The Here And The Now: Facing What Is Real In Your Life Today

While it may sound easy to accept your reality and live in the here and now, many people, unfortunately, are holding on to a different version of their lives that makes finding true happiness almost impossible. Whether your reluctance to face reality is because of disappointment, regret, denial, or hope for something better, failure to connect with your reality can lead to being unfulfilled and unhappy in life.

Learning to accept yourself and your life as it is today is one of the healthiest things you can do for yourself. Even if your reality is less than ideal, it is better to live realistically and accept your life than to live in a fantasy that can never be true. If you are looking for ways to learn how to face what is real in your life and live in the here and now, here are six strategies to help you.

Accept yourself.

First, you have to acknowledge all parts of yourself, from the good to the bad. Self-acceptance is difficult because we never want to admit there are parts of us that need improvement. But, learning to love yourself unconditionally means you understand that all those aspects are necessary to form the person you are. You accept that others have flaws, so why not accept the same for yourself? Learning to accept all parts of yourself is an essential first step to facing reality.

Be radically honest.

To accept your reality completely, you must be radically honest, at least with yourself, about the role you have played in your current situation. Ask yourself some tough questions about your decisions and actions that led to this point.

Where did your strengths serve you well, and in what areas do you have some lessons to learn? To move forward and make the best of your situation, you need to acknowledge your role in it and learn from any errors or mistakes that have led to your current struggles.

Work on owning all outcomes.

It’s easy to want to take credit when things go well in life, but it’s challenging to accept the failures. Owning all your outcomes means you accept that you have something to learn from every situation in life. Failure is simply a chance to try again, this time with more information. When you find yourself trying to remove yourself from failures in life, consider instead what the experience taught you.

Inventory your strengths.

If you want to face reality, spend some time contemplating all the gifts you have that helped you succeed thus far in life. Make a list of all your strengths as well as the values and beliefs that guide your life. These should be the foundation for your goals and aspirations and return to these when you are feeling down about the here and now. This provides you with something positive in which to ground yourself to guide your work and attaining new dreams.

Release your fears.

Reflect on what is truly scary in your reality, then make changes that help you release those fears. Unless it is something that can harm you physically, then it is time to stop fearing it and start making progress toward your dreams. Let go of irrational fears or unwarranted anxiety, and you can successfully embrace your reality.

Accept that you are going to struggle.

Nothing good in life is achieved without hard work and a few steps backward. Get comfortable living with struggle, and you’ll soon see that the journey is just as important as the destination. When you have to work hard for something, it helps you appreciate it even more when you finally achieve your goal.

Always keep in mind that you cannot create a new reality for yourself unless you acknowledge and embrace the reality of today.