Hello,
My name's Ian Tucker and welcome to this video series called 10 Steps for a Better Life.
Step one,
Live just for today.
So before we start this short video,
I'd like to remind you of something.
Now is all that there is.
Again,
Now is all that there is.
This connection between you and I on this screen is the only thing that's real in our life.
The only thing that we can be certain of is this moment.
If I was to pause just for a few seconds,
Chances are your mind and very possibly my mind would drift,
Would go to something that's already happened or would move to something that may or may not happen in the future.
But it takes you and I away from this moment now,
The only thing that's real.
So where does our mind go to?
Well,
In Buddhism they use the term suffering.
It seems quite a grand phrase,
But to me suffering is my inability to live with an open heart or a quiet mind.
And I have to tell you that the majority of my suffering in the last 50 years or so has come because I can't just be here with you now.
See,
Very little of my suffering is ever in the moment,
Hardly ever,
And it will be the same for you.
My suffering is outside of this moment.
Let me explain a little more.
So let's think about before this video,
This connection together in this moment,
The past,
Your story,
My story.
You see,
Every word,
Thought and action that you and I have ever had up until this point,
This moment,
Is the sum total of the person we are today.
No exceptions.
Whatever you think of your past,
It's created the person that you are today.
You have created the person that you are today.
And we try and hide our stories quite often.
But what I'm going to ask you to do today is consider embracing your past.
It's all relative,
But whether you think it's been good,
Bad,
Boring,
Indifferent,
It's this rich tapestry of experience that you now have.
So I'm going to ask you to allow your past to serve its purpose.
Everything's in the mix as you sit,
Stand or lie watching this video.
And it's going to enable you to write your next chapter.
The story so far is the story.
A blank page awaits.
But what of the future?
What about after this video?
The total uncertainty of what may happen next.
An emotion that's associated with the future is worry.
Worry emanates from our lack of control or not being able to guarantee what might happen in the future.
Well,
If you take nothing more from this video,
Take this 99.
9% of anything that you and I have ever worried about has never happened.
Let me say that again.
99.
9% of anything that you and I have ever worried about has never happened.
And it kills us.
Latest statistics show that over 85% of non-accidental deaths,
So natural death,
Emanate from an illness or a condition,
Originated from stress,
Anxiety,
Worry,
Uncertainty.
So we die young worrying about things that aren't going to happen.
And the stuff that does happen in this moment,
In a moment,
We deal with.
Sometimes choking back tears or unable to step forward,
But we deal with it.
So between the 99.
9% and what you have dealt with up until this point,
That doesn't leave a lot out.
And there's a real frailty to worry because in this moment,
We can be certain we want something in the future.
Absolutely certain that it has to be this way.
Please God,
Give me this.
Let this happen.
Let it be this way.
And three months down the line,
We look back after something completely different has unfolded and say,
Thank God that didn't happen.
I was desperate for,
This is much better.
So let's get back to this moment.
We've talked about the past and the uncertainty of the future.
None of them exist anymore.
None of them are real.
This moment is real.
So just a couple of tips or things that I use to help me become present in the moment.
Everything is impermanent.
So whatever you're going through won't last.
That's a pretty good place to start.
If you've been to one of my talks or workshops,
Chances are you will have left with a little red heart that looks something like this.
My invitation to the audience is always to carry it with you in your purse,
In your pocket.
Use it as a token to remind yourself to come back to this moment,
Wherever you are,
Whatever you're going through,
Because this too shall pass.
Another great one,
You may be in a family situation or you may be at work and it's a stressful moment or a stressful interaction.
Just pause,
Look out of the window at something that's natural,
Trees,
Clouds drifting past,
Perhaps a pot plant in the room,
Something that reminds you that all of this noise and energy will dissipate.
That certain things will stick around.
Connect to that.
So I wish you well.
We've talked about the past gone forever and we've talked about the future,
The total uncertainty.
Most of your stress,
Anxiety and illness is never in the moment.
This has been taken from 10 Steps for a Better Life.
