Late Night Fiction Or is it?

The “Moment” in Action

Continuing a bit from my last post here, assuming it all made sense. We'll pretend it did. Alright, well that's all fine and dandy, but what about putting it into action? That's a little harder to do. What if the current situation you're in, at this moment, isn't good? It's natural that we'd want to remember the past or possibly hope for the future when this is the case. For example, if a loved one dies, we want to remember them and everything they've brought to our life. The present sucks, frankly, so why would we want to concentrate on that when it brings more joy to us to just stay in the past, remembering? Seems like a dead end.

It doesn't have to be. Yes, the present isn't good. But what about the ways in which the person affected your life? The things you learned from them, and how they might have shaped you into becoming who you are today? You're a better person now. Ah, that brings us back to the present. Thinking of those things can actually make you think of the present, and it might even make you feel better that you are better off because of that; because of the person.

Now what if it's for the future? For example, you're working at a job that you hate. The people suck, your boss sucks, you don't want to wake up every morning just because you have to go to work. You could hope for the future: "Maybe things will get better." Again, the present isn't good. But what about the things you could do in your free time to make that dream of becoming a musician, or becoming your own boss, or just doing what you love to do, come true? You can start taking action, and this is where the future is different from the past-- it hasn't happened yet, and therefore it can be changed. And the only way to cause any kind of change at all? Action and action only. Thoughts, dreams, and hopes exist only in your head and nowhere else. They can influence your actions, but it's only when these things are converted into actions that change actually begins to happen.

Making the leap from your current mind-set to this kind of thinking can be a bigger gap to jump for some than it is for others. And if it is hard to begin with, start smaller. Start switching your gears from listening to, analyzing what's in your head, to what is really happening at that exact moment. Realize that the only thing that is real is what is happening this moment. By this time it's more than likely habit for you to think ahead or reminisce when the present starts to go for the worse. But habits are more easily broken if you consciously think about your actions, or in this case, your thoughts, at the moment they are actually happening.