There’s the past. There’s the future. And then, there’s right now, the present.

We can look back at our past and wish we would have done things differently, or think about the future and say what we’re going to do, but the present is the only time we can do anything. Seize the moment, for this moment will soon be the past.

I can look back on my past and certainly see things I would do differently today. But once I’ve learned the lesson, I choose to not look back. What good is it to think about what I should have done? I cannot change the past.

The same is true for successes, for they, too, are in the past. They may be pleasant memories, but spending a lot of time dwelling on the good times can often lead one to think the “good ‘ole days” are over. Nonsense!

I cannot change anything about the past, but what about my future? Like it or not, the biggest determining factor for my future, and for your future, is not what happened in the past, but what’s happening right now. How I think and what I do today will impact my tomorrow.

Gandhi once said, “The future depends on what you do today.” It’s true, everything I do right now affects my future, one way or another. The actions I take today mold my future. That’s why wishing the “good old days” were still here, or complaining about life today is not only a total waste of time, but it’s also setting up my future.

Your Future Is In Your Hands

There are lots of people who do not believe their future is in their own hands. They are hoping to win the lottery, hoping the government will give them more, or just get real lucky somewhere, somehow, sometime. They may have dreams of brighter days, but by not taking responsibility for their own futures, they are living in a fantasy world.

Whether it is a better financial situation, better relationships, or better health, who doesn’t have some area in their life they would like to see some measurable improvement in the future? It would be really hard to find someone who doesn’t see the need for anything in their life to improve in the future. When it comes to goals and dreams, if we fail to plan, we are planning to fail. And today, not tomorrow, is the day to take action.

The Bible talks about guarding our hearts with all diligence, for out of it (out of own heart) come the issues of life (our own lives). The actions we take today, the thoughts we entertain, the things we say, and the attitudes we carry all play a part in determining our own futures.

Look At Your Gauges

Most cars have gauges on the dashboard that monitor important things like fuel level, oil pressure, and battery power. As human beings, God gave us some helpful gauges to monitor our lives. One of those is our speech. The Bible states that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.

Take note sometime of what you say and how you say it. It’s a very good indication of what’s on the inside. And remember, out of our own heart come the issues of our own lives.

If you speak negatives it’s not just making a decision to stop speaking negatives and speak only positives. The reason you are speaking what you speak, thinking what you think, and have the attitudes you have, is a heart issue.

Address the issues on the inside. Nothing ever changes on the outside until we change what’s going on inside. When we choose to put off or release wrong thoughts, and put on, or think the right thoughts, those right thoughts will get into our hearts. The change in our speech and attitude will follow.

Enjoy Today

Just because what I think and do today impacts my future doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy today. Quite the contrary; why not enjoy today and live it to the fullest! There is no guarantee of tomorrow. I hope I live a long, long time, but I don’t know; therefore, today is another gift from God and I choose to enjoy it, knowing I am affecting my own future.

The cartoonist that gave us, Charlie Brown, Charles Schultz once wrote, “Learn from yesterday, live for today, look to tomorrow, rest this afternoon.” On that note, I think I’ll take a little rest after writing this post, and then after that, enjoy doing something else today.

Mike Verdicchio
2014

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