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My Manifesto: Thrive in the Present

The past serves us only in having taught us the lessons needed to thrive in the present and strive towards the future.
I came up with this manifesto entry when I was going through a particularly rough period in my life. I wont go into details but let me suffice to say that every day seemed like a worst day than before it. I had very little motivation or desire to get out of bed, and when I did I regretted it or felt forced to and, therefore, resentful of existence itself. Despite the several reasons I gave to it at the time, what was the root cause for most of this malaise? Living in he past.
A lot of us spend a lot of time saying words like “if only” or “I wish” or “I could have”. All of these thought processes are natural but unhelpful because all of those thoughts are in the past. The past has happened. You can not change it. You can only learn from it. And most of those lessons have already been taught. We all wish that terrible thing that happened in the past – a failed relationship, a death, a lost job, etc. – never occurred. The question is, who has that made you today and how do you use that new found strength? What made that last relationship fail and how can you put it to good use in your current one? Same thing in the job. Death is inevitable and no moment in this life is guaranteed. Therefore, what can you do to ensure you treat each moment as if it is the last.
I know a lot of this sounds a bit obvious and perhaps even contrite. That being said, you would be surprised at how difficult most people find it, myself included at times, to not think about and second guess the past. By meditating on this entry in my manifesto, it helps me remember how important it is to use those lessons right here, right now to consistently become better.

3 thoughts on “My Manifesto: Thrive in the Present”

  1. I’ve decided to take matters in my own hand, quit my job and do my own thing for reasons not to dissimilar to what you describe in your post. I figured it is time to step up to myself—for a better me, a better future, for all of us. I think it all comes down to cherishing the here and now appropriately—something that I find incredibly hard to do. Thanks for the reminder.

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