banner for Forty Day Challenge

Day 11 — Can You Look Forwards And Backwards?

Janus was the Roman God of beginnings, transitions and change. He represents time because he simultaneously looks forward and backwards. His advantage is that he lives in the now because he sees the past and the future.

Missed Opportunities

Most people are not so well developed, perhaps they're not Gods, and so find balancing the two directions challenging. They favour one direction or the other. Many get stuck in the past, constantly re-living what happened to them. Others are constantly looking forwards, planning what they are going to do. Neither seem to focus on 'now', the present moment. This the most important time.

If you ignore the now you may miss opportunities that could change your life.

When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.

Alexander Graham Bell

Stop and Focus

I am well into the second half of my life and yet I still look forward.

I have always focused on where I am going and what is going to happen. I plan and imagine and develop ideas. I look back occasionally but find I focus on it so little that I forget what happened, much to the annoyance of others in my family.

The problem, though, has been that I don't focus enough on this moment, now. I have improved at this by concentrating, whenever I can, on the present moment, looking at what I need or can contribute now. This is a highly useful skill, particularly as one of the most important qualities of men is their presence, their ability to live now and focus on the person they're with, exclusively.

There are times when I just stop and focus on what's happening now and on my needs right now. I usually see that my current needs are few, releasing me to just honour the moment.

Challenge