Power of Now - Writing, Therapy and Excuses

WRITING: Ever since starting a blog, I have felt much better about myself. I had a comment from someone that 'this was the most pointless thing they have ever read'. With this comment, I looked at it and thought - it may be pointless to you but to me it has helped me a great deal.

THERAPY: This blog in particular has been almost like a personal diary that I am posting online. Yes it would be nice if other people were getting help from it as well, but most people will have already been through what I have been through, so yes, to them this blog is not for them.

It is good to get feedback and I totally will accept good and bad because either way, it shows that 1. People are reading it and 2. People are commenting on it.

EXCUSES: Let me tell you a story:

I live in a house with four other people. One of them left and was in charge of the bills. She said that she would sort out the TV licence and pay it. Few months later after this roommate moving out we kept receiving letters from the TV licence company saying that we still haven't paid our TV licence. I found this odd because she had said she had paid it and said that she had also sorted it.

Another couple of months later, we still had letters come through. Eventually I phoned the TV licence up and said has it been paid? and they said no. So instead of getting angry with the person who should have sorted it, the best way to get anyone to do anything is to:
1.Explain the situation
2.Even though they are asking for a fight about it, you keep calm.
3. You merely explain to them through facts to get past the excuses they are telling you.
4. Don't opinion-ate the situation, in other words don't call her nasty things because you are irritated that it hasn't been done.
5. Once you have got through all the excuses you eventually come up with the solution.

So in conclusion by doing all of this I am now going to sort out the bills, along with her giving me my money back and a friends as well as her own share.

Problem solved without any bitchiness or it getting ugly.

Thanks for reading,
Naomi

All you have to do is ask!

I have been very shy when it has come to asking questions. However mostly everyone you ask is happy to help.

Questions are very powerful things and if asked to the right people, you are more than likely to get a good answer.

Never be afraid to ask questions. You may feel stupid or that you are not allowed to ask it but who knows until you try.

I have been struggling with a few things on my course and havent had the courage to ask my tutors questions as I thought they would be too stupid but they are more than happy to help. Thats why they are there!

You will get better marks and if you ask the right questions and you follow through on their answers then you are garunteed to get a higher mark or the answer you are looking for.

Keep being curious and act upon it once you have the answer.

Thanks for reading,
Naomi

Power Of Now- One door closes another one opens!

It is a bit ironic that one of the musical numbers I am doing is called doors.

Following on from my previous blog on being rejected. Yes I didn't get the song I wanted. Yes I am only singing as ensemble and I am in 4 musical numbers out of 24. This however doesn't mean that I have been rejected. Okay maybe a little but I need to think of what went wrong in the audition and actually whether this could benefit me in the long run.

AUDITION: I wasn't prepared as I could of been, I didn't have the right footwear. I could go on but I would rather not. Basically all in all I don't actually like the musical that much, so why am I stressing that I didn't get anything when I don't even like it to begin with! We are strange human beings!

OTHER OPPORTUNITIES: Because I am not in it as much, I know that I can focus on my other modules a lot more and also focus on getting the small parts done well rather than having a lot and doing it badly.

When one door closes, two doors open.

Thanks for reading,
Naomi

Power of Now - Being Rejected

Yes you thought it went well, yes you thought you were the best, yes people tell you that was really good and then the same person gives you a bad grade! hmmm...

Rejection and the mixture of the power of now. I think when you get rejected you need to ask yourself why? Plus you need to think how could this be an advantage?

Really think about your options and what could benefit you in the long run and what couldn't. Sadly I think Uni will benefit me in the long run and ever since I have come to Uni it has been a constant struggle. I have not enjoyed it, but on the plus side, it is helping me prepare what a cruel bitch Musical Theatre can be, rejection and above all it is helping me gain my skills in dance and singing, not so much acting which is a shame.

Tonight I am going to see whether this course is worth being on and then stick with that decision.

Thanks for reading,
Naomi

Be More Prepared

If something is worrying you why is it? Deal with the situation before its too late. Then you don't have to worry about it and can use your thinking space for other things.

