NOW

Photo by Zachary Keimig on Unsplash

Class teacher: What would you want to become when you grow up?

Njoroge: I would want to become a millionaire, sir

Class Teacher: And you, Nduta?

Nduta: I will become a millionaire's wife 

Currently, Nduta is waiting for Njoroge to become a millionaire, frustrated that he did not keep his word

 

We were told to think about the future. We have vision boards with details of what we want to achieve. Organizations have a mission, vision, and strategic plan. If you have read leadership and self-help books, you will also get instances where you are requested to prepare a plan for your life. A statement I honestly dislike has been repeated to the young champs, ‘You are the leaders of tomorrow.’

I am not against being future-oriented, I am a planner. I want to know where things are heading. I want to know or have a clear picture of the whole staircase. Focusing on the future will help you in making plans and having a clear direction. It will help you understand the goal and when people alight from your path, the focus is still maintained.

We want to get that big house, ‘perfect relationship’, big jobs, and accolades. Every day, the focus is on the price but there is a catch. When the future begins to rob you of your peace and joy, you need to take a chill pill and pause. How many times have you lived in fear, worry, and anxiety of the future, yet we do not know what the future holds?

I know you want to get that large piece of land, but are you currently learning to live in the moment, that you can afford a bed-sitter where your hands can reach the kitchen while you are still lying in bed? I know you want to go to the Maldives for your birthday but are you living in the moment and enjoying screaming while ziplining or just a simple picnic? I know you want a perfect relationship probably with your TDH, Walk down the aisle next to the beach, but are you currently enjoying receiving the love from your person? Are you enjoying how he stares at you and loves you or will you begin loving him when you get married? I know you want perfectly well-behaved children who will salute elders and call them sirs and ma’am but are enjoying them making baby steps.

The future has robbed the joy of people. It is mainly, ‘When I get this, I will be happy.’ ‘When I begin making this kind of money, I will begin enjoying life.’ Let me burst the bubble. You have now, this moment. Let go of the illusion of the future. You have this moment, live it. The future will come with its blessings. So let go of pushing away your joy, let go of perfection. Your babies won’t be five forever, they will grow old, chat their path and they will think you are old and do not understand their kind of vibe. They will want to have conversations with their kind. Yet, you are here waiting for the perfect moment to create memories, and now is.

Let go of the idea of a perfect relationship when you have everything figured out and enjoy the present, the memories, and the moments shared now. Enjoy the love now. What if you are waiting for the jubilee anniversary of marriage to be happy and life happens?

The best time to live is now. The future is beyond our control. You can make better choices now. You can begin your healing journey now and stop waiting for karma to work on the person that hurt you first. You have now. Take yourself out for coffee and stop waiting for your future man to take you. Who knows if you take yourself for coffee at Coffee 254, he may find you there, after all, it is #loveatfirstsip. Well, yet to find out if it is love for the coffee or love for the person(s).

Plan for the future and live in the moment. Laugh now because in the future you will be toothless, dance now and because you do not take supplements soon the bones will refuse to move. Dance in the rain now before you start saying pneumonia has been sent to finish you. Live now because when you age, the memories will keep you alive. Live now because now is all you got. Do what you need to do now, take up new challenges, and get out of your comfort zone. Now is a perfect gift.