“If you are depressed you are living in the past if you are anxious you are living in the future, if you are at peace, you are living in the present.” — Lao Tzu
For the last few weeks, our focus was on learning how to appreciate our now.
Trying to live now compared to somewhere in the past or in an uncertain future is a task to tackle every day.
A lot of us get stuck on the idea of being happy when we arrive at a specific goal.
While we dream of being there we miss out on what we are having now.
In addition, arriving at our ‘there’ usually does not lead to a life of never-ending bliss and fulfillment. Instead, we are looking forward to a new ‘there’, a new goal to pursue.
We might end up in a never-ending cycle of longing for something we don’t have yet.
And while we are busy with that our life passes by and we miss appreciating the moment.
Luckily, we can learn how to become better at living in the moment. In our last articles we looked at gratitude, letting go, and abundance:
- Did you try to make a list of what you’re grateful for?
- Have you thought about how you can let go of your attachments and desires?
- Were you able to work on shifting your mindset from scarcity to abundance?
Surely, the above are not one-offs. However, if you continue to practice those things you will see how your focus shifts and you start to enjoy the moment more.
Acceptance and appreciation of the present moment are what bring us peace and calm.
It’s our much-needed break from the race of getting to tomorrow earlier, faster. This provides us with releasing the tension that accompanies our busy days.
We can relax and actually have more energy to move along steadily towards incremental growth.
A little better every day while enjoying the process is the tag line here.
So, try to stop once in a while, take your time and be fully present now.
This way you will enjoy inner peace, be calmer, and have the power to pursue what’s really important to you.