I was worried that I did not have enough time to work on things. I made a timetable for myself and I found that I had a bit of spare time! I was also spending my free time watching mindless TV when I could have been working on my songs, dance or whatever it is I needed to do even the washing.

If some thought crops up constantly, then maybe it is a sign to get something done about it. You will feel so much better after it and it will also be one less thing to worry about.

If like me however you are living with people who worry about things, gently remind them and then you don't have to worry about it. It is in their hands now!

If you are panicking about something someone else isn't doing, gently remind them or if that doesn't work, leave it for them to figure it out themselves. There is nothing else you can do. Don't stress about them not doing it the same day or the next eventually when they realize that most of their washing up has been there for two weeks and becoming moldy and possibly stinking the place out, they will eventually do it and realize also that you are not a push over!

If worse comes to worse however you can always put the washing up in a bin bag and put it in their room, maybe that will give them the message. What I am trying to say is, don't let other peoples responsibilities become yours and don't worry or threat because it is not your concern, it is theirs. If they have a brain and take in to consideration that they need to do that specific task, then they will do it. If not, you know never to live with that person again!

Thanks for reading,
Naomi Procter

Power Of Now - Assessments and Risks

So at University my course is amzing. It fufils all my needs, is really interesting and I couldn't have asked for a better course.

Only problem with it is there is not enough times to do modules. Basically I have three modules that I am assessed on.These are an essay, a vocal assessment and a production. Due to our schedule being so busy with other things, I am not sure whether we have a lot of time to do a lot of stuff. I  have missed several extra lessons (that we do get attendance forms with, meaning we have to attend them), because I just dont have the time what so ever to work on my modules which in my opinion are more important.

To resolve this issue I am going to write a timetable and see where I can practice and when. See when I am free to do each module and whether they fit around each lesson.

I will let you know my results and discuss them with you. If something is worrying you get it sorted and assessed!

Thanks for reading,
Naomi

Power of Now - People

Just a quick note to the previous blog, I am much happier now and not once today have I thought about Liam. It is very weird but I haven't. I suggest that if something in your past is bugging you, please do what I did. It helps you a great deal. I also found a quote from one of Sherry Argov's book which I was reading just after I had finished my last blog and she states 'A woman who doesn't care that much, doesn't have to be responsible for someone elses happiness'. What she is saying that when you are happy and focused on yourself, men find you more attractive as they know they don't have the pressure or responsibility for making you happy, you just do it yourself.

Anyways back to what this blog is about:

People can come and go in your life, people can become good friends, acquaintances and possible relationships. The power of now is simple. Whatever task you do, focus on that task. It is the same with people. When in the power of now you take that person for who they are in that moment without judgement otherwise that would bring you in to past and future thoughts. Also about the good and bad things they did in the past or think they would do in the future.

Obviously you will find people you don't mix with or they don't mix with you. The reason people do this is because they have a past and future judgement about you. You can't help this judgement but don't force them to like you either because that is soul destroying. Let them get on with whatever grudge they have against you and move on. Bit like the previous blog. You are in the power of now, they are not so let them deal with it and move on.

How I know about this whole situation is the people on my course. There was one particular event where I was on the bus. One of them I had judged for being too talkative and being slightly annoying. In this case I was thinking about this person and what she was like in the past and then judging what she would be like in the future. This changed completely when I was on the bus. I was in the power of now and usually what I would of done was sat on my own and not spoken to anyone as 'I thought they wouldn't like me', 'I have judged them in the past I wonder what they think of me' etc. Well I saw the same person on the bus and instead of judging and wondering and imagining all these things I thought this person was, I started to draw on the windows (as it was raining had condensation on it you know the drill). I drew this picture and she started to comment on it. I was having fun and not caring in the world and she was joining in. It started to become a game and both me and this person were guessing all sorts and it became really funny. So you can see where I am getting at with this point.


