Sometimes the hardest part of my day is reminding myself of the present. Probably the most important thing any of us can do is be present in our lives. But that proves always to be easier said than done.

I suspect in simpler times, it was much easier; everything we did had a direct effect on our survival. Everything we did was effecting the present. Now, we don’t hunt for our food, run from predators, or find emergency shelter during a storm. We go to work, sit in cubes, surf the internet. There is little reason for our minds to stay present; after all, we know that we’ll be sitting in that space for the next eight hours and that nothing of any consequence is likely to happen. Now, our minds are free to wander. Free to think about what we’ll do tomorrow. Encouraged to think about what we want for our lives in the next five years, ten years, after retirement.

But, if we’re living in our thoughts of tomorrow, then who is taking charge of our lives right now? Who is driving? Unconsciousness is driving. Unconsciousness in drivers seat of the present means that choices get made (or don’t get made) at a time when they actually matter, but you’re not there to oversee the changes that are (or aren’t) occurring.

The choices we make in the present, effect what happens to us tomorrow. Our ability to effect and change tomorrow depends on what we do in the present. It is simply a matter of seeing that tomorrow and five years from now does not exist. Yesterday does not exist. They are simply concepts and moments of present that have already passed us by or have yet to occur. When tomorrow comes, will we not see that we are living in it? Will we be sitting around thinking about the next tomorrow?

Living in the present means accepting the current moment just as it is. Making the best of the moment, regardless of where it is or what you’re doing. Sometimes, it may bring us to the realization that the present is not making us happy, but that gives us the chance to actually effect what our tomorrow will be, right?

If we are unconscious in the present, then when the tomorrow we are planning for becomes the present, we will be no more conscious than we were yesterday, for we will still be thinking about tomorrow. The present is the only place to make change a reality. Tomorrow will always be a concept in our minds of which we cannot impact unless we turn our attention to now.

So, take a moment every day to practice recognizing the moment. Remind yourself this it is real and tomorrow is not! It is a difficult practice, very difficult because we are all so well versed in thinking ahead.

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As an environmental scientist by trade, climate change is something I spent many years learning about in college. I read about it often, and I am always astounded by how many people choose to believe that it is a farce; a ridiculous concept. The comment thread at the end of articles astound me. Really? I mean… really? How can it be that so many people do not understand the issues and challenges that our Earth faces today? How can it be that not every citizen of this Earth doesn’t understand what they are contributing to?

I suppose that very thought brought me to today, where I am choosing to write more about getting informed about the problem than I am about any one specific issue surrounding our climate change crisis. Take exhibit A below (compliments of the Nature Conservancy website).

Everything on Earth is cyclic in nature, including the patterns of weather and climate change. The graph above details every carbon dioxide spike in Earth’s history, as records in ice cores on the planet. The current level of carbon dioxide far exceeds all previous levels ever recorded. I find it hard to believe that there can be an argument to explain how the spike we see on the graph representing today could be a result of anything except us!

If you are willing to accept the possibility that these measurements taken by scientists from around the world might hold some truth… some intrinsic value, then inform yourself about how this happened and why. Only once you accept and understand the problem can you find the motivation for change. Here are some great places to start:

• The Environmental Protection Agency has some great information on how our human development has spurred the recent climate change; if you’re not quite sure about what greenhouse gases are, the EPA has information for that too.
• Need a beginner’s guide to climate change? Here’s a great place to start.
• Check out the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change. Here you can get worldwide information and view points that go beyond America.
• The National Resources Defense Council has additional information regarding the many effects of climate change.

There is a wealth of information on the internet about climate change. Take advantage of it and refuse to ignore the situation. It is exactly that ignorance that has brought us to where we are today. It’s a funny thing that people cannot seem to make serious change unless faced with life-or-death situations. This truly is life-and-death; it’s just not life-or-death right now, it’s later or someday or sometime non-descript moment in time that we all choose to ignore as important.

We’ve all hear about the need to reduce our carbon footprints, donate to organizations who are working to find new clean energy technologies and to correspond with our governments to promote effective change. But how many of us really do our part? Does society just decide that it won’t effect them, so who cares? Do they lack the ability and foresight to make the connection between our lifestyles and the spike at the end of that chart?

