Living in the Moment
May 20th, 2007There is something to be said about living in the moment that cannot be overstated especially if you are going through a rough patch in your life. You normally find at any given moment if you stop and think about what it is that is bothering you, you will find that the things you are worrying about are things that have happened in the past or things you think will happen in the future. There is nothing you can do about what has happened in the past and there is no point worrying about what has not happened yet, in fact, by worrying about something that might happen you are drawing that event to you.
By living in the moment and focusing your mind on exactly what is going on around you right now you may find a peaceful place in between the past and the future. Living in the moment is real living and by staying focused in the moment and not projecting your thoughts forward or backward into the past or future you can step away from worry and fear.
Most people worry on some level but the happiest of people worry about things the least. Happiness is a state of contentment that has nothing to do with how many material possessions you have or how much money you have in the bank. A person who is happy has the power to create more happiness simply by staying happy. A sad person or someone who is constantly worried about the situations of their life brings more sad situations their way. How often is a negative event actually happening in your life? Negative events and situation rarely occur but when they do they only last for a second or two and then the event is over. It is by continuing to worry about the event that keeps you there. When you are living in the moment you dismiss a negative event the moment it is over and move on without worrying about it of without thinking that event will come back to haunt you in the future.
If anything, living in the moment allows you to come through a negative situation and immediately learn from the experience and know you will never let yourself go through that again by simply avoiding the mistakes you made previously that saw you encounter the negative event in the first place. For example, if you have lost your job, instead of worrying about it and wishing you had made different decisions or worked harder while you were at your old job, consider what you have learned by the experience. Maybe you did not like the boss, you did not like the hours, the job was not right for you, you said something foolish or perhaps you were lazy. Whatever it was you did, let it go and move on. You cannot change what has happened but you can make a fresh start with the experience you have taken from your old job and any past mistakes you made.
The same thing goes if your relationship has gone sour, learn from it and move on. There are a million other partners out there just like there are jobs and fresh, exciting opportunities. When you are living in the moment you have the chance to transcend your past bad experiences and decide in this moment what direction your future will take. If you can live in the moment and remain happy your life will move from one happy episode to the next and if difficulties arise on the journey you will face them, deal with them and continue unfazed while moving from moment to moment.
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September 10th, 2007 at 9:03 am
Yes. I agree with you completely. But ‘How do you really live in the moment’? I think most of us know that overthinking about the past or the future is a waste of time and brain matter. Thoughts are involuntary…atleast mine are. I constantly find myself thinking about past bad experiences even during happy moments. I know i shouldn’t but i don’t know how to stop. Sometimes i think i am going crazy. Any advice/suggestions would be greatly appreciated:)
November 17th, 2008 at 6:33 am
Hi John,
Thank you sooo much for writing all of these articles….they are very helpful to so many peoples lives, including mine!
Thank you for all that you do!
Cindy
Dallas, Texas.
March 7th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Hi John,
Over the last few months, I have been wrecking my mind over things which has never happened and creating havoc within myself.I am actually having no problems, but I have just entered into a new ralationship and my mind has started thinking so many negative feelings, even though my heart knows that all it needs is time and I am hurrying. Though logically i know the root cause for all these is my imagination and I just need to stop thinking…but I am just not able to. Any practical help which will help me to have peace of mind…though I really do not have any problem in life.I have been really looking into myself to find a solution for a peace of mind and yet not got it.
Thanks,