8 Ways to Embrace Where You're at Today
I wanted to write a blog about embracing where you’re at today, because especially in a season when you’re constantly being thrown different changes and life happenings, it’s so easy to look forward to the next thing and say, “Oh my gosh, I can’t wait for this,” and then you just wait and wait and wait, and then it happens, and you say, “Man, I can’t wait for this next thing.”
I found myself doing this a ton during college this past year. I told myself, “Oh, once I get through this, I’ll be so happy. Once this test is done, once this project is done…”
But here’s the danger in that:
You could go your whole life doing that.
You can miss out on the beauty of each moment.
So I thought I’d share with you some tips that I’ve had to remind myself and do in order for me to embrace where I’m at:
1. Reflect on what you’re grateful for each day.
One thing that you can do is to start writing down different things (I try to write down 3) of what you’re grateful for every single day.
2. Have accountability.
For me and Tyler, what we found ourselves doing was saying, “Man, we cannot wait until we move in together. “Wow, we cannot wait until the day this planning is done and we can just enjoy the day.”
So what we’ve had to do is hold each other accountable. We do not allow each other to say that anymore. No more “we wish, we wish, we wish, we can’t wait, we can’t wait, we can’t wait…”
Yes, it’s okay to be excited, but it’s very important that you are reminding each other that this time is precious as well. This moment is special as well. You have to make the most of it.
3. Allow yourself to gain perspective.
By that, I mean at the end of your day, it’s taking a step back and looking at where you’re at in life. So for us, we’re about to get married. We’re planning our honeymoon. We’re trying to buy a house, and that is a time that we will never get back. This is a time where we are paving the way for our lives, and that’s pretty darn exciting. But if we’re not careful, we can totally just wish it all away and just wait for the next thing.
4. Realize that your attitude is what determines your day.
You can spend your entire life waiting for the next thing to happen.
Or you can choose to live each day to the fullest, knowing that tomorrow is not guaranteed. Because God tells us in Matthew 6:34, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Is that hard to do? Absolutely.
Are you reading a blog written by someone who is an absolute planner? Absolutely.
But God tells us not to worry about tomorrow. Only He knows what tomorrow holds.
So the fact that we’re all stressed out and worried - I totally get it. In fact, I was just crying over my student loans the other day (haha), but just realize that tomorrow is not guaranteed. We only have today. We only have this moment.
So let’s live into it.
5. Understand that not anything in life is ever going to be perfect.
A lot of times we fall into the trap of believing that our future is going to be so much better. That tomorrow is going to be so much better. And then guess what? Tomorrow comes and then we say the next day is going to be so much better…
Of course we want to have a positive mindset and dream big and hope, but we also don’t want to just believe this lie that only the best lies in our future.
The best can lie in today.
6. Simply tell God what you’re struggling with.
If you are struggling with embracing today, ask Him to help you embrace the moment and be happy with where you’re at.
He’s going to reveal the beauties of each day to you when you ask Him.
7. Start looking for the good.
If I’m cooped up in the house all day looking down at my phone, or if I have my head down in whatever it is, I can miss out on so much. But when I choose to go outside, and I watch the sunrise or the sunset, when I go on a walk and I hear the birds or smell freshly cut grass, man, life is so much better that day because I’m choosing to look up.
Romans 1:20 tells us, “By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can’t see.”
8. Reach out to people whom you can love on today.
Say or do something for someone that will brighten their day. That is showing that you are embracing that person where they’re at today, and you’re loving on them. That can be huge for not only their heart, but also yours.
So, yes, it’s very easy to fall into the trap of believing that your life is going to be so much better tomorrow or next week or next month or next year… but what I want to challenge you to do is to embrace where you’re at and choose to have the right attitude. Choose to live with purpose and positivity with where you’re at.
Because God is instilling that within you today.
Own it.