"If"

It's such a dangerous word - the only word I know to hold so much potential for both promise and regret. It can drive us to do things we might never before have dared because we think about what could be as opposed to what is. A major downside of "if" is that there is rarely any middle ground; things either turn out wonderfully or terribly. But that is not the worst characterstic. No, the worst thing is that "if" causes us to look ahead, behind, to the sides - anywhere but here. Because of "if," the present no longer exists. There is no "is". Don't misunderstand. The future and the past are important - even essential - to who we are. There is no doubt that both influence us, and one often affects the other. But without the present - without the "is" - we cannot reach our full potential or live life to the fullest. All we have is the here and now. The past is a picture on my bedroom wall, and the future is nothing but some hopeful words nestled in an envelope. Without the "is," there is no past and there is definitely no future. It is the bridge that connects who we used to be to who we are to who we will become.
"If" can burn every single bridge ever built and crossed, causing our attention to center either on regrets or on some bright, promising possibility. "If" is the culprit behind the want that undermines the "have." Don't you feel happier and more content when you finally own that book that you have wanted for weeks? The one you passed by every time you visited the bookstore and had to leave each time. You feel a little more fulfilled once you have it. The same is true of the present. Until we have the "is," we will never be completely content or fulfilled. The sad thing is that we already have it, but we don't realize it. We sit waiting for the "is" when, in reality, the "is" is waiting for us. So leave "if" behind and embrace "is." Then your life and who you are will be defined, and the past and the future will fall into place.