I have always loved the phrase, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.”  It is like saying anything is possible starting now!  It can be a fresh start if you want to try something new or a time to have a “do-over.”   My dad used to say “there’s no time like the present” whenever I was unsure about trying something new.  The present, today, is all we really have at any moment we are living and it is easy to forget that when we question our past or worry about the future.  This fact is one that I seem to forget whenever I am too concerned about an outcome or worried about anything really.

Often, we become stressed about things of which we have no control in the first place.  This attitude is destined to disappoint us every time.  It’s wasted energy.  It can be hard to live in the moment, but this moment is all we ever have.  Since we have no choice about that, it would behoove us to think differently.  But, for some reason, it is extremely difficult.  

As individuals, we all have different starting points when it comes to any decision-making.  The ways in which we think and feel are largely determined by the ways the adults around us envision or envisioned their lives.  It is an influence that either encourages or discourages a positive outlook.  Therefore, it is most likely the most powerful influence in our early life when attitudes are formed.

When I am unsure about something I want to try or do, I think of my father.  I see his beautiful smile in my mind, since he is no longer here to guide me.  He still influences me, even though he died 30 years ago.  I can see his face encouraging me even after all these years.  And he is here to guide me, even today.