7 Rules of Life - 4. NOW is the moment of power

7 Rules of Life - 4. NOW is the moment of power


Where have you just been? And what is about to happen next? And, mind bending time again, are either of the answers you just gave to those questions real?

The answer is no, by the way.

The past is now just a memory.  A moment in time that only you experienced.  There may have been other people with you but none of them will have experienced that moment, or that moment, or that moment, or (this could go on for a long time so I'm going to stop)...in the way you just did.  It was a truly unique moment of time, experienced in a way no one ever has before and no one ever will again.

The future is a fantasy.  A guess on your best knowledge of what you can see, hear, feel and know about yourself.  But it isn't real.  If you really wanted to, you could run out of your house naked and run around the street proclaiming your love for Doctor Who.  You probably won't but it is an option ( if you do, grab a video and post it. That sounds funny!).  And that's the thing about the future, it isn't defined until you choose what to do next.  And when do you choose..?

Now.  Now is when you choose.

Every second has a myriad choices available.  You can choose left or right, good or bad, now or later, him or her, yes or no, fight or flight, stick or twist.

Now.  Now is when you choose.

So what do you choose to do?  Your life depends on your answer....

Is it summer yet?

Friday Night Quickie: Summer in Scotland has, so far, been pretty much devoid of sunshine and coated in grey and heavy rain clouds. But that doesn't mean the sun has gone forever, does it?

Life has many seasons.  

I'll leave you to think about that one :) 

You have breached life's Terms and Conditions...sorry, no refunds.

Do you try and work out your personal challenges and problems? No, I mean, do you try and literally 'work' out your personal challenges and problems?

For the most part our personal stuff is emotionally based (we could argue it all is but that's for another post, for just now let's content ourselves with 'most').  Yet, our default, and very western, approach is to try and fix it. To logic it out; 'this thing is broken and I will fix it' even when this 'thing' is our relationship, our moods or our emotional well being.  

This is what I mean by 'work' it out. We approach our problems and challenges like they are a malfunctioning computer system, a failure to meet your target or a breach of terms and conditions. We look to project manage our way out of them, quoting logical reasons why it shouldn't be like this 'sorry [insert name of partner here], due to your failure to meet my standards of care you have been given a C grade and the following requirements must be met within the next appraisal period or, with regret, you are dumped, pal'. 

Our problems and challenges can't be logic-ed (new word, my blog!) out, they need to be felt, acknowledged and addressed as emotional beings. Not as  project managers!
You can't change your life with a bullet pointed list. 

You change your life by taking action to change the things you aren't happy with and by accepting that life will, undoubtedly, deliver you both ups and downs and that fighting these or thinking you can control them will only lead you to a world of hurt.

You are an emotion machine. You have been made this way. There are no terms and conditions, there is just life. Start living it that way it was designed to be lived. 

Let loose, smile, cry, laugh, blush. The world becomes more fun when you do...

Who shut the gate?

When my wee (totally adorable) cocker spaniel Benji was a tiny puppy we used to let him out in the garden and put plant pots in front of the gate so he wouldn't escape. The gate doesn't lock properly (in fact, at all!) so a slight push and it would open. We were always worried he might work that out since he is also a clever dog when he wants to be. It was highly effective and never once did he get out.

He's not so tiny anymore and, as the summer comes in, we can now let him back out into the garden on an almost full time basis again. But here's the interesting thing, the plant pots aren't there anymore yet he still stops where they were, never tries to get out and accepts that he is contained by the gate. If he just gave that gate a small nudge, he'd have freedom. Yet he never does. 

It's easy to learn patterns that keep us trapped isn't it? But surely we're more intelligent than the dog, aren't we? We'd never just simply accept an easily surmountable limitation on our freedom and ability to go where we want to go and do what we want do and not at least try to ‘push the gate’ and see if it would open. Would we?

Makes you think…

Go nudge the gate. You never know it might be open and, if it is, amazing things could happen.

Be amazing

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