Life Doesn’t Work Like A DVR

Life doesn’t work like a Digital Video Recorder. Huh? What’s this crazy talk coming from your trusty life coach?

Well, if you’ve ever enjoyed the flexibility of watching shows captured on a DVR in the comfort of your home and then gone somewhere where all you have is live TV, it throws you off.

You want to pause the show. You want to rewind and see something again. But you can’t. The show just keeps on playing.

This happened to us recently on our trip to Mexico. We have a TIVO at home. We have something called Expat TV in Puerto Aventuras. For the first few days, we kept wanting to pause or rewind … or fast forward to see how a sporting event turned out. Oops … it doesn’t have a record feature.

No can do.

And here’s the crazy analogy that popped into my head.

As much as we might want it to be like a DVR, life is like live TV.

It comes at us non-stop and all we’re ever gonna experience is what’s playing right now … so we’d better enjoy it.

But what if it isn’t a pleasant experience that makes you feel good?

Can you change the channel? YES!

And that’s often a great idea when what you’re tuned into and focusing on isn’t enjoyable or uplifting. It’s an especially good idea if what you’re steaming into your consciousness is upsetting or depressing.

By all means, change the channel!

But no matter what show you’re streaming, there’s no way to hit the pause button when things get overwhelming. There is no pause button. The show goes on.

The closest thing we have to a pause button is some form of meditation, where we clear our minds. It’s the equivalent of closing our eyes as the show rolls on. It allows us to reset … to calm ourselves and re-energize.

But you can’t say, “Stop the world, I want to get off!” It doesn’t work like that.

There’s also no way to revisit and relive the past. There is no rewind button. What’s done is done. It’s over and gone. All we have is now.

We can’t run the recording forward to see how things turn out. There’s no fast forward feature to life.

There will always be uncertainty around what the future holds. That can be unsettling, but we can’t change it.

Did I say that all we have is now? Yeah … all we have is now.

Okay, so if the show’s gonna continue to stream, that show better be a good one, right?

And which is better … a show you create or one that’s pre-packaged and streamed for your consumption?

Are you the writer, director, and lead actor in the show? Or are you a bit player in a larger drama conceived and produced by someone else?

I ask, because, at least as I see it, the bit part thing isn’t very satisfying and can be downright unfulfilling, frustrating, and anxiety producing. And who wants that?

And so, I’m echo the wisdom of the ages here with my little analogy.

Be present. Live for the moment. Live in the now.

Don’t try to relive the past. That just surfaces regrets or nostalgia for the good old days we no longer enjoy.

And don’t worry about the future. Do your best to create it and then relax and pre-dispose yourself to love what comes your way.

Yup, all we’ve got is the equivalent of live TV.

But, you know what?

This live streaming show can be pretty special … especially if you make it special.

Love,