Another one could be that you think you have made a friend and then the next day it feels as though they don't even know your name? I got this as well, and instead of thinking ' They don't like me', 'What can I do to make them like me', Why is he/she talking to her not me'. Instead I would either join the conversation and if it was something of interest for me I would stay but if not there are like what? 100 other people or so you could speak to. If there isn't anyone, why not focus on a task you have been meaning to do or play a game or something. But one thing that should always be clear is DON'T LET IT WORRY OR PHASE YOU! That's when you go into future and past thought and if it is a thought that is really bugging you, then use the methods I have given in my previous blogs. There are plenty of new people you could meet as well, don't think you are stuck with a certain bunch.

In conclusion, what I am trying to say is lots if not all people will come and go in your life, people will change, you will change. It doesn't matter if a friendship blooms or fizzles, it doesn't matter if a relationship blooms or fizzles. Like I said you have to be selfish in life. Don't people please, it may work sometimes (especially in a job for a good reference) but as a person it is very dangerous.

So when you meet a person for the first time, second time, when you meet a friend, a boyfriend. Just be yourself for one, don't judge and if it phases out, get up on your feet and move on. Enjoy that person for who they are, not what you think they are going to be like or what they did in the past. There is no head space and time for that. If you enjoy yourself around that person even better! Unless it is really bad and they can not be forgiven then that is an exception, but ask yourself, why they can't be forgiven. If it really is bad, then I guess so but just make sure you don't hold on to that particular thing that they did otherwise it becomes a horrid obsession and fills lots of head space again, you could even get ill from it!

Always do the past and future thought exercises in my previous blog if someone is getting to you. I did it about Liam and I feel tons better!

Thanks for reading,
Naomi

Part 2 and 3 - Resolved and What I havce learn't from this situatiuon.

From what I have written in my previous two blogs, I have looked at each paragraph and written down solutions to most of the problems that were happening. As soon as I wrote down solutions to the things and events that happened and tried to make sense of it, it became very clear where I went wrong and I now know a lot more.

Here are the solutions:

• I had given up most of my time in the afternoon and evening to speak to Liam when I should of been investing more time on something I wanted to do. I love playing piano, so I could have practiced for two hours rather than talking to Liam for an extra two hours.
• At first I thought the whole situation to be fun and light, which it was, I didn't think much of it and this is why our friendship happened and probably why he took an interest in me.
• When I met Liam for the first time, I wasn't thinking about anything other than just enjoying his company and how I felt around him and it was really nice. That is why the friendship worked.
• I recommend the book Why Men Love Bitches by Sherry Argov. This book helped me a lot! I if you are having the same problems as I did I suggest you read it.
• Never FALL in love with someone. You can BE in love with someone but never fall in love with someone that is when it gets complicated. Being in love with someone is different and if you would like me to explain further what I mean by that, then please leave a comment below.
• When he mentioned that he was going to Uni in Spetember. Instead of feeling downhearted, I should of asked whether he needed help packing his bags. More importantly I should have been happy for him.
• When the kiss happened and when I was starting to FALL in love with him, I imagined that he had done the same. I was expecting him to ask me out, but when he didn't I started to DOUBT him. Now when you doubt someone. this is the first sign that you don't trust the other person. I didn't trust him and then he ignored me for a long time. I thought this was because he was having doubt about me and didn't want to speak to me. When I look back on it, I started to see a different perspective. He was obviously making a big decision about Uni (needed time to think), plus he also could have been seeing how I would react without contact and I reacted badly!
• He didn't speak to me for two weeks, clearly he was dealing with issues of his own and I wasn't helping myself by being angry. What I should of done was just shrugged my shoulders and moved on, done stuff with my time, decide what I was going to do and stuff that would fufill my needs. It could have been that he was seeing that other girl I think I mentioned and liked her more. Either way I just wasn't dealing with it well, I made his concern, my concern and expecting him to be in a relationship when clearly he was thinking and dealing with other things. I wasn't there as a friend and I wasn't doing me any favours either.
• He obviously did care as he had mentioned my statuses. I was not helping myself, I should of been there as a friend and most importantly I should of made my concerns more important than his.
• When my name got mentioned - when he shrugged his shoulders it did hurt when my friend told me, but at the same time if somneone mentioned him I should of done exactly the same or being a little less harsh mention that he was a friend. Done. I know what Jon is like to he could of asked him whilst he was playing and when you mix girls and sport together just nah.
• On the train journey he should have been straight with me of course. He should have said something like 'I hope your okay, just to let you know that I have found a different course and that I have met someone' Okay I would be hurt but at least he could admit it! In fact if the friendship or whatever it was fizzled out then honestly I should of just got on with it, and moved on.
• I was pushing him away as a friend why?