What stops us from saving ourselves and the rest of the creatures on this planet? That’s really what we would be doing it for after all, right? It’s not about saving the Earth. The Earth will effectively “save itself” from us if we continue on our present course. The Earth will heal. We don’t have that options. Our race cannot survive our poor choices.

Here are some additional resources to help inspire action.

• Find out what your carbon footprint is.
• Here is some information on what you can do at home, work, and at school. Every little bit we can do will help in the long run.
• Checkout these organizations who are working for us to spur change in government policies.
  • Greenpeace International
  • Stopglobalwarming.org
  • The Nature Conservancy
  • The National Resource Defense Council

No one is going to be able to stand up and say that they have done everything they can to effect climate change. I happen to recycle, work actively to reduce my carbon footprint, use environmentally friendly products at home, and participate in websites devoted to trying to save the planet. But I could do so much more. We all could. So, the question to ask yourself is not if you’re doing EVERYTHING you can, but can you do just one more thing? Can you donate? Can you educate? Can you reduce your driving? Every single, little, minute step each one of us takes towards correcting the climate change crisis we currently face, will go a long way when multiplied by one billion, or two… or three or four. We are all in this together- so inform yourself. Inform others. In this case, ignorance will definitely not lead to bliss.

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What happened in our recent “evolution”  to cause us not only to expect things now, but to feel like we can’t survive if we have to wait for good things to come to us? Instant Gratification. I suffer from it and it’s something that I’m always fighting with because I realize how much disharmony is created in my life because of it.

It happens with everything.. for most of us, right? I mean, you see something you want, you have to have it now. Maybe it’s a car you can’t quite afford. No problem. I’ll just finance! Maybe it’s a dream job. Because some of us don’t have it NOW, we spend endless amounts of time complaining about the job we do have. Or we jump from job to job without thinking things through. Maybe it’s the need to be skinny-minny. The diet-pill market is flourishing because of our inability to set a goal and work towards it. That’s the problem. It’s the idea that we shouldn’t have to work for it. We just want it now. We don’t want to have to save money, or exercise everyday, or work hard at our jobs and learn the skills we’ll need for that dream job. No way! We want it NOW.

I’ve mentioned before my feelings about the consumerism and commercialism in the world today and how it teaches us to think this way. It’s advantageous for them if we think we can get everything we want without effort or cost. Problem is, our instant gratification which must be satiated, only ends up hurting us and our long term goals in the process.

I personally, am not sure that I’m in a career situation where I want to be long term; however, I also know there a multitude of skills that I can acquire where I’m at. If I were to be upset, anxious, and bitchy over the fact that I’m not in my dream job I then sabotage my ability to improve myself now. Similarly, if I rush out and take the first job I find that’s different than the one I’m in, I have no idea what I’m getting. In the end, trying to achieve that dream job NOW sabotage’s my ability to go out and get it later. Same with the dieter. No matter how many pills and potions you try, none of them really work or we would all be skinny. That said, taking all those things only serve to reinforce in the dieter’s mind that he/she doesn’t really have to eat right and exercise to lose weight. In the end, it sabotage’s the possibility for progress which will not only provide results, but teach proper habits.

So, while I recognize the problem, and I have my own opinion about how we got here, that leaves me with the question of How do we Get Out of this? Because this has been something that I have been thinking about often for a long time, I will tell you that there are some things that I try to ask myself to re-train myself not to think this way. Instead of Instant Gratification, I think of it as Mindful Achievement; obtaining something you want in life through mindful planning and presence; you know, working towards something.

