What can we do when the future looks scary, uncertain, or dark? The same thing we need to do when the future looks amazing and bright — discover the peace within us right now. How we feel now determines how we feel about the future, not the other way around.

No matter what is troubling us — whether it’s loss, regret, stress or hopelessness — we all have the ability to relax, to breathe, to close our eyes and let it all out. We can take a moment when our heads are swirling like a tornado, and hard as it might be at first, we can watch our breath. We can watch our thoughts. We can check for that tension in our body and send a little love and a smile to that area.

When the future we always dreamed of is not even close to coming to true, this is what we have to do. (New podcast episode)

Whenever I feel like the world is knocking me over, I sit up straight, close my eyes, and take some deep, slow, conscious breaths. I try to stay focused on my breath, but when my mind wanders, I don’t get upset. I just return to my breath. I pay attention to my mind as it starts to wander, and I gently and lovingly keep it focused on my breath (focusing on a mantra works amazing for beginners if the breath is too subtle. Try “Om” or any other mantra you like).

Simply sitting up straight when the world is weighing so heavily on us is such a powerful act. When our mind is trying to depress us and push us down, sitting up is the quiet and confident way of saying to the world, “You won’t knock me down, you will not defeat me, and I will rise up and face anything with peace.” By cultivating this mindset, we truly can create any future we wish. Here’s more on that in my new YouTube video.

Here’s what I would like you to do this week

1. Zoom out. Yes this moment may be bad, but will it last forever? No. Everything changes. The future only reflects our present moment mindset. If we believe in ourselves, our future will surely look brighter. Play the long game, think about life like the stock market, with many ups and downs but overall moving up, and there’s no need to panic 😉
   
   
2. Don’t carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. Just this moment. No matter what is happening in or around your life, face it with presence and peace. I talk more about it in detail in chapter 6 and chapter 14 of my book, Finding Your True Self. I even shared a meditation there that teaches how to channel your negative energy into something positive.
   
   
3. Let’s start meditating. If you are new and find it tough, do it for 2 minutes, but don’t skip it. If you can do it longer, go for it. Make it a habit. Here’s a guided morning meditation for you. If you add 30 seconds every day, by day 36 you’ll be up to 20 minutes without even noticing it. This daily practice is how we will turn these awakening concepts into a permanent way of being.

Much love,

Todd

PS: For all those who have joined the challenge a little late, I am sharing the previous 10,000 Mental Steps Challenges here so you can catch up with us.