Live In The Present

What does it mean to Live In The Present?  

When a person lives in the present, he is experiencing the moment that he is in – that is NOW.

Why do I want to discuss this subject?

There are many people who don’t live in the present.  They either live in the past or they live in the future.  I will give you some examples.  When you know how to live in the present, you enjoy life more.  You will be a better person – a better mother, a better son or a better lover.  I will go deeper into that later.

The amount of time we are not living in the present various for different people.  If your percentage is high then you are in serious trouble.  I would suggest you to live in the present 99% of the time.

 

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Living in the past

Have you ever talked to someone who always tell you:-Personal Care product

“When I was young, I used to do this.”

“When I was working for my previous company, we had a very good team.”

“I always remember our New York trip, we have so much fun.”

The person who was talking to you.  They were trying to relive the past moment or past experience.  That is why they always bring back their memory.  They would wish to have the same experience over and over again, but it is impossible.  Doing this just takes away the present moment; wasting their time.  You are right there in front of them, but they don’t communicate with you.

I have a friend who migrated to Australia from Hong Kong.  Most of the time when I saw him, he tells me what is happening back in Hong Kong.  His body is here, but his mind is not here.  He told me he reads Hong Kong news on the internet every day.  I felt sorry for him, he shouldn’t have left his own country.

Living in the future

There are people who have great plans for their future.  They will tell you.

“If I won the lottery, I will be happy.”

“When I got my promotion, I will be happy.”

“I want to be a movie star.”

They will keep telling you the same thing over and over again.  They never take action, but they will repeat it all the time.  You noticed that they are unhappy with their life.

If you need something to happen before you are happy, you are living your life in the wrong way.  These plans and wishes might never come true, and that means you will never be happy.  We could never control what happens to us in the future.

Benefits of living in the present

  • more alert of what is going on around you, because you are not daydreaming about the past or thinking about your future.  When you have a cup of tea, you are tasting the tea hence you know exactly how it tastes.  Have you had dinner when you are thinking about something else and you don’t even know the taste of your food?
  • when you live in the present, you will do a better job.  You concentrate on what you are doing and everything else is not your concern.  The artists called it ‘In the zone’.
  • you will be a better person like I have mentioned before.  If your child tells you, “Mom, I got 100% in my maths test today.”  If you are not in the present and not listening, how would your child feel?  He will feel rejected.  You are physically here, but your mind is not here.
  • you will know how to make use of every moment in your life.  You know the value of every moment of every day and you will not waste time.

When you live in the present, you are in tune with your physical self.  Your mind and body are one.

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How to live in the present?

We all know that we need to plan for our future, we all need goals and we all have dreams.  It is okay to have plans but do not let your plans occupy your whole conscious mind.  After you make you plan, write it down in your notebook.  Do not look at it every day.  Some people suggested you should stick your plan up on the wall to remind yourself every day.

I tell you that is wrong.  If you do that, you will be control by it.  Then every action you take is for future’s sake.  It will occupy your mind totally and you will focus all your attention on your future.  You will start to live in the future.  I advise you not to do that.  Let the plan sit in your drawer and look at it once a month.

Learn to relax.  Learn meditation if you have time, you will learn how to focus on the present with meditation.  Research shows that after learning meditation, we can be more focus on our daily activities.  You can read another of my article – What is meditation?  for more details.

Learn to focus your attention on the NOW moment.  If you find you are thinking about something else, try to stop it.  Give 100% of your attention to everything you do.  Most times accident happens when we are not alert.  You might lose your life if you are driving.

You will found you become a different person.  Your friends and colleagues will notice your change, a better you.  For when they are talking to you, you are more responsive and you start to understand what they are saying.  You will also remember what they told you.  They will start to like you more.  The same will be true for your family.

Another side effect is you will learn some new things every day.  Movies will have a deeper meaning than before.  I would suggest you to keep learning.  Learning more will let you understand what is life’s purpose.

Be more active in your life.  Don’t live in the past and don’t live in the future.  Enjoy Life!

The art of living is living in the present.

“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this.” – Henry David Thoreau

Signing off

-MisterWailor

 


2 Comments

Jerry · November 23, 2014 at 9:19 am

Great article, I enjoy it very much , thanks. It’s not too bad to spend some moments to remember the past and dream about the future. Just enjoy life with your family and friends and all the things in this world.
Jerry

    admin · November 23, 2014 at 9:36 am

    Hi Jerry,

    Thanks for your comment. I am glad you enjoy the article. Have a nice day my friend.

    Cheers,
    MisterWailor

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