The “Problem” with Possibility

I’m a big believer of “all things are possible” or “the sky is the limit” style of thinking.  As opposed to those of us who have a persistent eye in their rearview mirror and lamenting over the past, I’m of a mind to think of what the future brings.  In both situations, we fail to recognize and appreciate what is currently happening now.  As busy people, we try to learn from the past to improve the future and we forgo the reality of the now or current time.  I believe it is Eckhart Tolle who in his wildly popular book “The Power of Now” discusses the idea of what is current and why the past really doesn’t exist except in one’s memories and, even then, the memory skews to an individual’s perception at that time with what they knew at that time.  In essence, the past really….well….isn’t. It is all an amagalmation of our very existence whether or not it is today or tomorrow.

As humans, we strive to have another day on this planet.  Are we so busy that we are focused on tomorrow and we miss what is around us and those key lessons for that day? You always hear the story of the opportunity that was missed by a smidgen of time or location.  The actor who turned down an Oscar-winning role or the lottery ticket purchaser who was in line behind the winner of the big jackpot is the tale of yore.  But, I would bet that anyone would be hard pressed to remember who turned down the role that Julia Roberts portrayed in the hit film “Pretty Woman” unless you were a film buff and that was a personal favorite.  Do Diane Lane or Molly Ringwald believe their life is over by the missed opportunity? No, of course not.  They have made other choices and probably do not lament their decision because the decision was  made at a time and was based on their situation at that time.  It’s easy and very ego-serving to lament over the lost opportunities that, truly, weren’t an opportunity because, if the option truly was theirs to have, the decision would have been made accordingly. Have a great month!