1. I didn't trust him
2. No communication
3. He was dealing with things that had nothing to do with me andI kept interferring.
4. I didn't see him as just a friend, a friend I happened to of made out with, I did the complete opposite.

I can tell why I had pushed him away I wasn't myself!! Where on earth did I go?, I was making him my life for a relationship and not really thinking about him as a person! VERY DANGERUOUS!

• When I heard that he was going out with someone else, no wonder it was probably easier for him as she was on the same course and it is a new fresh start, no complications!. If a man doesn't invest time for you, then you don't have the time for him simple as!!!
• This whole situation however really shook my confidence. I lived in fear that people didn't like me, I didn't particularly like my job, I was being pushed around. When his life was going well, mine wasn't. What I had noticed is when someone like Liam comes along and everything is just 'perfect' with them, it becomes almost like a drug. To save myself from the spiralling downhill feeling about everything bad that was happening in my life, I would get happy by thinking about him. Then I would think about what happened with Liam and how it all ended badly, then I would be really low. This is a dangerous thing and I didn't realise I was doing this and how extreme it was. That is why when people think that Liam was just a guy in my life, I don't think they understand how extreme it was.
• The more I kept comparing with Liam's life the more I spiralled down in to eventually what became depression.

Eventually I took my life in to my own hands (almost like cold turkey). I knew eventually that I would have to get out of this state I had made myself. I was responsible for my happiness not Liam. When I started my new course and started to feel more myself again and think more of me and what I wanted, things have become a lot clearer for me. This power of now has been almost theraputic.

I am glad and completely devastated that it all happened but what can you do. You learn from your mistakes. MY HAPPINESS IS KEY and it doesn't matter if Liam ends up in a mansion with 12 kids and a wife he has had for 15years, it doesn't matter, even if I end up waiting tables for the rest of my life, single. As long as I am happy, that is all that matters. Be selfish with your life, you only have one chance and wasting it on other peoples selfishness is pointless.

Liam: I could make you happy
Me: You could but I can make myself a whole lot happier so I would like to see you try. ;)

Thanks for reading,
Naomi

Part 1 - The Worst Part

Following on from my previous blog, this is when things became really complicated for me. On the same day he mentioned on facebook that he would be going to University in September and our day together happened in August. He heart sank, I had never felt so down hearted. I texted him to confirm whether this was true and it was. Then things became very complicated very fast.

I can't remember exactly which of these important events happened first but here we go. I started to doubt that we would be in a relationship so I tested him. I tested to see if he really liked me and these few months were not just a waste of space. The first significant event I can remember is that he didn't speak to me for the course of two weeks. I was devastated, so during those two weeks I said on facebook that everything was going really well with me and that I was really happy, when truthfully I wasn't, I was angry, confused, upset, and above all things hurt.

He then text me going I am glad your happy as I knew he would be looking at my statuses, we started to chat and then I had told him that I had a date with someone (which I did) and he started to be a little angry? He text me going who with, why and how. I could tell from the text he was angry and also someone else had asked me out on a date during this time. I still picked Liam.

One of my friends Jon played cricket with him on occasions and asked Liam whether he knew me and he just shrugged his shoulders according to Jon. I found this rather odd. I then found out from previous other people that he didn't accept his uni offer and decided to do an art course instead.

Later that day I was on a train to Brighton to see a cousin of mine. I knew I had the whole train journey to work this thing out between me and Liam. I couldn't contain it any longer and texted him saying that I had liked him for a while. The text back was 'thats nice'. That's nice? I am pouring my feelings out to this guy and all he can say is thats nice!

Eventually he said he didn't feel the same way and we sort of ended it all, friendship, texting, emailing, everything. I have never cried a whole train journey until that journey. It was the most horrendous journey ever!

