Not the Past

"Nostalgia is like a grammar lesson: you find the present tense, but the past perfect!" -Owens Lee Pomeroy

Not long ago I was involved in a conversation regarding how good things used to be. The point being made that life was simpler, better for all that we had or didn't have. This person waxed on about how great life was. There were many examples being given to illustrate their argument;

- No social media to glue our attention every moment of the day.
- No cell phones that keep us constantly connected to work.
- No economic hardship of harsh unemployment rates and low wages.
- No ... well you get the point.

I kept thinking to myself what kind of nirvana was this person living in? It is very possible that the cycle of economic, social or philosophical change had jaded this person. The past may have seemed better relative to this person's condition in the present day.

In fact, each of us could possibly trace a period in our life when things seemed more clear or comfortable then what exists in our lives today. But for many obvious reasons, we can not live in the past nor can we stop life from changing around us. All we can really do is adapt to the ever changing world and control our own attitude.

When I thought of the points made, I could only think of how far we have come and in many ways learned from the past.

- Yes, social media to expand our connection to others around the world.
- Yes, cell phones that give us wonderful technologies to keep us safer.
- Yes, a workforce that is evolving in the always cyclical nature of business.
- Yes, an opportunity to adapt and change with our ever changing world.

We can lull ourselves into a sense that life was greater, but we must also remember that the past was once our present. We need to learn from that past in order to make our present even greater. Use the experiences lived long ago to make the experiences of today ones that will advance our lives.

Life is like that of an electronic component called a diode. It has low resistance to current flow in one direction, but a high resistance in the opposite direction. Live your life in a forward direction. Live life having learned from the past and not one in which you remain in the past. Embrace the changing world and marvel in all that is possible.

Stay inspired my friends!

Here Today

"My today is both my yesterday and tomorrow." ~Joseph Primm

Recently I returned from a two week business trip to Asia. It was a very good trip and successful in what I was able to accomplish. As always though, it is good to be back home.

When traveling to that part of the world, the clock is roughly thirteen hours ahead of my normal time zone. So for the length of my stay, I tend to be half a day ahead in time. In the practical sense, you are a day ahead of those you normally hang around.

The change can have a dramatic effect upon your body. There is an appropriate scene in the movie "Lost in Translation" in which Bill Murray is sitting on his bed looking out the window. It is the middle of the night in Tokyo, but he is wide awake as if still sitting in the U.S.

The movie itself is not my wife's favorite, but I like it only because of the lost feeling one experiences during a dramatic time change.

Writer's note: The movie does not depict the writer's beliefs in how one handles the situation.

The feeling is one of not being in one's own present time. The balance of past, present and future is out of whack. You push through and do the right things, you tell yourself that its simply a time adjustment. But deep inside you feel you have missed something.

Upon returning home, my adjustment is normally pretty quick. Sure, a few nights of sleeping extra and getting back into the swing happen. Yet the feeling of slipping back into the normal comes quickly.

Its the idea that where you are now is where you are supposed to be. It is the balance of what has happened to you and the direction you are headed. We each live our lives the best we can.

We are products of our past but we should not live there. Also, we can not live in the future until we have fulfilled the present. Learn what you can from what has happened in your life and use today in preparation for a greater tomorrow.