Far too often, people are stuck waiting for future happiness rather than staying in the present moment and enjoying the moment they find themselves in.
The problem is that life doesn’t last forever, and one day these people are going to look back and realize they spent their whole lives looking forward to the future rather than enjoying the moments they were given.
If you would like to make the most of the present and enjoy every minute you are given to its fullest, consider following these tips.
Remaining in the present moment is going to require a degree of effort and commitment.
Start by spending a few moments each morning reminding yourself that you need to enjoy the day for what it is and make the most of it.
Next, you may want to develop a system for reminding yourself to remain present.
This could include things such as setting a reminder on your phone to bring you back to the present moment or setting aside a block of time each day that you focus only on what the present has to offer.
Part of remaining in the present moment entails becoming more in-tune with the physical sensations that the present moment provides.
Be aware of any pain, hunger, or other physical needs that may need to be addressed, and take care of them.
Progress through the sections of your body, and listen to what your body is telling you that you need to pay attention to.
Remember, there was a time when our present, physical needs were the only thing a person had to worry about.
If you focus on these needs more, you’ll not only take better care of yourself, you’ll also be more likely to remain in the present instead of focusing on the future.
Try to keep your thoughts positive and present-focused. If you find yourself going down a negative train of thought or worrying about the future, shift your focus back to positive thoughts about the here and now.
Focus your mind on your present situation, and take time each day to think about only what’s going on right there in the moment.
This is especially important if you are in the middle of a moment that should be enjoyable.
If you are spending time with your friends and family, enjoying an afternoon outside, or doing any other pleasant activity, make an effort to keep your mind in the moment rather than thinking about what’s ahead.
There’s a lot going on around you, but if you don’t take the time to stop and smell the roses you might miss it.
Pause and take a careful look at your surroundings, then think carefully about what’s going on.
Are there people or animals around you, and if so, what are they doing? Is there anything beautiful or interesting about your surroundings? Are there any observations you can make about what’s going on around you?
Far too often, we float through the days without ever stopping and looking at the world around us.
However, it’s an incredibly interesting world we live in if you’ll just make the effort to pause and take it all in.
Think about how much time you spend waiting on something.
Whether it’s short-term waiting such as waiting for a bus or long-term waiting such as waiting on a promotion at work, people spend so much of their time looking forward to some future event.
At first glance, waiting may seem like an inevitable part of human existence. However, wouldn’t it be great if you could remove waiting and all the time that it wastes from your life entirely?
According to Eckhart Tolle, waiting is a state of mind more than it is a situation that we find ourselves in, meaning that you can control it.
The next time you find yourself waiting for something, try not to think of yourself as waiting at all.
Consider a person who is waiting for a bus to arrive.
Now, if you were to ask this person what they were doing, most people would tell you that they were waiting for the bus.
But what if, instead, their response was that they were sitting on a bench enjoying the fresh air and watching the events around them unfold? When the bus arrives, they’ll get on it and carry about their lives.
Until then, though, they are enjoying the present moment they find themselves in rather than spending the entire time staring at their watch.
Imagine what a more pleasant time this person is having than they would have if they had a waiting mindset.
A waiting mindset breeds impatience, and impatience breeds frustration.
The reality is, though, that waiting is a choice, and rather than choosing to wait you can choose to enjoy life’s moments as they come instead.