1. I am spoiled. I have everything I could ever possibly need and more. Chances are, you’re just like me if you have internet and can read this! Put yourself in some perspective and think about people in other places in the world without clean drinking water, food, shelter and electricity. Kinda makes that second ipod (”I have a 4 gb, but an 8gb sure would be nice) seem a little less important, right?
2. What are my goals in life? Remind yourself what is truly important to you. This may be world peace, it may be your morning espresso. Whatever it is, be sure that you know what those things are so that when the itch to have anything NOW arises, you can easily assess whether or not it is part of those goals. If it isn’t, then it’s a lot easier to just plain walk away from it.
3. Do I really want/need that? If the answer is yes, then what is the best approach to obtain it? Maybe it’s saving up money, maybe it’s doing some research on nutrition. Whatever the case may be, make a plan.
4. What is the Personal Cost to me if I decide that I can’t wait to have this? For example, buying something you can’t afford because you don’t want to wait and save up for it means you’ll be paying interest. Maybe you quit a good, secure job for something different (but not quite right) because you thought it would resolve your restlessness in your career, only to realize that you traded job security for a career question mark. Force yourself to see that there is a down-side to instant gratification. While you’re at it, think about how great it will feel to achieve something without looking for the “easy way”.
5. Instant Gratification is Temporary! I won’t deny, it can be a great feeling when you get something that you want so badly… it’s almost a rush if you allow yourself to believe you need it. Problem is, that rush fades away. Quite often, you’re left with something you hadn’t thought of. A loan you can’t afford, pills that make you sick, or a job that isn’t what you had in mind.

Change is never easy. It takes constant presence and awareness to prevent your brain from falling into familiar patterns. Finding ways to achieve the goals you want without the added costs that come with having to obtain something NOW will reward you with time, money, patience, and pride. Once you’ve stepped through the process a few times, and felt the reward of mindful achievement, you won’t want to go back.

Image from: http://www.conciseguidelines.com

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I can’t help thinking the last few months about how our country, and the world, got to this place. Here we are, the economy of the world teetering on the brink of total failure, and no one seems to be reflecting on why we’re here; only how we can get out of it. Isn’t that the first basic rule though, problem solving? Don’t you have to understand how the problem came to be before you can solve it appropriately? Yes, banks gave out loans to people they shouldn’t have, and yes, credit card companies and the like we’re allowed to do what they wanted because regulation was lacking. But is that REALLY the problem? I don’t think so. I think it’s the symptom of a bigger problem. It’s a symptom of something that the companies of the world have lost. Integrity. Morals. Compassion. I mean, let’s face it. This whole economic “disaster” is really a simple function of greed. Somewhere along the way, these companies stopped thinking like individual human beings and started thinking as a machine. Money. How can we get more of it? What can we do to increase our bottom line? Who cares about what the costs are to others, it only matters what we stand to gain.

Let’s go back a few decades… say 5. So we’re in the 1950’s. For the most part, didn’t the Capitalist System work? Why did it work? Because even though companies were in the business of making money, it wasn’t at the expense of the people who paid for their services! Nor was it at the expense of the people who worked for them! WOW! What an idea. There was this overall sense of responsibility to each other, and a responsibility to their moral selves. To America. And those CEO’s and CFO’s and small town business owners realized that screwing over their “neighbor” might be a good short term way to earn more money, but long term it would be a disaster for them.

Now we have a system which has been built on greed. Teach people they need to buy. Teach them they need NEW things all the time. Teach them to live beyond their means and that it’s totally okay. In fact, it’s more than okay. It’s a status symbol to have the newest car, biggest house, most expensive shoes. Is it to make our lives better? That’s what we’re “trained” to believe- that the shiny new car will make us happier than our current less-shiny but relatively new car. But it’s not really about us, it’s about them. They need to sell more, because whatever their percent profit margin is now, is not enough. They need to make more money, because that’s what businesses do. And that’s just what happens to customers!

What if you’re an employee? How does it make you feel to know that you work more hours than most people in other countries, have to pay for your own health care and barely make enough to keep up with inflation, when the head honchos of your company are getting billions in bonuses? It’s even worse when they do a SHITTY job and get an even bigger bonus for leaving! Why? I have to say, I was absolutely moved by the bank CEO Leonard Abess, Jr. who gave his $66 million dollars of his own profit to the company’s employees. That guy should be our role model.

So, companies are going under because they sold bad loans. They knew what they were doing. It was short-term BIG gain without regard to long-term consequences. Now many of us are unemployed, in foreclosure, bankruptcy, or in debt up to our eyeballs. What do they want us to do to help the economy? Take out more loans! Yeah! What a fantastically insane idea. Take out more money that we don’t have so we can buy shit we don’t need and can’t afford. Am I the only one who thinks this is asinine?