A couple of weeks later I had also found out that he had started going out with a girl on his course. Now this is when it gets really complicated. He obviously knew of this girl beforehand as I had seen pictures of them together before the course so either he was seeing her around the time I was falling for him or even before then! Either way it didn't bow down to well in my books.

At this time I noticed that one of Liam's friends Harry had taken a shine to me and we started to date. Eventually we went out and we have been together ever since.

Around September time when it all happened til the next September. As a person I wasn't happy. I wasn't putting myself first. I had become to people please, I was always putting everyone else first. It was the worst year of my life despite me being promoted to a teaching assisstant inside I was screaming for help!

Then I had started University and my first year I became deeply depressed, mostly because of my course. I was very stressed. I had heard from Harry that Liam was very happy on his course, he was in London, a top art school and even though he had split from his girlfriend I was constantly comparing that he was on a better course than I was etc etc constantly comparing.

When Liam had split with his girlfriend I asked what happened and if he was okay (big mistake). He told me that she was the love of his life and that he would probably never find a girl like her again(all of this messaged to me!) What an inconsiderate ass! O well he eventually started to flirt with me and this was not cool because not only at the time I was with Harry one of his friends, it also hit me that Liam was not a very nice person and was showing his true colours.

The next year I eventually could move to a better course and it suits me perfectly. I am still with Harry and I am now not depressed or people pleasing anymore. I will tell you in my next blog how this came about and how Liam is not in my life anymore and how I have really changed my outlook in life despite going through two years of hell.

I don't blame Liam for most of this but I do blame him for some because if he would of just done this tiny little thing that I asked him to which was to explain what happened then maybe he would of saved me more aggro then I needed.

Past Issue - Part 1

According to the articcle which I have sent a link to in my previous blog, said that when dealing with past issues or thoughts, you have to do three things:

1. Analyze situation
2. Learn from it
3. Move on

Now at first I thought that I didn't want to discuss this situation on my blog. The reasons are because this particular event happened 3 years ago, however I know that some women could be in the same situation as I was now and helping them would bring me peace and happiness.
   The amount of stuff I have learned from this one particular event and from the person themself has been a great deal! So I thought i would share with you this whole event.

In  PART 1, I will tell you the story. In PART 2 I will analyze what happened and where I went wrong in the situation. PART 3 will then discuss what I have learned from the situation. Hopefully these parts will be pretty straightforward, but I may combine certain parts and certain times.

Here is the story:

It was around May time and I had just finished college with very good grades, I was on a high. I haven't been a particularly outgoing person and have always been very shy. Something happened that May time and I wasn't myself in a good way. I was chatting to all my friends on facebook, text etc, I was going out a lot more etc etc. Above all things I suddenly became very confident and didn't care if anyone liked me or didn't liked me if someone didn't agree with me I was prepared to express my views. it was brilliant.

One of these people on my facebook took a particular interest to me as we started chatting on facebook, til it became text, til it became msn also. I had found out that he went to my secondary school and was in the same year as me, but we even said this to each other - we didn't know the other existed and it was nice that we were talking now despite not knowing one another in secondary school.

This became a constant thing. We were constantly texting, emailing and facebooking and I thought nothing of it except the fact that I loved talking to him. He mentioned at one point that he could 'make me happy', and that had always stuck in my head. I didn't find him attractive at first ( as I had seen pictures etc) but it was fun and light.

This happened for a while. We finally decided that we wanted to meet and we did. I could tell he had some interest in me as he could not stop looking at me and we chatted and walked all day together. He was much better looking in person, we chatted about each other, all the things you would normally do if you had met someone for the first time and it was really nice.

He was always the one who initiated a text, an email, facebook comment and I would always be the one to respond. It was really nice. During this time someone had asked me out called Nick and I had said no I do not want to go out with you. Now at this point I was starting to realise that I was becoming attracted to lets call him Liam. (The one who was texting, emailing me).

We met a second and last time. This day was the best and worse day of my life with a guy. Liam came round mine to play a few ps2 games and during this time he started to flirt with me. We went to have something to eat in mcdonalds and started fooling around and throwing lettuce at one another. Then we went to the beach....

