I am generally a positive, optimistic person—say 75% of the time. I only slip into negative worry about 25% of the time. Unfortunately, my negative conversation often communicates in the background of my mind; trying to get my attention, screaming, “YOU ARE ONLY FEELING POSITIVE BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO REALITY!”
The other day Cathy enthusiastically reported the revenue we received from our new line of nutritional products. I flippantly responded, “Oh, I hoped it would be more.”
Silence.
Then she said, “Well, that certainly negates the celebration of all the hard work we’ve done this past year, and the people we’ve helped.”
Knowing she was right—as usual—I mumbled and tried to explain “factually” why I expected a faster growth towards our larger vision. Cathy replied, “We will never reach that vision if we keep thinking the results we get along the way are never good enough. We need to enjoy this moment, this result, and trust in the path we are following.”
Of course, that makes sense. If I worry about the future not being what I want, my thoughts in this moment will be ineffective. When I’m in this place, I’m “living in the wreckage of my future,” as Louise Penny says in her wonderful mystery novel, The Long Way Home, p. 22, Louise Penny, 2014.
The only path to creating the future I envision is to be effective and lights-on with my thoughts right now. Or, as Cathy says, “Worry doesn’t work. Doing things every day that light us up does work.”
“But,” my skeptical voice asks, “What about the reality that I wanted—and the fact that I expected—more revenue this month, and it’s not here? If I accept that all is well, won’t it keep me from doing the hard work it takes to succeed?”
Fortunately, after years of worrying about the future rather than enjoying the fruits of the present, I’ve discovered this is not true.
Having a big vision, a big goal, is important because it’s the movement from where we are now towards our big dream that provides the daily juice of life. Our lights-on energy comes from working toward the dream. As Esther Hicks says: we need to adjust our vibration of where we are now and know that we are thriving now. If we only focus on the fact that it’s still coming, it will never get here.
All we can really control is what we are thinking right now—in the present moment. The only path to creating the future we want is to be effective and positive with our thoughts right now. In order to do the hard work in an effective manner, we need to enjoy dealing with all the moving parts as they come to us. When we do this, it’s not hard work; it’s moving in the flow of having a daily peak experience.
So, trust that your vision is true; when you trust that you have or will have the right answers when needed; when you hold positive, effective thoughts in the present moment, you will, at a minimum live a happy, fulfilled daily life—whether or not your bigger vision or goal ever fully happens. And, you will actively contribute to a much better probability that the vision will be fully realized.
Things are always working out for me,
Gary
