NOW

I still remember vividly, all my elders, teachers and friends telling me about future, that I should prepare for my future. I should work hard and study well so I can get a good job and in turn a great life style. All my focus should be on developing a great future. On the same time they used to give examples from past about great achievements by different people in different areas of life, who really made a difference. I grew up with all that…

Now when I turn back and see, I realize that all I have ever been taught or trained was either concerned about past or about future, no one really trained me about living in present, the moment I am living right now, and the very moment that IS. I believe for many of us that moment never exists, either we live with memories or with wishes and aspirations, we have so much to worry about and take care that we altogether forget the present moment that is the ultimate reality.

There are people whose life is fueled by memories, good or bad, but they direct the lives, some feel victim of the past and live their life in a shell and others believe that they did too much too good in the past and just take pride in their achievements. Other kind are those who are either too much worried about their future or they are way too concerned to make it better and for that they are even ready to sacrifice their present as well.

Life is moving too fast, no one knows whether he or she will be alive to see the next moment even, terrorism is so much hammered into our minds and our lives that the uncertainty of our own lives has become the biggest reality of the day. None of us knows if we will be alive tomorrow or not. We are not even sure that the oxygen we are inhaling at this very moment, will we be able to exhale it out in form of carbon di oxide. Even knowing this bitter reality, most of us still choose to live in future and prepare for it.

Don’t take me wrong, Not for a moment I am saying that it is wrong to live in future, rather every one should prepare for it and should do it well since its your own life, All I am saying is that sacrificing the very present in which we are living for the future that we are very much uncertain about is not the best idea in my opinion.

Most of us are like that, we use our present to make our future better, but we forget that when that future becomes the present, we are still sacrificing it to make yet another future better and in that way we always live for future and there is no presence of present in our lives. It’s like that individual who always waited for the train to come and take a train to next stop and then wait for another train. He never realizes that he has a life time ticket for the train that he can sit in and enjoy his journey.

I always remember this story I read in a book when I was young about a couple who saved their entire life for a dream cruise and then came a time when they saved enough so they can go for that cruise, they paid for the 15 day long cruise but realized they didn’t have any money left for the food, so they packed themselves with biscuits, they went to the cruise and breakfast, lunch and dinner they only had biscuits. They were really happy, it was a great cruise, lot of fun, but just biscuits, 14 days passed by, last day they realized that they had some money for the grand dinner, they went to the cafeteria and asked for the menu, it was a great menu, lots of foods varieties but to their surprise there were no prices on the menu, when asked the waiter told them that all meals were free and prices were already included in the cruise ticket………..and they lived 14 days just on biscuits……aaawwwwwwww, that sure was cruel, they didn’t realize that fact but do we? We have a life time ticket to our life’s journey and all the means to enjoy it but still we worry like that couple, strange. Isn’t it?

There are many people who use alarm clocks to help them wake up on time, most of us use it at least once in our lifetime or know somebody who uses them. Any ways, it presents a very simple yet beautiful way to understand our lives, the way we live, take decisions and move on.

When a alarm clock rings, at that time we hear some sound while asleep, we realize it’s the alarm clock and our subconscious mind reminds us that its now time to get up. In that split second each one of us has to make a decision, to get up or not to get up. That split second decision decides the fate of the upcoming hour or day. There are people who get up immediately when they hear the sound of alarm clock, means they decide to get up, and then there are others who just keep sleeping no matter how long the clock goes on, these guys decide not to get up and ignore the clock. There is a third kind as well, a very special kind, including me, we get up, press the button on the clock, the alarm stops and they go back to sleep with no one else to disturb.

Each one of us who uses these alarm makes a decision in that split second, regardless of the decision, we all make one. In our life all of us make thousands of such decisions, each and every day we make millions of decision, consciously or unconsciously. Why don’t we realize that it’s the Choices we make NOW will shape our future, this very moment you have a choice to continue reading, or keeping if off and doing some other work, or sleep or go our and have fun or watch TV, or get yourself a beer and enjoy or hangout with friends, possibilities are numerous, but you will make only one choice, it does not matter what that choice is, the thing that matters the most is that, your choice that you make RIGHT NOW will be a stepping stone to shape your future. Its like a tree, your choice is your stem and from that will grow too many leaves. Your hanging out with friends could make you meet someone new, whom you never met before and your CHOICE to be friend with that person more could result in getting a great friend or even a life partner, just the chain events, any thing can happen, but it will all depend on the choice you make RIGHT NOW. Your choice is just the beginning, to wake up or not in the morning is just the first choice for the day, shaping the rest of the day.

We are nothing, but a collection of choices we have made all our lives, but the good thing is we still have the autonomy and authority to choose what is right for us in this moment and guide our future accordingly, the good thing the power to make that choice is in our own hands, and the best moment to make that choice is NOW, right now, since

PAST IS HISTORY

FUTURE IS MYSTERY

THE MOMENT WE ARE LIVING RIGHT NOW

IS A GIFT OF GOD FOR US
THAT’S WHY IT IS CALLED
PRESENT (GIFT)

Are we ready to embrace our gift by making the right choices?