We were really flirting with one another on the beach and this went on for ages until I kissed him. (Best kiss i have ever had! but lets not go too personal). We kissed for a long time and when he stopped, he started to shake. Now I have had another guy shake when I have kissed him and his name was Myles. I asked Myles why did you shake when I kissed you and he said it was because he had kissed the most amazing person of his life. (Myles is an ex of mine and a very good friend). In Liams case, it was either he had never kissed a girl or he really liked me and I knew he did because we ended up hugging for a long time after it.

He then walked me back to mine and started to hug me again and he wouldn't leave. He didn't want to. He eventually did and I never knew that that would be the last time I 1. Would ever see him look at me like that and 2. The last time I would ever see him.

I quickly went to my bedroom, sat myself down, recollected the whole day and said to myself 'I really like him' this was the day I had fallen in love with Liam.

Power Of Now - Experiment 2: Trains and Pains

I will tell you that the Power of Now is not effective on trains. Now usually on a train, I am in what we will now call future mode, (thoughts to do with the future). Most of the time I am worried about not getting to my destination, not getting there on time and wanting to hurry the journey up because it is taking too long and I could be doing something better with my time. When I was in NOW mode, these thoughts did come up but in the last blog that I did, I trained myself not to think the worst. I felt totally relaxed and was starting to enjoy riding the train and seeing the amazing snow covered views.

The Power of Now worked in terms of not thinking about the future, but it did not help me being on the train itself. When I started focusing on my senses sitting on the train, there were two things really bugging me. 1. I heard a squeaking noise on the train and it was constant. I thought to myself I do not want to listen to that the whole train journey! 2. It was incredibly cold and every time the door opened, it became even colder. What I could of done was move to a different seat, but there were non available.
   What helped me go through these annoying attributes was past mode. Not in the way you think, I started to have my past thoughts that have been bugging me for a while and try and analyze them again. I should really of had a pen and paper and jotted it down but I didn't. This is what helped me cope through the cold and noise of the train and help me focus on something that has been bugging me for a long time. In a way I was analyzing the situation and I still need to analyze it, as it keeps coming up, so in my next blog I will discuss and hopefully will come up with a solution or how to deal with the past issue at least.

According to the article, when dealing with past issues or thoughts you need to:

1. Analyze what happened
2. Learn from it
3. Move on

This is what I hope to do and in my next blog once the issue is discussed and analyzed, I will then put closure on the whole thing, but first I need to write it down on a piece of paper and really think about it.

In conclusion for this blog, even though I was thinking about past issues, I was analyzing them and understanding them so therefore 'focusing on a task' which is what The Power Of Now asks us to do. I was in past mode, but I was dealing with the issues and how I deal with those issues in the now. A bit confusing I know but this is why I am doing a blog about the whole thing.

I will let you know the results in the next blog.

Thanks for reading.

Power Of Now - Experiment 1

My findings yesterday were as follows:

I tried believe me I tried to be in the now and for a little while I was. I sat down on my bed and cleared everything from it, just thought about sitting. All of a sudden these thoughts start appearing in my head of what I needed to do. Here is what they were - Look up casting websites, get rid of cold, do university work. It was weird because it almost felt like these thoughts were little alarms in my head. Obviously these alarms were telling me that 1. These were the most important and 2. They were thoughts/alarm bells with consequences. The thoughts were also showing me the consequences of not doing one if not all of these things. For most of the morning all I focused on was looking for casting websites and drinking honey and lemon. This was going really well until the afternoon where a few demons (past and future) came suddenly rushing into my thought system.

