My dad used to tell me this, but I didn’t understand it at the time. My anxiety and depression had a chokehold on my life, so I thought, what? The next best thing? How can I possibly live that way? How can I progress at all into the future if I’m not constantly thinking about it?

Now, of course, I realize that he was right all along. What he meant was, stay in the present moment. There is no point in worrying excessively about a future that you, for the most part, cannot control. All you can do is the next thing. And then the next. And the next. And if you are following your intuition and opening up to the universe, allowing it to guide you … then the future will work out as it should.

Is that always an easy path to follow? Of course not. The brain resists it like a motherfucker. It thinks that by creating worry, anxiety, and the need to control, it is protecting you. And maybe you believe it. But that’s not true. It’s not protecting you, it’s holding you back from your potential. So what if you work on developing presence, mindfulness, and trust in the universe? What if you breathe and just do the next right thing?

Because, in truth, that’s all that you can do – but maybe you are missing signals because you are too focused on what lies ahead to notice what’s right in front of you. The universe could be hitting you upside the head with a baseball bat, showing you the truth of your purpose, but you will never see it if you’re wrapped up in your monkey mind. You aren’t alone – so many are living in this same trapped, depressed state. The first step is realizing that you do in fact, have the power to shift everything for yourself in a meaningful and lasting way.

So what if you make it all nice and simple, even when your mind wants to overcomplicate? What if you stay in the moment and notice what presents itself, and then follow your intuition to the next right thing… and then the next? Trust that something bigger than yourself actually does have your back, and maybe you don’t have to worry constantly. That’s not a fun way to live. Don’t you want to try something else?

Breathe, get present, stay grounded. Do the next right thing. You got this, and I love you.