Living in the present

Make the most of every moment and live as if today were your last day, because it just may well be, English Proverb.

I don’t think of the past. The only thing that matters is the everlasting present, William Somerset Maugham.

Do not live anchored in the successes and good times of the past (“Do not let the past kidnap your future”), thinking of what could be or what could have been, or dreaming about the future.

Stop waiting for happiness to come once you achieve your goals, have a job or a property, but live each moment eagerly. Do not wait for happiness to come around from outside. Yesterday has gone and tomorrow is never promised. Today is the only day that really matters. Try to be content with who you are and what you have, enjoy the path rather than the destination, live each moment to the fullest -embrace life!

Don’t Get This Wrong! Your life is at stake and you only have one shot, one opportunity. The everlasting present is the only real thing and everything else is a mere distracting illusion, #justtothepoint, Anawim.

It is also essential to stop our fast-paced and stressful lifestyles. We cannot let our busy schedules, jam-packed agendas, tiring commutes, and overextended responsibilities overwhelm us. Do not say, “I do not have time.” The human being is not a machine and does not work like one. We need to work in order to live, and not live in order to work.

We must learn to stop and take our time …

• … for ourselves.

• … for building relationships. “Faithful friends are a sturdy shelter: whoever finds one has found a treasure. Faithful friends are beyond price; no amount can balance their worth. Faithful friends are a life-saving medicine,” Sirach 6:14-16. The quality of your relationships is the quality of your life.
  
• … to enjoy the little things of everyday life like having a good conversation, breathing fresh air, reading a good book, watching the wind sways the trees, going for a walk in nature, or enjoying quality time with your loved ones.

Everyone is trying to accomplish something big, exciting, and profound, not realizing that life is made up of little things. If you fail to acknowledge and appreciate the little things, you lose sight of what really matters in life and what’s truly beautiful, important, and special.

• … to appreciate and enjoy nature especially the little things like a starry night, a beautiful sunset or sunrise, a solitude walk in nature, embracing its beauty and peacefulness.

Every part of this earth is sacred to my people. Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every clearing and humming insect is holy in the memory and experience of my people. […] The perfumed flowers are our sisters, the deer, the horse, the great eagle, these are our brothers. The rocky crests, the juices in the meadows, the body heat of the pony, and man - all belong to the same family, Chief Seattle.

• … to take pleasure in music, art, and literature.

A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, so that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beauty which God has implanted in the human soul, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

• … to get out of ourselves, our selfish interests and concerns. Learn to open up to people. You don’t have to do anything except see, listen, and enjoy: the happy and contagious laughter of children, the tenderness and affection of mothers, the warmth and infinite patience of grandparents, a teenager’s “will to live”, etc.

  It is about cultivating our spirit, giving ourselves to one another, and generously sharing our time, talents, and money for the betterment of less fortunate people, social causes, or the welfare of your community, state, or country.

Revenge is a pleasure that lasts only one day; generosity is a feeling that can make you happy forever, J Rosa Luxemburg.

• … to find meaning and purpose, to understand your place in the world, to seek real knowledge, to recover the sense of the transcendent and sacred.