NOW IS YOUR TIME

You can't live in the past - or the future - now is your time - make the most of it!

LIVING IN THE NOW

Midlife is my time - time for me to focus on what is important to me now, and to let go of all the distractions and needless worries about past and future. There is a lot to be said for moving on from the past and leaving it behind - learn from it for sure, but then kick it out the door and get on with the life that I'm part of now. Everyone has stuff in their past they want to leave behind - so now is the time to make the decision to unclench your fist and let it go. It's time to live in the present and not keep looking back to the past.

DON'T FRET ABOUT THE FUTURE

It's the same with the future - why agonize over what is yet to come? You achieve nothing by trying to line all your ducks up so that everything is neatly in place for your planned future years. Life is unpredictable - and as much as we'd like to control the future, we can't make it all turn out neatly and tidily like we have in our heads. I like the idea of earning your future by what you invest in your present. The love and commitment I have for my family is worth investing in, so are the friends who have been in my life for decades of ups and downs.

Why sweat over a retirement plan when that is still 10 or more years in the future? Rather than working in a job you don't really like and saving every penny to try to prepare for retirement, maybe it's time to make some changes. Step out and try a new profession, spend a little bit on yourself - have some fun now and don't save it all for "one day". Who knows where we'll be in 20 years time and whether we'll still be around to live frugally on those savings? It's important to prepare, but it's also important to enjoy this time too and invest in some serious living that will make retirement something that creeps up unexpectedly, rather than hovering over over our heads now.

don't get stuck in the past and don't fast forward into the future

A NEW WAY TO APPROACH LIFE

"Give today all the love and intensity and courage that you can" and "walk closely with people you love".........what a fabulous way to spend the next decade or so! I want to hang out with people I love, I want to be brave enough to embrace new experiences and I want to savour the moment - not fritter time away being too careful and too staid. I'm not very good at "grand adventures" but I'd like to be, and now is as good a time as any to get started. All I have to figure out is where to jump in and start my "now time". I'm sure an opportunity will pop up before I know it - then I just have to have that courage to grab on and enjoy the ride.


You can't live in the past - or the future - now is your time - make the most of it!
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30 comments

  1. You and I are of similar mindset. I am now in that future that I probably should have planned better for, but still things are okay so far. I try not to worry about things to come because worry can kill a person and worry doesn't make things any better. Might as well make the best of what we have now rather than what we don't know about in the future.

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out Theme Reveal: It's About Time

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    1. Exactly Arlee - it is soul sucking to worry about things all the time (speaking from years of experience!) Better to make the most of the time you have now and keep the future in mind but not let it take away the pleasure of being alive now.

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  2. "Focusing on where you are now and letting go of all the distractions and needless worries that bog us down" is great advice to all. Thanks for this important reminder, Leanne.

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    1. It's such a simple thing Donna, but something that I needed to remind myself of all the time. I'm getting better at leaving things to take care of themselves but I still get lured into the over-planning trap at times.

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  3. Our retirement 'plan' is just more of what we've been doing - raising our own meat, gardening & canning, putting aside what we can. But, you know, we've never traveled much nor taken but one true holiday in 30 years... I would like to travel more. Nowhere exotic, because we live in one of the most beautiful countries on the planet, I would just like to see more of Canada.

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    1. Travel is SO expensive (especially coming from Australia) it is something we sometimes feel we haven't done enough of, but when you kiss off $15,000 to do a Europe trip you have to wonder if there are better ways to spend your hard earned savings! Maybe in retirement we'll blow the budget more often??

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  4. Walk closely with people you love. That is one to save!

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    1. Me too Anna - it's so easy to forget to appreciate the people in your life. They are the glue that holds it all together at times and I wonder what we'd do without them.

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  5. Great advice- but I find retiring takes more planning than I've done- I may be closer than you are. Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com

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    1. I know that it's important to plan for retirement Alana - we seem to have it hammered home all the time, but I don't want to lose all this last decade or so because I was hoarding every spare cent for those years when I'm retired. I hope we won't be living under a bridge when the time comes though :(

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  6. Totally agree...we have to actually live 'in the now'....keeping company that gives only good Vibes is a way of practicing selflove and I still to that. Happiness is key

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    1. Happiness is so important Phaytea - if we get too caught up in worries or regrets we miss all those moments of happiness that come our way. I don't want to be the person who never feels happy - what an awful way to live!

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  7. Great advice! I think you have to strike a balance between taking logical precautions for the future and obsessing about it. As for the past . . . there's nothing you can do to change it now. Might as well move on in a positive direction. We don't want to miss the wonderful opportunities available to us in the here and now.

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    1. Perfectly said Carol - we all have to be prepared for the future and for the time when we won't be working, but we also need to be able to enjoy these midlife years for their own sake too. I for one, am tired of being so frugal all the time so I can save an extra penny or two. I think I might spend a few now and then to celebrate my 50s!

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  8. Living in the moment is so important because we can miss out on so much if we stress about the past or future. Thanks for the reminder Leanne and have a beautiful day my friend.

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    1. You're right Sue - if our heads are always caught up in the past or worrying about the future, we have no time to enjoy the present and that is a really sad outcome. I want to find joy now (and maybe have enough put aside to enjoy the next few decades too!)

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  9. Totally agree with every word. Thank you for the reminder! #TeamLovinLife

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    1. It's about balance and not missing out on our time in the sun because we are always preparing for a rainy day Min. All well and good to have an umbrella on hand, but not to walk around with it every day :)

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  10. I was so worried about what my life would look like and what my family would become. Midlife is a relief. Now is my moment.
    Beth

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    1. My sentiments exactly Beth - I want to have time to take a breather and enjoy life - not spend the next 10 years agonizing over whether my retirement will be a luxurious as I hoped.

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  11. What a wonderful inspirational post Leanne. Straying from our comfort zones is sometimes one of the biggest challenges that we face to make positive changes in our lives. I remember working in a job I hated for years until one day I realised that life was too short, chucked it in and travelled around Australia for 7 months. It was very risque, but thoroughly worthwhile. :) #TeamLovinLife

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    1. I quit my job that I hated too Kathy - didn't get to travel around Australia, but did get to reduce my hours, increase my hourly pay rate and find a job I actually liked! All a win/win as far as I'm concerned.

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    1. Thanks Leanne - I hope you found some inspiration in it :)

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  13. I love your advice! I find myself being very centered at this time in my life. The financial planners are always telling everyone to save, save, save. I realize that some people, an alarming number actually, have nothing saved for retirement. However, my parents died young, there are no guarantees and I do not want to be so deprived now. I want to enjoy my life and my earnings while I can. If I live until 90 and I'm broke, so be it. I won't care then.

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    1. Thanks so much - I think we have very similar views on what retirement is all about. I know that we've saved and lived within our means all our lives, so we're not going to be destitute in retirement - hopefully I won't have to roll out a sleeping bag next to you under a bridge in the future :)

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  14. That is so important, isn't it to live in the present and focus on the now. I'm finally appreciating this as I'm getting into my forties.

    SSG xxx

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    1. I think it's all about balance isn't it? You can't not prepare for the future, but you can't let it override all that is happening now. I don't want to live the next 10 years in rags in the hope I'll be okay when I stop working. I want to enjoy life now - and hopefully have put enough aside for the future. Time will tell.

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  15. You definitely share the same philosophy as me Leanne. Living in the here and now is the best way - no one knows whats around the corner... #lovinlifelinky

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Thanks so much for your comment - it's where the connection begins.