Monday, January 11, 2010

Staying in the Present



Thoughts from Grant Coach, MaryEllen Bergh, on staying in the present:
“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift; that is why they call it the present.” Eleanor Roosevelt.

I have been told quite frequently that the universe continues to put things in front of us until we master them. Being in the present moment is clearly something that I have to work on as that concept is quite often put in my path. I might find myself waking up in the middle of the night thinking “I should have done this…I should have done that…” on a grant that was just submitted (worrying about something that is past!) or plop myself right into the future about a recent proposal with a “What if the committee takes too long in review and we have to maintain the timeline?”…”What if we bid too high?...or too low?” (worrying about something that hasn’t even happened yet!). When I catch myself wandering off with these thoughts, I take a few deep breaths and acknowledge that the present is perfect and express gratitude for the opportunity to write that grant or submit that proposal.

Being present protects us from being completely consumed by worry. It’s hard to worry when you are looking at all the amazing things surrounding you in the right here and the right now (key word: amazing). When we are fully present we may find a new discovery or a novel way to describe a concept – one that may have been hidden by past or future thoughts. In the present we can get some clarity around our work because we have the freedom to focus…and we get to choose. There is no choice in the past or the future.

You'll find more wisdom from the Grant Coach in the Coach's Corner area of the GrantGoddess.com member section.
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About Creative Resources & Research

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Woodland, CA, United States
Creative Resources and Research is a consulting firm specializing in grant writing, grant seeking, program evaluation and professional development training. We have worked with hundreds of clients including public and private schools, school districts, universities, non-profit organizations, and social service agencies throughout California, securing over $155 million from federal, state and private foundation funding sources over the past decade. Our primary grant writers and program evaluators have over 50 years of combined experience in the education and social services fields. At CRR we prefer a personal approach to the clients we work with; by developing long term relationships, we are better suited to match client’s needs with available funding sources. We provide a variety of services to help assist you, including grant writing, evaluation consulting, professional development opportunities, and workshops.