The Time Machine You’ve Always Wanted
How to escape the illusion of time
As originally published in Change Your Mind Change Your Life on Medium.com.
At some point, most of us have wished for a time machine — the opportunity to return to a cherished moment, fix a past mistake, or skip ahead to a future where all our dreams have come true. At its core, I think it’s because we love certainty.
But time is a paradox. While we measure it in hours, days, and years, our actual experience of time is much more fluid. We can project our minds into the past or the future, but we can only ever live in the present moment. And that’s where our real power lies.
The Illusion of Past and FutureWhat we did this morning, yesterday, or even last year no longer exists outside of our minds. Those events are gone, vanished, except for the mental impressions we carry. Likewise, the future is nothing more than a dream: imagined scenarios that haven’t happened and may never occur.
Yet, much of our lives are dominated by these illusions. We spend hours replaying old conversations, regretting choices, or worrying about what’s next. But both regret and anxiety are simply thoughts occurring now. They are present impressions of past or imagined events — experienced as images, sounds, and emotions in this very moment. This is why we don’t see situations for what they are. We see them as we are.
Problems Exist Only in TimeThink about any problem you’re facing. Almost always, it involves something from the past or a concern about the future. Regret. Guilt. Fear. Doubt. None of these can survive if we are rooted in the now. When we dwell on them, we give them life. We allow them to live rent-free in our minds, draining our energy and clouding our clarity.
For the longest time, I wished for peace in my life — less heartbreak, less drama, less chaos — yet no matter what I did, nothing seemed to change, and my despair kept growing. Within a few years, my grandmother, mother and brother died; I was being financially extorted; I felt trapped in a toxic relationship; my health took one hit after another; and so much more —heartbreak, drama, chaos.
But I was forever living in the pain of past events and fear of the future. Looking back, I don’t think I had many “present” moments at all. If I’d been present, I would’ve acted from love — not fear. From self-love.
Presence is a kind of time machine — not one that takes us elsewhere, but one that brings us home. It lifts the weight of time off our shoulders. It grounds us. It frees us from the chains of what was and what might be, allowing us to experience what is.
Forever Is Right NowThe present moment is all there ever is — and all we ever need. It is endlessly renewing itself, fresh and full of possibility. Each moment offers us the chance to begin again.
I’ve had to begin again more than a few times. In fact, I often feel like I’m beginning again daily — consciously trying to live in the present moment as best I can. Because I want a future that is different to my past.
Being fully present doesn’t mean we forget the past or never plan for the future. It means engaging with life as it unfolds — consciously, with awareness. When we are present, we can reflect on the past without being trapped by it and prepare for the future without fearing it. Being present allows us to create the life we want, for our thoughts today are what shape our tomorrow.
Presence Is PowerPresence is the ultimate time machine. It doesn’t bend time — it dissolves the illusion of it. In presence, our mind lightens, anxiety fades, and a new way of living is born. We stop reacting and start responding. We stop seeking and start seeing.
My life today is much improved. The heartbreak has ended. The chaos has quieted. The peace I once longed for is now mine. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get here, but here I am. And having settled and recalibrated with and in peace, I now want more.
And so I practise presence every day. Because it is a practice. And I fall off the proverbial bandwagon every day. But that’s ok, because it doesn’t stop me from trying.
To live in the present is to remember where we are and when we are. And when we do that, we’ll come to know who we are. Not a sum of our past. Not a projection of our future. But a living, breathing awareness in this moment, here and now.
The time machine you’ve always wanted isn’t a device — it’s a decision. To be here. To be now. To live fully in the only moment that ever truly exists: this moment. And there is certainty in that.
Wherever you are in your journey, always remember that YOU ARE ENOUGH.
