I have always been the worry girl, the anxious girl, the girl only able to focus on the next day and future. Everyone around me who I confided in about my thoughts or worries would always tell me you can’t control the things that are completely out of your control. They would say the future is the future and you are not in the future right now. I would hear this and it would just completely go over my head. I tried and tried to think only about the now and what was right in front of me, but I just couldn’t get my head to shut off. It wasn’t until recent events occurred that I learned the importance and significance of living your life fully and in the present, and it is these events that I now have to thank for changing my life.
I don’t know if I am the only person that this happened to, but it just so turned out that the COVID pandemic decided to hit in midst of what felt like my life falling apart. I was struggling within my own self and daily life and now we added on a pandemic, which was terrifying and debilitating to not only myself, but also the entire population. I felt hopeless and unsure of the future. I think this was my turning point. I never experienced anything like this before, and now my life was basically dangling in front of myself. And NO one, not even me, could predict the future, less alone what even tomorrow was going to bring. This realization led me to have a lifestyle change. I spent a few minutes every day acknowledging my gratitude and thankfulness for one thing in my life at that moment. I would journal, live in the now, and acknowledge where I was and how I felt right then and there. I quickly found joys in the little things around me and it did not matter how small they were or how big the milestone was; I found a way to appreciate it, because to be real, tomorrow is truly never promised.
Now, just because tomorrow isn’t promised, I don’t mean you shouldn’t not consider the future at all. Because, without the future and your opinions on your future, there would be no way for you to think about your dreams and goals. I just say now that my life is 70% in the present, 20% in the future, and 10% in the past, because I’m not gonna lie, I am still trying to figure out that whole letting go of the past thing. One day…one day, I will figure that out. So, consider your future, but be grateful for the moments you are living right now because some people don’t have that blessing. I promise your outlook on life and what this whole world and universe means will change when you live more presently. Your love and admiration for the things around you will heighten and you might just find yourself.