Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” Isn’t that a tremendous thought? However, that leaves us questioning what is it that lies within us? As we all are living our individual lives filled with different experiences and backgrounds, many of us fail at remembering that who we are now in this present moment is all we really have. Yesterday is gone, tomorrow may never come, and right now is all we have to be the best version of who we are. However, sometimes that’s not easy to do. I know from experience how stressful life can be like everyone else, and I also know how painful it can be when the people we love the most, leave us, betray us, or hurt us the most. But one thing I have learned is by giving up and accepting defeat, we force ourselves into reliving either the past that has hurt us over and over again each day, or we relive the stress and obsession of what we need to do tomorrow or in the future, which leads to a never-ending stressful life day after day. So, I guess it’s time to dig deep into who we are and start living for today.
If we all are completely honest with ourselves, I believe that we are all more than we appear to be. If we stop focusing on things we can’t control, or things we can’t change, and stop arguing all the time, then maybe the world wouldn’t be so stressed out and angry all the time. I don’t know about everyone else, but I am thinking I am tired of living a stressful life thinking about the past or worrying about the future. I know it’s hard to stop worrying about the future when you have kids or a family. However, learning the difference between what we can control and can change, might help lower our stress and help us enjoy the present with our family before they grow up and are gone from our day-to-day life.
So I decided to make a change.
I decided to take Thomas A. Edison’s advice and give it a shot. He said, “If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.” I strive to stop thinking about the future that was now unknown to me, and I strive to stop thinking about a past I couldn’t control or change. So, I started doing things I knew I was capable of and would really enjoy. Most of the items on my list were things I never had time to really do or try before because of my busy life and work schedule. However, as I began trying new things I loved to do, amazing things began to happen. I have learned I was much more capable of things I never knew before, and now I spend my time thinking and focusing on things I enjoy such as writing, music, and spending time with people, and enjoying the great adventures of adrenaline rushes in the outdoors. Once upon a time, I was a work-a-holic, working hard on the job and then hard on the past relationship, leaving me exhausted all the time. Now I’m single, and I spend my time doing what I love to do and I have learned so many great things about myself I never knew existed. If everyone could find this new sense of freedom and peace, then I believe this world would be a happier place.
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Great thoughts Laura!