In this moment(right now), I am in control of my time and my schedule. Think about it for a second. In this present moment, you and I are in control of what we do and how we feel. If we allow memories from the past to invade our minds, then we are held prisoner and are not in control of our lives.

Let’s try this. Each time we revert to a memory that does not serve us well (i.e., makes us feel like shit), take a breath in and imagine exhaling that thought and replacing it with something better, one that invokes happiness. Use all your will to hold that thought there, and don’t let the negative one pop back in. Try to do for it as long as you can. Like anything, the more you do it, the easier it gets. Trust me.

When we’re in that headspace where we focus on feeling good, things happen that better our lives. We apply for that job, walk up to that person we’d been fearful of, and speak confidently to them, or maybe we just enjoy the feeling of being happy. We are in control of our mindset.  Every day, every second. We are the keepers of us, no one else. We decide how we feel.

We’ve been so programmed to believe that we have to bow down to negativity and stay there. Don’t rock the boat. Follow the same path. No, we can break out of the web and live for ourselves. Believe in goodness and hope, and know that better days are on the horizon, not more pain.

If we allow the past to sicken our minds, we are responsible for causing that to happen. Because, guess what? Every single thought we have is created by us. We process what someone does or says to us, filter it through our perception, and then conjure up a story that may or may not be true.

Take in a breath and exhale out the crap. Shift from I’m a victim, to I’m a keeper of myself and am responsible for making myself happy and feeling peace of mind. I am the only one who can do that. And so are you. Be the keeper of yourself and be mindful of what you think.

Time comes and goes, right? When we say things like (and I’ve done this) “Where does the time go?” or “Time is flying by,” we recognize the speed at which days and months go by. I want to write a book titled Stop Time, about how to slow down life. I will. Just not right now. I’ve got other irons in the fire that need my attention, like my novel At What Price, which needs to be finished editing.  But when we live in the present moment, we can slow down time. All it takes is harnessing our thoughts to be here right now.

I’ve allowed myself (See that pesky word “allowed” again?) to think of the past and let it keep me there. I am in control of packing up the past and sending it away. The past does nothing for us in the present moment. Even positive, happy memories can clutter the present moment because we’re not allowing ourselves to feel happiness in this moment.

We all have the ability to be happy, no matter what circumstances we face. Complaining about something won’t make us feel happy. It keeps us stuck. Excuses keep us stuck, too. Just because we were dealt a shitty hand in the beginning or middle of our lives, guess what  – the game is not over! We can ask the dealer to trade in the cards we don’t need anymore for some good ones that give us a royal flush of happiness. All it takes is being present, mindful of our thoughts, and breathing out the ones that harm us.

Thank you for reading this and spending some of your precious time on my thoughts and ideas. I write them to help us, all of us, achieve happiness and peace of mind. Gosh, that’s the goal of life, isn’t it?

I hope we all have a happy, healthy, and very prosperous New Year! Happy New Year! Woohoo – bring on the new year!

To Being a Keeper of Us,

Francesca