And our government, I realize they’re in emergency mode and worried about companies and conglomerate’s failing that our economy requires for survival, but I am absolutely certain that bailing out a company who fraudulently operated it’s business for the sole purpose of making their bigwigs and stockholders rich at the expense of everyone else, should NOT be saved. They should succumb to the Capitalist System. It’s a good system. It means that if you offer a good service at a competitive price and you operate honorably, you get to grow and prosper. If you’re a bad businessman, are greedy, lie to your customers or sell a bad product, you go out of business. That’s how the system is supposed to work. We’re trying to fix a system that was broken long before it began it’s recent descent. I have no doubt in the Capitalist System and no doubt in America. I do not believe, however, that we should be trying to repair a system that is dependent on the citizens of this country going into debt, and allows greedy, selfish companies to be bailed out so they can continue to operate the same ways. And why wouldn’t they? There was NO consequence to what they did! They made a gazillion bucks and now the government covered their ass. They’ll do it again.

I think that the only way to truly fix this, is to realize that this whole problem comes down to the human level. The humanity of not just doing what is best for you, but what is best for the people around you, the state you live in, and your country. It means saying, I’m not going to buy from a company who operates like this. I’m not going to work for a company who has such a low opinion of it’s people. It also means not letting the machine suck you in, and realizing that the idea that our economy HAS to be based on consumerism alone is a scam. There are other ways to have a successful economy. And most of them would probably equate to a healthier economy as well. One more thing: think back to the 1950’s. Do you think people shopped and bought like we do today? No way. People saved for a TV. They drove their cars until they didn’t work anymore. They didn’t need 12 things, all the same just in different colors. They only needed one.

As much as I am angry at the corporations, we also have to realize on an individual level that we are all equally to blame. We have to take responsibility for the fact that we fell for what they were selling. I did. I went shopping every weekend. I saw things everyday that I thought I absolutely couldn’t live without. Things that would make me happier, hipper, whatever. I bought them on the spot. Even if I didn’t have any money. They sold us this idea, we bought it and here we are. I don’t want that anymore. I don’t want that kind of life for myself, that future for my sons, and I certainly don’t want to support the institutions who want to keep the status quo. But maybe that’s just me.

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While I am sure there will be things of more substance than this to write about in the future, I have to say that I have been gone from this place too long. Of course I still have a million things zipping through my Google Reader everyday; I am still fully entrenched in the blog world; I just haven’t been contributing for a while. I was (and still am) having a little bit of an identity crisis.

I know why I blog and why I read them. I want to feel connected and understood. That is to say, I am looking for ideas and connections with people to help me achieve my personal growth goals in life. So, I found myself asking “how can I blog and contribute the very thing I am myself looking for”? I felt a little bit like the “man behind the curtain” because many days I sat down to blog and felt completely lost in the craziness of life. I myself was (and will always be) a work in progress. What occurred to me though is that is the perpetual motion of personal growth. No self-respecting personal growth enthusiast, writer or reader could say they were an “expert” on the subject, because the very idea of person improvement is a life-long continuous process.

So, I have stayed away from writing because I simply did not know what to write about anymore. That said, I find my fingers itch to write and to be a contributor again. So tonight, I’m writing just to be here; a contributing (albeit ranting) member of the blogosphere. I suppose that the things that are most on my mind these days are the things that are most worth writing about; in life we are all connected and maybe the things that I struggle with can help others find the same answers to life that I seek.

I once wrote a post about making life changes when you’re in a “rut”.Although it is one of my favorite posts and I feel very connected to it, I recently awoke from my sleepwalking life to find myself in a rut. It happens to me when I get too busy with all the bullshit of everyday life to remember the bigger picture of, “how can I be a better person every day?”. And, naturally, I get so busy with everyday life (what am I going to feed the boys for dinner? Do I have time to go to the gym? Did my son get his homework done?) that I  am not ever present enough in the moment to realize it. So, I guess that is what I want to write about. How I can grow and change and find a way to be a better person today than I was yesterday. A better Mother, friend, sister, daughter, employee, lover and human being? That is the ultimate journey of my life.

So, I expect I will find myself here much more often, spewing out ideas and thoughts. It’s not answers to life that I wish to provide here, but rather a sounding board that can initiate that answers to come from anyone who reads this blog.

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