(Distinctions are subtleties of language that, when gotten, cause a shift in a belief, behavior, value or attitude.)
There is no ‘A year from now.’
There is only the ‘Now’ which appears in a year.
Why is this Distinction important? Because living in the future keeps you from living in the Now, the only time which exists. The future (and the past, for that matter) is a mental construct, a fabrication, an illusion. It’s not real. Now is.
You may say, “Well of course I live in the Now. Everybody does.” Nevertheless, extensive research has shown that meditators (and other out-of-mind practices such as Tai Chi, prayer, yoga, etc.) truly experience Now. The rest are caught up in the repeating patterns of their repeating mental experiences.
Particularly useless is pretending to experience the future. If you want to dwell on a future outcome (let’s assume it’s a desirable outcome; you certainly wouldn’t want to spend time dwelling on an undesirable one, would you?) then imagine that outcome Now. Right here in Now. See it, feel it, wallow in it, enjoy it, try it on for size, modify it.
Coaching Point: If you can’t fully experience it Now, what makes you think you will experience it later?
Copyright 2020 Steve Straus. All rights reserved.
S:1264 Distinction: Now(Now) vs. Now(Then)
Published on: January 22, 2020