First, I will share about what the AA society calls “taking the next right indicated step”. What does this concept mean exactly? In essence, it means to let go of control. When you worry about the future you take away from the present moment. Have you noticed that many of the plans you wish to execute properly are ruined by outside factors, not taking initiative, giving up before completion, or maybe even lack of motivation on a goal YOU thought of? Truth is, a majority of our decisions are based on a “in the moment impulse”. Let me give you understanding. Have you noticed that no matter how much you want your ideals and think you are in control, you react to situations as they arise as opposed to sticking to what you planned with foresight? Think about that. You will come to a conclusion as to whether or not that is true. I say this stuff to free you from worry. Now, referring back to “taking the next right indicated step'”, it is best to focus on the present moment and do what is needed to be done in the moment. This will release you from your futile plans and much of your worry about the future, if not even all of the worry. This takes practice but the lasting rewards free’s your mind from unnecessary energy consumption and gives you the fuel to do what is needed while leaving the results to God.
Second, focusing on the future rather than the past. Sometimes we are stuck in the past and we don’t even know it. Let me give you an example. Being a former meth addict, my first handful of rehab experiences I expected to go to rehab and have my problem go away. It simply is not that straight forward. As the rehab visits grew in number, I began to lose faith in my ability to stay sober. My time staying at rehab and being sober grew shorter and shorter to the point where I could only stay at a rehab for a week or less before I left to go get high. Now that I have some time, I recognize that my perspective was focused on my failed attempts in the past and sabotaged my peace while also causing a repeat in this pattern for years because of the fear and lack of perspective to overcome the pattern. Our behaviour results from the thoughts and perspective in our mind. The day I began to focus on the freedom to be mine in the future instead of what I was letting go of was the day I became free from that pattern, became happier, and felt a progressive sense of freedom from day to day. The lesson to be taken from this example is that focusing on the past causes you to repeat the same toxic patterns you are trying to let go of because you are no longer giving energy to it. When you shift your focus to the future, you are looking at the pattern in a new light and allowing your mind the freedom to see the possibilities and gives you the perspective to take action towards what you are wanting.
So there you have it. Two mental coping skills to improve the quality of your life. I appreciate feedback through comments and if you liked the content enough, even a follow would be nice. I write for others so that they may be blessed with a better life. Comments give me the joy of knowing I’ve helped others or how to improve my impact. Follows allow me to get closer to getting paid for this work so I can put more content out