Living in the now
An interesting scene in one of Harry Potter movies, involves Harry discovering the Mirror of Erised. In this mirror you could see your heart’s desire come alive as if it were real. When Harry gazed into it, he saw himself having a loving relationship with his long-dead parents. When his friend gazed into it, he saw himself achieving and winning recognition from others in the future.
The only problem with this mirror was that the images were so captivating, that some people chose to focus on the images to such an extent that they failed to live their life. Harry was warned to be aware of his desire, but to ensure that he still lived his life.
I wonder how many people make the same mistake of becoming overly consumed by what they would have preferred for their life. I can remember times in my own life where I was consumed over what had happened in my past. For a while I wished some things had worked out differently – my father’s death at an early age being one of them. Ultimately, we have to accept that we cannot change the past, allow ourselves to grieve any losses, and then allow ourselves to live our lives as fully as possible.
Other people make the mistake of being so focused on their future goals or their need to achieve, that they fail to take care of their relationships or to notice the moments of joy in each day. Some fail to take the steps required to achieve their goals - there is a saying that goes, "You have to have feathers before you can fly". Others focus instead on desires that are really not that important – the cleanliness of the house, their appearance or how much they weigh, or the amount of money in their bank account. Of course these things have some significance, but I wonder if we will see these things as important as we look back on our lives.
Chances are that what we will see as worthwhile is that we lived our lives well – that we had loving relationships, that we cared for others, that we discovered our passions, and the spiritual lessons and insights we gained. With this new perspective, even the things we stress about are likely to lose their importance. Perhaps from our future perspective, we will see that life’s challenges were an opportunity for us to learn and grow. We may not like the circumstances that life gives us, but it is still up to us to make the best out of our life. Whatever your circumstances are, choose to make the most out of your life.
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Ken Warren, known as ‘The Doctor of Difficult People’, is Australia’s leading speaker on the topic. He can show you how to turn difficult customers and co-workers into pussycats, make great teams even better, and achieve better outcomes with challenging clients. Check out his free resources at www.positivepeoplesolutions.com.au
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