Living in the present moment means focusing on whatever you are doing so as to not be aware of time passing by because you are consciously absorbed in action. At some point during a person’s life journey, they learn that the above is important. Some variation of the advice to “be in the now” is everywhere. Being in the present moment is a solution to many of life’s problems including healing emotional wounds, unleashing a creative mind, improving interpersonal relationships, or releasing tension and stress.
Often the “how to” instruction on getting there is absent. If it were easy, we would all be doing it, and wouldn’t need to be told to. It would be the norm. Many people will spend much of their waking life in some far distant place and time (mentally speaking). The present moment will elude them. You don’t necessarily have to be sitting quietly and still to experience the now. Believing that calm activities are the only way into the present moment is a mistake many people make.
A myth about being in the present moment is that you shouldn’t think about the past or the future. In fact, if the task you are focused on is learning from past events so as to plan for future ones, you can be very much present. The key is to be emotionally invested in neither past nor future. Instead, you might consider the past to be information, knowledge, experience, and the future to be nothing more than a projection of possibilities.
Living in the present moment means no
longer worrying about what happened in the past and not fearing what will
happen in the future. It means enjoying what’s happening now and living for
today. Choosing to live in the past or the future not only steals your
enjoyment today, but it also robs you of truly living. The vital thing to
remember is to find the blessings in your life now. With that goal in mind,
consider the tips below on how to live in the present moment:
Conquer addictions-Addictions in your life hold you hostage. They keep you
from living a completely free life and remove your focus from the moment. Find
some help. Take the steps, and remove their influence over your life. Allow
yourself to live in the moment addiction-free.
Don’t dwell on past accomplishments-If you are still talking about what you
did yesterday, you haven’t done much today. There is still plenty of time to
build upon past successes and create more memories and achievements for your future.
In the future, you’ll be cherishing the memories of today.
Dream about the future, but work hard today-You should dream big and set goals and
plans for your future. Working hard
today is always the
first step towards realizing your dreams tomorrow. Don’t allow dreaming about
tomorrow to replace living in the moment. Dreaming about the future is only
productive when combined with action taken today.
Forgive past hurts-If you are harboring resentment towards another human
being because of past hurts, choose to forgive and move on. The harm was their fault, but
allowing it to impact your mood today is yours. Let go and choose to be present
in the moment instead.
Fully appreciate the moments of today-Soak in as much of today as you possibly can – the sights, the
sounds, the smells, the emotions, the triumph, and the sorrow. These are in our
daily lives but we often forget to take them in and truly appreciate them.
Love your job-If you just survive your work week
constantly waiting for the next weekend “to get here,” you are wasting 71% of
your life (5 out of 7 days). There are two solutions: find a new job that you
actually enjoy, or find something that you appreciate about your current
career.
Remove unneeded possessions-Minimalism forces you to live in the present.
Removing items associated with bad past memories frees you, and allows you to
stop living in the defeat. Once bad past memories no longer have power over you,
you can begin to live in the moment.
Smile-Each day is full of endless possibilities. Start it with
a smile. You are in control of your attitude every morning so keep it optimistic and expectant. Be intentional about smiling, and you’ll find yourself
doing it every day without even realizing it.
Stop worrying-You can’t fully appreciate today if you worry too much about tomorrow. Realize that tomorrow is going to happen whether you
worry about it or not. Since worry has never accomplished anything for anybody,
redirect your mental energy elsewhere.
Think beyond old solutions to problems-Our world is changing so fast that most
of yesterday’s solutions are no longer the right answers today. Don’t get
locked into a “but that’s how we’ve always done it” mentality. Yesterday’s
solutions are not today’s solutions and they are certainly not tomorrow’s
solutions.
“Present-moment living, getting in touch with
your now, is at the heart of effective living. When you think about it, there
really is no other moment you can live. Now is all there is, and the future is
just another present moment to live when it arrives.” (Wayne W. Dyer)
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[i] Sources used:
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“10 Tips to Start Living in the Present Moment” by joshua becker
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