“What day is it?” asked Pooh./“It’s today,” squeaked Piglet./“My favourite day,” said Pooh. —A. A. Milne
All My Troubles Seemed So Far Away
Winter always puts me in a reflective state of mind. I find myself ruminating over past decisions and often feeling either regretful or nostalgic. Then along comes January, thrusting me into a new year and—suddenly—I find myself focussed on the future, wrapped up in hopes or worries. Both states of preoccupation take me away from the place where all of my life is actually happening: the present.
Focus On Now
Each moment of our lives is a moment in which we can only be doing one single thing, and when we are busy living in either the past or the future, we are failing to do anything at all. Do you have regrets? Good. How can you put what you have learned from those experiences to use now? Do you have hopes? Good. What decisions can you make right now that will help those dreams come true?
Fear
Reality is what we create with each passing moment.
Regret and hope can both be terrible burdens because they can lead to fear. Fear that our hopes won’t happen. Fear that our regrets have defined us. And fear, of course, makes us feel stuck. This is why it’s vital for artists to focus on the present, which is the moment in which we have the power to take action. Reality is what we create with each passing moment. If you’ve been feeling stuck, or have been struggling to get started on something, perhaps consider taking one small positive action now. Today. If you want to be more active, you could take a walk. If you want to reconnect with a friend, you could send a Miss You text or Email. And, of course, if you want to write, there is a fresh prompt on Bookflow every day. I hope that whatever action you take makes you feel wonderful.
