Are you paying attention to your past, present, or future?

I’m often asked about my own alignment practice, as in: What do you do each day to get in alignment, Jennifer?

My answer is always some version of this: I’m very dedicated about getting in alignment, but not beholden to a specific routine. In other words, my focus is on feeling good rather than on doing a set of specific things to get there.

Lots of different things have proven helpful to getting me in alignment. But I know what worked yesterday might not be the same thing that works today, so I’m flexible. I trust if I ask myself, What would feel good now? there will always be an answer.

While that answer may change day to day or from one week or month to the next, there will always be some kind of answer. Being flexible rather than rigid about what will boost your alignment is a great energy to actually finding and following your alignment.

All that is to say that I receive a daily quote in my inbox from Abraham. Perhaps you are signed up for those too.

Here’s the thing, even when it comes to Abraham, some days reading the quote is in alignment for me and some days it’s not.

I don’t have to go to my inbox and read the quote. I’m not beholden to reading them every day. I certainly don’t beat myself up if I go for some period of time not looking at any of them.

My point is, these daily insights from Abraham are delivered to my inbox, and when it’s in alignment for me, I read and absorb them.

The wisdom I’m about to share is from one such quote. When it landed in my inbox, and it was in alignment to open and read and percolate, the wisdom resonated. The quote is about attention and about vibration and about the super important connection between the two.

Of course, the day I read this quote it was just what I needed to percolate on at that moment in my day and at that moment in my life experience. I suppose that’s why it was in alignment and why it resonated so deeply.

It brings to mind that expression about when the student is ready, the teacher appears. As the student, I was ready to pay more attention to where and what I was giving my attention, and so the teacher appeared with a little wisdom to guide me forward.

“Have you heard the expression, “We’re either growing or we’re dying.”? Well, what they’re saying is, “You can’t stand still.” We are either giving our attention to where we’re going or we’re giving attention to where we’ve been or we’re giving our attention to where we are, but in any case, wherever we’re giving our attention is our vibration, and the Universe is matching it.” —Abraham

Where you’re going is your future. Where you’ve been is your past. Where you are is your present.

You are always giving your attention in one of those directions.

• You’re thinking about the upcoming trip in a few days to your in-laws.
• You’re thinking about the meeting at work last week that didn’t go well.
• You’re thinking about your kids bickering in the other room.

Future, past, present. Your attention is in one of these directions.

Now the important thing to remember is you can only create in your present moment. Because it’s only ever in this present moment that you are offering your vibration.

But here’s the thing: You can be focused on the past in this present moment. You can be focused on the future in this present moment. Which means the past and the future can be very much alive in the vibration you offer.

Now, this isn’t necessarily a negative. If you are remembering that trip you took to Paris and how romantic it was and the delicious food you enjoyed and the amazing experience of it all—well, then your attention to the past is creating a delightful vibration in your present moment.

But let’s imagine something a bit different.

Perhaps you are thinking about some aspect of your past and feeling intense regret and sadness. This means regret and sadness are the vibration you are offering in your present moment. Which means regret and sadness are the vibration to which Law of Attraction is responding.

Your attention to the past is happening now. Just as your attention to the future is happening now.

For instance, let’s say you’re thinking about an upcoming trip to visit the in-laws, and you are frustrated the trip is for an entire week instead of a shorter amount of time and irritated with yourself for not being in alignment about it. So you are paying attention to the future in such a way that your vibration today—at this moment—is one of frustration and irritation.

Let’s be clear: The Universe is always matching your vibration.

This means you will be matched with circumstances and conditions, people and events, situations and things that are on the frequency of frustration and irritation. While you are thinking about the future, you are attracting in your present moment.

This takes us back to what the quote says: You can’t stand still.

Because your attention is always focused somewhere. And you are always creating and attracting based on what you are giving your attention to. Because Law of Attraction is always responding to your vibration.

And so, as we’ve just seen, your focus might be on your past, on your future, or on your present. Those are certainly ways that we all focus.

I find asking from a place of curiosity, Jennifer, are you paying attention to your past, present, or future? can be a useful lens to bring awareness to where I’m putting my attention. Asking this question using the lens of past, present, future can get me off autopilot and help me really notice what I’m paying attention to—and whether what I’m paying attention to serves me and the vibration I want to cultivate.

Of course, there are other lenses, if you will, to become aware of what you are giving your attention to.

• For instance, are you giving your attention to what you want or what you don’t want?
• Are you giving your attention to what you like or what you don’t like?
• Are you giving your attention to something that has you complaining or something that has you appreciating?

You are always giving your attention to something. And whatever that something is, you are feeling either positive emotion or negative emotion.

• If you are feeling positive emotion, you are positively attracting.
• If you feel negative emotion you are mis-creating and negatively attracting.

We’ve likely all had the experience of focusing on something that upsets us—whether it be something your spouse said, your kid did, or what happened at work. And what do we often do? We continue to focus on it, talk about it, pay attention to it.

We give our continuing attention to the thing that upsets us.

Complaining and rehashing are prime examples of this.

• When you complain about your boss, you are paying attention to things you don’t like.
• When you rehash what happened at the family get-together two years ago, you are paying attention to things you don’t appreciate.

In both cases, what you don’t like and don’t appreciate is what’s active in your vibration. Because your attention is, indeed, your vibration.

The day the Abraham quote landed in my inbox, I had one of those light bulb moments where I had such a clear knowing that I am the chooser of what I focus on. My attention is up to me and only me.

While I already knew this, in that moment my knowledge crystalized into something more powerful and practical. I can only be a deliberate creator by being deliberate about what I give my attention to.

Likewise, you can only be a truly deliberate creator by taking care when it comes to what you pay attention to and what you don’t, what you choose to focus on and what you choose not to focus on.

Wherever you are giving your attention is your vibration, and the Universe is matching it.

I encourage you to bring greater awareness to where you are placing your attention, to what you are giving your attention to. Start noticing.

• Are you giving your attention to something that feels good?
• Or are you giving your attention to something that feels bad?

It’s can be empowering to notice whether you are giving your attention to your past, your future, or to your present. And then to notice whether whatever you’re giving your attention to—past, future, or present—feels good or bad to you.

Likewise, noticing whether you are paying attention to like and want versus don’t like and don’t want tells you everything you need to know about the vibration you offering.

Bringing awareness to what you’re doing with your attention and truly embracing that you always have a choice when it comes to your focus and attention is empowering.

You can be a more deliberate creator by being intentional about your attention. This means what you focus on and what you don’t, what you give your attention to and what you choose not to give your attention to.