When Will Then Be Now?

Exploring how to be present in the moment to consciously create reality with some positivity.

One of my favorite comedy movies is Mel Brooks’ Spaceballs. This Star Wars parody features a lot of Ludicrous Speed gags (see what I did there?) silly one-liners, puns, and great characters.

There is a great exchange between two of the bad guys, Dark Helmet and Colonel Sanders, that happens as they search for the heroes. For this search, they watch the videocassette of Spaceballs. In the process they reach the exact moment of the film they are within, which gets surreal and leads to this:

Dark Helmet: What happened to then?
Col Sanders: We passed it.
When?
Just now. We’re at now, now.
Go back to then!
When?
Now.
Now?
Now!
I can’t.
Why?
We missed it.
When?
Just now.
When will then be now?
Soon!

As amusing as this scene is, it’s something I know many of us struggle with as we go about our day-to-day lives. Moments come and go, and in the jumble of linear time and the progression of past, present, and future it’s easy to question when then will be now.

Or is it when will now be then?

The word “then” can be both past and future tense. Past tense such as “back then they were happy,” and future tense as in “first you write, then you publish.”

When will then be now? When will now be then?

It is a part of human nature to look backward to see where you have come from and how you have gotten to where you are now. It is also in human nature to look ahead and see where you are going. This, however, makes this moment, the now, get lost in the noise of the then in either direction.

then be now The most ironic part of this is that now is the only true reality that there is. Why? Because the past is colored by your individual perception of it. Likewise, the future is made of the unknown because it has not happened yet.

Every individual moment of your life is unique. The only person who is experiencing your life is you. You probably share your life in various ways with other people along the way, yet nobody but you is inside your head. All thoughts, feelings, and actions belong to you.

How do you practice being in the now rather than fretting over the then, be it past or future?

Mindfulness.

When you practice mindfulness you work on being aware of what you are thinking, as well as what and how you are feeling and the intention behind actions you choose to take.

Practicing mindfulness isn’t hard, but it is a product of making now be now. This awareness is a matter of recognizing current thoughts, feelings, and actions, which is ultimately in the now.

In other words, you recognize how and what your conscious mind is doing, rather than letting your subconscious drive the bus.

Consciousness creates reality

The then of the future tense will be now, soon. But the then of the past tense has become a matter of the past that has passed by. Focus in either direction can leave you spinning like a top. When and where you might stop is completely random…and you could also fall off the tabletop into who-knows-where?

You have the power to make then be now. It’s a matter of mindfulness. This is not a quick-fix because there are no quick-fixes. Still, there are possibilities and opportunities to consider and work with that can drive your life to amazing places.

Consciousness creates reality. When you are mindful and aware of your consciousness, you gain control and influence over your thoughts, feelings, and actions. Then can be now, now, rather than soon if you work in the now.

Still confused? Then let me suggest one way to work on this. Find something positive that makes you feel good, puts a smile on your face, makes you laugh, or provides hopefulness. Focus on that positive thing for 2-5 minutes. Meditate on it, or if it’s a video watch it multiple times. Be completely present as you observe that positive thing.

I make no guarantees because there are none to be made. But I believe that taking a moment to be completely present in the now and focused on positivity, can be a force for good. This can help you see how then being now, and being at now, now, can make today better.

Finding positivity in the present isn’t hard, but it does require action

Knowing that you can be in the now, now, rather than soon, you have numerous options to work with mindfulness to make this moment into something. When you choose to be aware of your thoughts, feelings, and actions, you become conscious of them in the present, and that ultimately empowers you. When you feel empowered, your mindfulness increases, you become more aware overall, and that tends to spread to other people around you.

As such, you can build more positive feelings and discover more reasons to feel positivity and gratitude. That can be the impetus to improve any number of aspects of your life for the better, generating even more positivity and gratitude.

Gratitude leads to happiness. Happiness leads to love. Love is the ultimate positive attitude. An attitude of gratitude is an attitude of positivity that begets even more good energies – and that, like you, is always worthwhile.

This is the three-hundred-twelfth entry of my Positivity series. It is my hope these weekly messages might help spread positive energies for everyone. Feel free to share, re-blog and spread the positivity.

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