THE HERE AND NOW

The here and now are the two most basic concepts you will be using in order to turn your life on a positive thinking.

The past and the future troubles us much more than we would want. And actually, Past and Future are non existent, because the only thing existing right now is your present.

Do we have to remember the past? Of course.

Do we have to think about the future? Of course.

The useful Past and Future:

Past and Future are very important in our day to day. The way we act and live is mainly due to our past and our expectations of the future.
Our way of being, to a greater or lesser extent, is based on the experiences we have lived or the ones we expect to live, how we were educated, our concerns for the future, etc.

It's okay to think about the past and the future, as this allows us to make better decisions.

Very basic example:
The other day I was cooking, I touched the pan to move it from the heat and I got burned.
Next time I'm going to move the pan, I'll put gloves on, because I've learned from the past.

The above is an example where the past is useful. You live it, you learn it, you apply it. But you don't generate fear of picking up the pan, you have learned and will use gloves next time.

This is how the past should be applied. The future must work the same way.
Starting from the base that the future is completely uncertain, it should serve as motivation to carry out actions.

For example, if I want to compete in horseback riding, I must learn to ride a horse. If I want to go live in another country where a language I don't know is spoken, I will take classes to learn that language.

Good, the above examples are basic. I focus on the past to know how I should act or how I should not, because I have learned from it.
I focus on the future to plan my actions, I know that I want something and I have to know in advance how I can achieve it or what actions I must take to get closer to that goal.

REMINDER:

So far, we can agree that past and future have an important role in our life. they are useful.
What we have to keep in mind is that both times do not exist.

• The past, HAS PASSED. There's nothing I can do about it anymore, I can't change it, I can't travel back in time, therefore the past is NO LONGER.

• In the same way, the future is NOT WRITTEN, it has not YET HAPPENED, so it does not exist either.

The past existed, but now it does not exist since you are in the present. The future will exist, but it does not exist yet since you are in the present.

The not useful Past and Future:

So, if the only thing that really exists is the present, what's the point of thinking about the past and the future in a compulsive and unprofitable way?

If I want to plan my future, I must think about the future in a present tense. What do I want to do in the future? I think about it and then I carry out actions in the present that bring me closer to that future.

The same with the past, if I use it for the actions I'm performing, it makes sense. Because I am really in the present, although I unconsciously apply teachings from the past.

When I give the past and the future an importance that they do not have, that is, an importance of the present (compulsive thoughts), then it is when I am losing myself and I am letting my mind dominate me, generating stress, anxiety, depression, etc.

What do I mean with the previous point?

Well, instead of thinking of the past as a teaching that I am applying in the NOW, I think of the past as my present.
That is to say, in my present I am thinking about things from the past, getting sad about things that have ALREADY happened to me, I repeat over and over again the discussion that I HAD the other day with whoever it was, I keep thinking about whether I should have said A or B when I was asked that question at work.

At this moment, you are no longer in the now, but you are poisoning your now with the past and therefore you are living "a lie".

The same with the future, when your present becomes a constant:

• How will my presentation of the project go tomorrow?

• What if in 1 year I'm still at the same job as I am now?

• What if I never find the love of my life?

• What if I die tomorrow?

You're "giving the future" "power in your present", if we are saying that the future does not exist, thinking about it and losing your present makes you stop living in the here and now, which will generate stress, anxiety, depression, and therefore you cloud yourself with non-positive thoughts.

Conclusions:

The past and the present are useful, as long as we take them as teaching or motivation for our present.

At the moment that our present becomes a constant repetition of past and future without any objective, that is when they stop making sense, that is when they stop helping us to improve and take away the possibility of living the bright side experience.

It is very important to always focus on the here and now, that the experiences of the past and the possibilities of the future help us to improve our present, and do not consume us.