   Currently from the past and the future, there are a few demons. There is especially one that I haven't dealt with at all well but we will get back to this one in a minute. Currently it was snowing where I live and had no way of getting back by train or car to my university. Where my university is it isn't snowing and today it is open. My future thoughts went in to panic mode, 'I am not going to make it in to uni', ' I have a lot of stuff I need to take back with me and I can't take all of it back by train', 'My boyfriend can't drive me back what am I going to do?' I became really stressed out and that I would have to rearrange all my stuff again for things I could take with me in just one suitcase.
   What crept up also is the fact that my Grandpa had recently passed away and that I would have to miss a couple of days off Uni for his funeral as the funeral is about 5 hours away from where I live. So more future thoughts came in to play. ' I am going to miss a week of Uni I can't do this!', ' The school is not going to put in my money I need to survive in my account' 'What am I going to do?' - So I cried for a bit because I had no idea what I was going to do.
   Then it hit me. I went back to both thoughts and really assessed each one. I took the first thought and said to myself that you can't help being trapped by snow there is a lot of trouble that is happening with it and you are not the only one. The University will understand.
   The one about having to repack my stuff, I still had a grudge against, however I realised that if I was incredibly careful I would be able to take what I NEED to University and have my boyfriend take the rest up when he comes and visits me. (This one took me a sleeps worth and the next morning to calm down with this one).
   The one about my Grandpa, it became obvious. He was an important figure in my life and a couple of days off from University is nothing compared to saying goodbye to a loved one.
  Plus if I went today back to University, (which I am hopefully), then I would be attending almost half of my lessons anyway.

So what i have learn't from all of this is to Focus on a task in the NOW. If any other thoughts pop up, especially future ones, do not ignor them! Obviously give yourself time to think about the future thoughts and assess them, but once you have the answer and the explanation it is easier.

A Tip On How To Deal With Future Thoughts:

1. Let the future thought crop up first and warn you of all the things that are 'against you'.
2. In order to deal with a future thought you have to relax, so I suggest something that helps you do that.
3. Future thoughts are and can be very scary and stressful, so once relaxed, write down what is making you stressed about the situation.
4. Look at what you have and write down a solution by writing down what happened as if you have already done it or how important these future thoughts really are. If they are important e.g Grandpa passing away, then that doesn't compare to missing a few days off work.

I would write about my past demon 'thought' but I feel I have given you enough to think about and I will discuss that one in my next blog. I will also be using this method when future thoughts pop back up again and tell you my findings.

I am a little bit stress free now because of what I have done and when they pop up again, I can tell myself that they have been resolved, how they have been resolved and why.

Thanks for reading,
Naomi

Power of Now Experiment - Introduction

I will be conducting an experiment which involves myself and the power of now. This reason being is because of a website I stumbled upon http://zenhabits.net/a-simple-guide-to-being-present-for-the-overworked-and-overwhelmed/. I highly suggest you read this article as this blog was inspired by it. I will be blogging my findings and what I have learned from the experience. I am not sure whether I will be doing this for a month and conclude what I have learn't from it or do this for a year and see how I get on.

POWER OF NOW AND WHAT IT IS:
Most of us in our lives have thought about three things, the past, the future, and the present. Most of us go in and out of these three things when thinking and it is perfectly normal to do so. The most powerful and efficient of these three is thought to have been The Present.  Here is why:

PAST: - Reliving things we messed up about
           - Embarrassed about something we did
           - Wish have something back that is now gone
           - Living in memories of good times past
           - Being angry about things done to us

FUTURE: - Worry about things we need to do later
                -Worrying about what might happen
                - Anxious that things will go wrong or mess up
                - Hoping for something wonderful
                - Dreaming great things to come

PRESENT- Happening right now
                - What we are doing now

According to the article, if we live and think about the future and past, then we are missing out on life itself. Apparently you get most out of life by being present.

 If you are reading this - I would love people to share their own experiences on what I have just talked about.

So this is what I will be doing in order to be 'In The Now'.

1. Really focus on the task at hand - Focus on all senses: smell, touch, taste, sight, hear. 
2. When doing the task - Not to dwell on future or past experiences or thoughts. Just experience what I am experiencing in that moment.
3. If the task is around other people - commit to just 'Being Present' with them. Don't dwell on their past behaviours or what you think they will become in the future.
4. Only focus on one task - Don't multitask, focus on that particular task and do it well.

These are all the things I will be bearing in mind with this experiment.

 I think I have said enough about what I am going to do and how I am going to do it. I will write my findings on my blog for you to see.

Thanks for reading,
Naomi