So many of us are disconnected from the present moment. We regret the past and worry about the future. We spend way too much time in feared and imagined possibilities and potentials that we cease to see what is manifested right before us. I wrote about this a couple weeks back for LOTUS EFFECT and I thought I’d share it today for all of my readers on CHAKRA CENTER.

3 Tips for Being in the Now

The power of now is unlimited potential. In this moment you get to choose. What perspective do you want to have about your life? Where do you want to direct your focus? What you choose to do with your now will shape and direct your entire future. Now is the only thing that truly exist.

Dragging the past into the present drains the now of its power. Past pain, disappointments, fears, patterns, all of them are simply our journey of growth and expansion. They only have the power to affect the now if we allow them to. Our past doesn’t belong now. The now is for the NEW.

What if you left the past in the past and allowed your now to be a clean slate? Doing this does not require you to bypass your emotions, ignore trauma or wounds, or even deny the way the past has lent itself to your current situation. Being in the now simply gives you the freedom to have a new perspective. What meaning are you giving the past? Is that meaning true?

The now invites you to release your judgments and comparisons about the past and realize the gift of the moment. Every moment is new. The now is where you hold all your power and that power is perspective. You can ALWAYS choose how you will see the world – what meaning you will give to each passing moment.

If you have trouble keeping the past in the past, here are 3 tips to help change your perspective:

1. Acknowlege and validate all past wounds and traumas. Often those who bring their past in the future have never actually validated their pain, but hold on like hell to their story and conclusion about it. This is what a “victim mentality” truly is. If we can’t validate and accept our wounds, we will always be a victim to them.

2. Question your beliefs about wounds. If a child is sexually abused, they may form a belief about themselves because of the trauma. Maybe they believe they deserved it or they are not worthy of love. Perhaps they conclude they are dirty or defiled. Although the pain that caused these beliefs is very real, the beliefs themselves don’t have to be. Is what you believe about yourself true? Can you gain another perspective? You must be brave enough to question everything about your current belief system if you want to utilize the full power of the “now.” Beliefs and judgments only serve as limitations. The beliefs around our wounds are what cause the true damage.

3. Get a new perspective. Now it’s time to tell a new story. Yes we’ve been wounded. Yes it matters. Yes we need time to heal. But we get to choose how we will define our pain. We can choose to allow it to make us stronger. What will your new perspective on life be? How do you want to see the world?

The past can hurt us, yes, but it does not have to rob us of our present. It does not need to define our now. Allow your NOW to be a new definition of your power. Let the power of your now shift your perspective and expand your beliefs about what is possible. Utilize its abundant potential. Now is all there is. Use it wisely.