I could do better in the future but mostly I live in the present and tackle what is in front of me now. After all, if I get the present right the future will take care of itself.