I’ll bet you’ve heard it or read it at least a dozen times during your life – live in the present moment – now is all you have. Am I right? The question is – do you do it or just think it or say it?
I won’t belabor the concept or simple fact that the present moment is all you have as I have written numerous articles and even book chapters on this subject. What I would like you to consider is the price you are paying or will pay as a result of not honoring this simple yet very beneficial mindset.
Think about it – what have you not done, seen, learned or become yet in your life that is important to you? I just read a great book called Five Wishes by Gay Hendricks (a great author by the way) and in it he focuses on a simple question – If you were asked on your deathbed – whenever that is in six months or fifty years from now – “was your life a success?” How would you answer that question?
Seriously – consider this as vital when it comes to what you do with your remaining time here and how that will contribute to how you would answer this challenging question at that time.
Or to put it another way – what didn’t you do, see or become or what did you do during your life that contributed to your answer. Keep in mind we are talking here about your life not just your career, relationships, spiritual development, financial circumstances etc. How would you respond to this overall question either yes or no when you roll all of life’s actions, circumstances, decisions, choices and outcomes into your answer?
I know when I first read it, my answer was NO. Yes, there have been some great times, accomplishments, happy moments, travel, career success etc. but overall the answer was a quick and honest NO. And I was not at all pleased with my honest answer.
In the quiet of your own mind can you be honest with your answer? If you can – great then take the next step. If you can’t don’t waste anymore time on this article. You need to be honest with this first question to move on.
If your answer to the question is YES – I consider my life a success then ask yourself – why? I’ll bet you might be in denial in some areas. I’m not suggesting that you didn’t live a successful life but Ill wager that very few people can honestly answer this with a quick and honest YES.
If your answer to the question was NO – it’s now time for some serious work so you can live the time you have left to change your answer when that end time comes for you.
For a moment consider that your answer was NO, so what’s the next few questions? Here are a few to consider.
Why did you do, I mean really do, that you regret?
What didn’t you do and why not?
What would you change and why and how?
If you could start all over again what single choice, decision or action would you change or do differently?
There are a lot more questions but the key is to phrase your answers honestly and from a past perspective for example –
Question – What would you have done differently?
Answer – I would have spent more time honestly considering my choices and decisions and not just making them from the heart, mind, ego or a sense of urgency only.
OK – Follow-up to this – Why didn’t you do this or what drove your actual behavior at the time? Spend some real honest consideration on this as your answer, if honest, will give you guidance on how you can, need to or desire to change your way of handling these types of issues going forward.
I’m sure you get my drift here so I won’t belabor this any further other than to say you have two choices –
1)Take the time to go through this process or not.
2)If you do – your honesty will determine its value. If you don’t you have no right on your deathbed to complain, whine or feel any sense of regret – you had your chance but failed to embrace it.
"Anyone who has never made a mistake has
never tried anything new."
Einstein