Many people waste an enormous amount of energy on regrets. They dwell
on things that were said or done in their personal histories. Why? The
past cannot be changed. What was said cannot be unsaid. What was done
cannot be undone.

Fretting over the past and reliving past 'mistakes' means you are
not investing in the now.

What happened in the past is over, and if you want your life to be an
empowered one, then the past needs to be a fading memory.

If you have an incident, event or person in your past that you feel you
are holding on to, then here's your first exercise …
Grab a sheet of paper and pen(cil) and jot it down. Give yourself a
moment or two either to think about/write down the 'why' of your
situation.

Now give yourself five minutes to access your subconscious by
free-writing your response.

If you've never tried this form of writing before, the method is
simple. You put pen to paper and do not stop writing until your
allotted time is up.

Do not stop to think … if you don't know what to write, that's
exactly what you put on the paper eg "I don't know what to write, I
don't know what to write, I don't know what to write"! The trick
is to keep writing.

It doesn't matter whether you have gobbledegook on the page, you can
always cross it out when you've finished. The thing is, if you keep
writing you stay in right brain, which is your creative side and the
side which accesses your subconscious.

The moment you look up, stare out the window, or break from writing even
for a few seconds, you go into left brain.

Many people waste an enormous amount of energy in worrying about the
future. They dwell on things that may or may not happen. One of the
interesting things about people is that they worry about telling (or not
telling) a family member/friend about something-or-other because they
know how that person will react. Hmmm. If there's one thing I know
about human behaviour it's that it isn't predictable! In other
words, don't make assumptions (because 98% of the time, you'll be
wrong).

It is possible to take a niggle and turn it into a huge problem by
worrying about what MIGHT happen. Why would you want to do that?
Think of it like this: if you are worrying about past events, or
worrying about future events, you are using energy which you could put
to better use … like living in the present.

Empowered people accept that they cannot change the past.
Empowered people know that they make their future by what they do TODAY.
Empowered people recognize that the past and the future are thoughts and
memories; and today is their reality.

The present moment may not be the best for you – finances could be
short, the children are uncontrollable, meeting mortgage repayments are
difficult, for example – but if you are unhappy about your present
moment, what are you going to do about it?

It is worth noting that when you are not happy in the present it is
because you are comparing it with what was or what could be – which
means you are not living in the moment.

If you are unhappy, you have a choice: stay unhappy or do something
about it. Take action and you will feel better. Not sure what to do?
Free-write!

The good thing about free-writing is that it is a great exercise for
solving problems and sorting out confused thoughts.

So, head up a sheet of paper with "The Problem" (and if you have
more than one problem, you'll need a sheet of paper for each). Give
yourself about five minutes for each item.

And if you find the response gives you food for thought, or results you
don't particularly like (and yes, it does happen), then another
free-write exercise is probably warranted!

When you work on the present moment, with the intention of improving
your life, you are harnessing the power of now. This, in itself, is a
powerful message to your subconscious.

As you've probably realized, you are being directed to take control of
your mind. Every action, every book, every invention – absolutely
everything – began with a thought.
If you want to change your state of happiness, you have to change your
thoughts.

Take the opportunity of controlling you mind instead of allowing your
mind to control you.

Being in control of your thoughts gives you control of your life. And
the more you are in control of your life, the more positive your
attitude becomes.

Here's a two-minute exercise you can do at any time …..
Stop what you are doing, close your eyes and listen. What can you hear?
Know that at any time you do this, the sounds will never be the same.
This is a snapshot of this moment.

Open your eyes and look around. What can you see? Know that this is
another snapshot because the scene before you will never be exactly the
same at any other time.

This simple exercise helps you focus on what is happening right now.

If you are still not convinced that there is power in now, watch
children. They are always living in the present – that's all they
know. They are not inhibited by the past or burdened by the future.
Maybe all adults should take the opportunity of becoming a kid again –
and have fun! However, if spinning around lamp-posts or jumping in
puddles is not your idea of fun (although I do recommend you do them at
least once!), just do something which brings you unfettered pleasure.

You'll soon find that being a more optimistic, happy person allows
more positive situations to come into your life.
Enjoy!

About the author: Barbara Rose is a mentor, coach, teacher and
alternative therapist who specializes in helping people reach their
potential at all levels (spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical).
She has used her experiences as the foundations of many books and
articles. Please visit www.barbaras-library.com for a complete list of
Barbara's articles and books. To find out more about Barbara please
go to www.barbara-rose.name.