Learning to live in the moment is the ultimate key to inner peace. Oftentimes, we get too caught up in our anxieties about the future or our regrets from the past to fully appreciate and take advantage of the present day. We need to equip ourselves with the mental tools that will help us seize the moment in a way that is not hindered by the past nor the future. Tomorrow is not promised, and yesterday is already bygone. The present moment offers us an infinite number of possibilities to release ourselves from the laments of the past and the stress of the future if only we open up our hearts to it.
This does not mean that we should seek to exist in a present that is separate from the greater timelines of our lives, but rather that we should choose to not let our worries from either the past or the future dictate what we do today. Instead, we should look on our past with gratitude for how it helped us grow and reach the present moment, and we should look towards the future with faith. We should also act today from a place of love from our future selves. What we do to take of ourselves and to enjoy ourselves today is ultimately an act of service to who we will be in the future.
Sometimes, we put off certain things that we want to do until an indefinite “later date”, because perhaps we feel like the time is not quite right to go after what we want. We put off things as simple as reading a book that we’ve always wanted to read, as well as things of more weight, such as going after our dream job or telling someone how we really feel about them. Sometimes, this procrastination simply comes from a place of weariness, and other times it comes from a place of the anxiety that comes with the uncertainty of the future results of our actions. What we need to work towards is learning to act in the present for the future that we want to build, even if we are not sure that the future will turn out the way we hope. What is most important is that you enjoy the present moment, knowing that you are working to grow yourself and develop the life you want to live.
Ultimately, how we decide to spend our day to day will be the legacy of our lives. For this reason, we need make sure we practice gratitude for the present moment because for now it is all we have. We should smile, give thanks, and act with love at all times
