Your Perfect Present

 by Mary Jo Wehniainen

When your life isn’t exactly what you want it to be, what is the first thing you’re likely to do? Dream of a better future? Set goals to move you in that direction?

That’s a great place to start. You’re taking the initiative, making a plan, and imagining what it will be like when …..

But what if you took that same energy and applied it to making the present situation as good as it can possibly be right now?

What most people find is that when they do that -- make their present as good as it can possibly be right now -- the thing that they’ve longed for will come to them quicker and with much less effort.

It will happen that way because you’ve done all you can to make the best of the present situation. You’ll be making a statement to yourself, to the world, and to your subconscious that you’re serious about becoming "who" you really want to be!

There is so much to learn from the present. We need to spend time there, rather than always "living" in the future.

If we spend our time thinking about how good it will be, we’ll miss so much in life there is to enjoy!

I’m a firm believer of having a compelling picture of the future you want to create. At the same time, if you’re not doing everything possible within your power to make the present situation be the best it can be, it’s going to take you a long time to create the future you want.

If you use your energy to make sure that everything about your present is as good as it can be, you’ll find yourself drawn into the picture of your future faster than you ever dreamed possible.

I realize what I’m talking about is a bit abstract, so here are a couple of examples to help you get the idea.

Sue (not her real name) has a successful online business, however, her life is very crazy. She has no time for her children (which is why she started the business in the first place), her house is a total mess, she has people contacting her on a daily basis but she’s unable to answer all their requests. She insists on doing everything herself at this point of her business, but looks forward to the day when she has lots of help, her home and office are neat and organized, and she spends lots of time having fun with her children.

What’s wrong with this picture? Sue’s not moving any closer to her ideal future … she’ll remain stuck in her dissatisfying present until she begins taking the steps she can RIGHT NOW to create a peaceful, enjoyable environment. She can begin to say "yes" to her children more often and "no" to working 18 hours a day. She can get someone to help with the household chores, and begin organizing her work and time NOW rather than dreaming of what it will be like when everything’s perfect.

If she begins living like she wants to live RIGHT NOW, her desired future will come quickly because she’s sending messages to herself, her subconscious and to the world that "right now I am an organized, smart, and successful business woman with plenty of time for my children".

See what I mean?

What about Mary? (also not her real name) She lives in a small home with a messy yard, crammed closets, and surrounded by lots of things in need of repair. She dreams of moving into her new home. Part of that dream is that the home is always neat, clean, lots of space, everything working properly.

Do you think Mary will move into her new home and be instantly transformed into a wonderfully organized, neat, clean person? Not likely.

Unless she begins now doing everything within her power to make her present situation "perfect", she’ll remain living in a discontent state forever. Even if she moves into the new home, the old habits will follow. If Mary begins now to clean out the closets, fix the things that are broken, give her yard some tender loving care, she’ll be living content right now! She’ll still move into the new home, but her life won’t be on hold until then. She can enjoy most of her dream future right now, the only thing missing will be the new building – but that will soon follow!

It works like magic!

I very often hear people comment "this is not me" about their present situation. Well, the truth of the matter is that "it is them", and if they don’t like how it is, then they need to do something about it!

The "striving" and "discontent" that we live in holds us back. It steals the peace and fulfillment of the things we’re striving for. Enjoying the present to its fullest propels us into the future we long for.

The life you love is not as far off as it seems. Take a look at what you’re currently putting up with in your life. Are you doing everything within your power to change that situation and make it as enjoyable right now as possible? Or are you waiting for the fairy godmother to come along and all of a sudden change it for you?

Guess what? There is no fairy godmother. It’s all up to you!

This month I challenge you to begin looking at the things that you’re looking forward to in your future. A new car, new home, new job, new relationships, new dress size, whatever it is. What are you doing right now to make your life as much like the "new" one as possible?

If it’s a new car, keep the old one neat and clean inside and out until you get a new one. Wash it and put a coat of wax on it. Fix the little things that are broken.

If it’s a new home, take care of the things that really "bug" you so you can enjoy it thoroughly while you’re waiting to move into the new one. Keep it picked up and make it pleasant to be in just as you imagine your new home being.

If it’s a new job you’re longing for, do all you can possibly do in the current job … and do it to the best of your ability. If you’re doing your present job in a haphazard, half-hearted way, you’re only making yourself miserable. Why put yourself through that agony? The satisfaction of knowing you’re doing your best goes a long way …

If it’s a new relationship you’re dreaming of, make sure that the energy you’re putting into your present relationships is positive. Even though others may not act the way you’d like them to act, you can act the way you envision yourself being.

And if it’s a new size you’re longing for, make sure you’re eating, drinking and exercising like you’ll be doing when you reach that ideal size!

I urge you to begin to enjoy your life right now. Do everything within your power to make it like your ideal future. The present is a wonderful place to be!