What Time Is It?

Being Christmas time, it's definitely is a time of mixed messages, priorities, schedules, and expectations.  I remember years ago, being tight on cash, being married with two little ones, I felt immense confusion on what really mattered to me at Christmas time, I even felt my identity being in crisis as a striving breadwinner for my family, and I'd ask all kinds of poor quality questions that were purely assumptions and illusionary:

• "Could Christmas only be Christmas if I could supply gifts for my family?"

• "What would other people think of me if I couldn't give them presents like I had in previous years?"

• "Am I a failure because I can't give my family the Christmas I would want?"

With this kind of momentum of questions in my mind, Christmas became the last thing I wanted to have my mind on.  I kept my focus primarily on what other people might think of me if I didn't perform in a way they hoped for.  I simply created negative possibility outcomes in the future.

I remember learning one simple principle that shifted all this completely.

It's a principle of time and action, one that allows me to completely shift my focus onto what really matters, what helps me be even more happy, enjoy the most important moments in my life, and really drink the best juice out of life.  It takes away the conditional love, the fears, and false illusions that used to drain me of energy and desire to serve others.

Because I used it I could say to myself, "This is the best Christmas of my life.  This the best moment of my life.  I'm so grateful that I can enjoy loving others and not feel burnt out and resentful."  Because I use it, I get to enjoy more tender moments where she looks at me lovingly in my eyes and says "You're my best friend, I love getting to live each day with you, I just want to enjoy even more time together."  Of course there's still moments that stretch every piece of me, but overall, in contrast compared to where I was 5 years ago it doesn't even touch close.

The principle that I'm referring to is learning how to live life in the PRESENT.

What does this mean?

I learned, "Living in the Present" is what I effectively think, speak, and do in the PRESENT with empowering language that makes the measurable difference.  I learned that in the english language we all speak in three specific time tenses - Past, Present, and Future.  One of my mentors challenged me with this question:  Where does change happen?  Can you change your past?  Can you change your future?  Although we can prepare for the future ...

Change can only happen in the PRESENT, what some call the "NOW"

For example, I remember an intense work day, deadlines, emails, text messages, voicemails, unending to do's and back logged tasks to catch up on.  I began to feel lost and resentful.  I didn't want to continue another 6 hours feeling like this.  So I used the power of language in the present to help interrupt my negative limiting pattern, I simply got resourceful asked myself a couple of questions:

• "How am I feeling right now?" (A: Confused, Overwhelmed, Resentful)

• "How would I like to feel right now?"  (A: Happy, Grateful)

• "What am I doing right now that's not working?"  (A: Sitting here keep on looking at at emails, looking too long at Facebook and YouTube videos)

• "What's one thing I might do differently right now to feel grateful?"  (A: Get up, go outside and ask myself "What am I grateful for right now?  What is truly awesome about my life right now" until I feel grateful)

Notice in the above questions how often I used the language "right now" - "right now" are two powerful language inducers of bringing our minds into the present.  Sometimes we can get effectively stuck in the past and future, that we never take advantage of an opportunity to enjoy a moment right in front of us whether we take that opportunity or we create it.

By the way, using gratitude is a powerful tool because when used effectively it implements one of the most powerful principles of influence on our minds.  It helps our mind compare and contrast our state of life as being truly abundant and prosperous however that is defined to you for me.  Effective gratitude with compare and contrast with states or situations that are not desirable.  

For example:

• I'm so grateful that I have my wife as my best friend to talk with and hold, because I remember a time when I was alone and without anyone to ask me with such endearment "What was the best part of your day?"

• I'm incredibly grateful to enjoy a fully functioning body that can walk, run, jump, drive, climb, lift because I remember what it's like to being completely immobile after getting crushed after a football and it allows me freedom in special ways and do things I might not otherwise get to do.

• I'm incredibly grateful to have the client's I do right now to work for, because I remember the anxiety of not knowing where my next meal is going to come from, and now enjoying that confidence brings a totally abundant life to me right now.

• I'm grateful to be in a warm home, protected from -30oC weather, because I remember a time being homeless after an intense house fire where I was displaced for 6 weeks.  I love being home where I can sleep in a warm bed that I can call my own.

I hope you've found this content helpful as it has served me immensely, even right now.  Because of it, this Christmas I can truly focus and enjoy the moments that matter most.  I can enjoy every note of music that life plays for me:

• "Do we listen to beautiful music waiting for the final note to fade before we allow ourselves to truly enjoy it? No. We listen and connect to the variations of melody, rhythm, and harmony throughout the composition." - Dieter F. Uchtdorf

I invite you find and enjoy even more Abundance and Prosperity this Christmas Season and in your upcoming 2015 New Year.  If you'd like to learn even more about this kind of content contact me here.  Own your life and love it!!

Rory