Think about your answer to this question: “If you are not living in the moment, just WHEN are you living?”

As I see it, there are three times: past, present and future. I believe that while it is important to think about the past and the future, it is very dangerous to LIVE in either of these times. Earlier I talked about living in the past. Now let’s look at the dangers of living in the future.

I should start by clearly stating that I’m not advocating that you ignore the future and abandon forward-thinking goals and dreams. It is very important to plan your future and work towards it. The danger comes from looking EXCLUSIVELY at the future and ignoring the present moment.

Living in the future carries two dangers:

We might never start living. In my book, I wrote about about “the once trap”. Too often we are waiting for something to happen before we allow ourselves to start living.
“Once I get the promotion…”
“Once I finish MBA…”
“Once I weigh a certain amount…”
All too often we get so caught up in “the once trap” that we forget that ONCE is exactly how many times today comes around! We need to be mindful of this and make the most of every moment that we have.

We can be so goal-oriented that we don’t take time to appreciate what we’ve already achieved. Consider a dieter who obsesses so much over losing the last five pounds that they forget to rejoice over how much they’ve already lost.

There is another danger with living for the future… what happens to you when you get there? In his autobiography, astronaut Buzz Aldrin said that after walking on the moon, everything else in life seemed insignificant. This is clearly a person who was so focused on one goal for so long, that he forgot that simply walking on THIS planet each day is a tremendously significant achievement.

Previously, I urged you to learn the lessons that your past has to teach and then move beyond them into the present! Now I caution to you simply visit the future in order to help you plan and set goals. Now is the only time that truly matters because now is the only time we can work with. Living a mindful life provides a luxury that few people allow themselves – the luxury of enjoying things RIGHT NOW!

I have a question for you. If you are not living “in the moment”, just WHEN are you living? This is not a trick question, nor is it a rhetorical question. Think about your answer carefully.

As I see it, there are three times: past, present and future. I believe that while it is important to think about the past and the future, it is very dangerous to LIVE in either of these times. Let me explain what I mean by that. (This post discusses the perils of living in the past and this post talks about living in the future.)

When it comes to living in the past, there are two major variations on this theme.

First, there are those who are constantly reliving past glories or accomplishments. These people define themselves by who they were and what they’ve done. These people believe that who you were in the past is who you will be in the future. Or that what you’ve had in the past is what you will have in the future. When life takes an unexpected twist, people who live in the past often have a very difficult time adjusting because they are too busy living in a state of disbelief. “This sort of thing doesn’t happen to me. I never expected this. How can this be happening? How will I ever cope?” We all know people who’ve said or thought these things.

The second group are those who are constantly reliving past setbacks or failures and define themselves by the problems that they’ve had in the past. Strangely enough, these people, like the first group, ALSO believe that who you were in the past, is who you will be in the future. They let the shadows of the past keep them from achieving wonderful things in the present. These shadows often obscure the new opportunities and possibilities that life is constantly offering us in the present. “I’ve never had any luck. The world is out to get me. Why would things get better now? Why bother trying?” Again, we all know people who’ve said or thought these things.

So far, scientists have said that Time travel is impossible. Yet I know someone who does it on a regular basis! She is able to instantly return to a past time in the blink of an eye. If the wrong name is mentioned or a painful subject is raised, this person is able to instantly transport herself back to the moment when the pain and anger were fresh. Her entire demeanour changes and it is as though she is back reliving the entire event. She can instantly ruin a great mood in the present just by thinking of some issues that are long past.

I urge you to learn the lessons that your past has to teach and then move beyond them into the present! Now is the only time that truly matters because now is the only time we can work with. Living a mindful life provides a luxury that few people allow themselves – the luxury of enjoying things RIGHT NOW!

Don’t forget… there are also dangers associated with living in the future.

Nike has a new product called the Nike+ Fuelband. It goes on your wrist and uses some special magic to calculate how active you are each day. Their slogan is “Make It Count”.

I don’t have a Fuelband (but I’d like one, if anyone from Nike is reading!) but I really like the concept. It’s the athletic equivalent of my barcode tattoo – a visual reminder that everything we do each day counts.

Yesterday, I saw a video (below) by filmmaker Casey Neistat. He claims that he was hired by Nike to produce a movie promoting the Make It Count slogan, but instead took the money and left with his friend on a round-the-world adventure. Whether he really did that, or whether the video is exactly what Nike wanted, it’s wonderfully done and features many fantastic quotes and inspiring scenery.

Now I’m not suggesting that you go on a whirlwind trip until your money runs out. (Just ask John Brandrick about that.) I’m simply suggesting you look at what you can do with each day to make it count.

Imagine this scene…

It’s your birthday. Your family and friends are throwing you a great birthday party complete with presents and a delicious birthday cake. Everyone sings “Happy Birthday”, you blow out the candles, cut and serve three or four pieces of the cake. Then you pick up the remainder of the cake and head for the trashcan with the intention to throw it out.

You wouldn’t do that, would you? Of course not.

You also wouldn’t simply set it aside and let it sit there – day after day – getting stale and mouldy, would you? Of course not.

That would be wasteful. It’s a treat that’s meant to be savoured. It’s meant to be enjoyed with gusto. It’s part of your gift and it’s meant to be shared with those you love.

Well guess what?

For every morning you are fortunate enough to open your eyes, it’s as though life is throwing you a fantastic birthday party – complete with cake! I don’t want to see you throwing your days in the trashcan. I also don’t want to see you letting the days sit around getting stale and mouldy. I want to see you savouring each day – enjoying it with gusto. After all – today is part of your gift and it’s meant to be shared with those you love.

I want you to have your cake and eat it too!

Happy Birthday to you! Now make a wish.

You may notice that this website has had a bit of a facelift. I’ve recently made some changes in the evolution of my work. Some of the changes are cosmetic and others are philosophical.

For instance – Mathieu.com has been my domain since 1995 (yep!), but I haven’t really used it for anything for a number of years. It’s now back to being my main site and has had a similar facelift. This is where people can get information about my speaking and coaching services as well as information about my books. (Yes, I said books – plural – see below!)

ChooseTheLifeYouWant.com has been redesigned as a straightforward blog.

And… I’ve dusted off PowerOfMortality.com. I’ve recently realized that I still have more work to do in the area of helping people with the concept of Mortality.

I’m also re-evaluating my plans for a follow-up book.  Read more about those plans.

Ultimately, I want to thank you for being part of this fun ride and for all of your feedback!  Please be sure to subscribe to this blog and to the Power of Mortality blog via the Subscribe links at the right of each website. That way, you’ll always be up to date.

And please – feel free to let me know what you’d like to see me talk about in these spaces!  You can do that my commenting below, or by contacting me directly.

Thanks!

This video features an awesome story about the importance of saying “YES!” to things – even things like robbing a bank.