"Rather than dwelling on the past, we should make the most of today, of the here and now doing all we can to provide pleasant memories for tomorrow."
--Thomas S. Monson
It's easy to get caught up in the "if only I'd," or "I wish I would have," mode of thinking. "I can't believe s/he felt/said/did that to me..." Sometimes we need to let go of all of that and live in the present. I know that thinking/dwelling too much on past pains can bog us down really fast and hold us there if we let it.
The quote above is from a Thomas S. Monson talk called "Finding Joy in the Journey," and it's full of good stuff. One particular paragraph states, "This is our one and only chance at mortal life--here and now. The longer we live, the greater is our realization that it is brief. Opportunities come, and then they are gone. I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that elusive and nonexistent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey--now."
I come from an impressive line of worriers. Combined with my Myers/Briggs personality profile which pegs me as an ENFP who thinks what could be is always more exciting than what is, it makes for a pretty schizophrenic person. I worry, or I think of what could be. The reminder to enjoy the here and now is really good for me.
There's an awesome quote in Kerry Blair's Counting Blessings. She speaks of the Mary/Martha "careful and troubled about many things," (if memory serves- I don't have the book right in front of me. It's on my nightstand). Kerry's quote is, in essence, "if you must be careful, be careful not to borrow trouble." That hit me like a ton of bricks. I'm often a borrower of trouble.
The whole message of finding joy in the journey is such a valuable one. It really isn't all about the destination. I love reminders of that because it allows me to take a deep breath, smile and appreciate the details along the way that make life so rich.
3 comments:
Wonderful advice, Nancy. =)Great blog.
ENFPs are GREAT people! I tested as an ENFJ years ago and found the Meyers-Briggs concept so helpful I gave it to my students. In fact, I think ENFPs are great word people too, aren't they? And your post was a good reminder for me. I may have to read it every day for a few weeks. I find myself "naval gazing" trying to figure life out and even trying to find answers in the past for what's happening in my life right now. But really, there's a lot to be said for enjoying--fully--the here and now. Thanks for great thoughts.
Thanks much, Val. Sometimes I wonder! I read that profile and shake my head at how accurate it is. Like Myers and Briggs crawled around in my head for awhile.
Anyway, I did love that talk. So many good soundbites in it! I printed it and my copy has underlinings everywhere.
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