Living in the Present Moment

Living in the present moment enhances our enjoyment of every minute of our lives. It releases us from the emotions often tied to the past and the future.

Becoming conscious of being in the present helps us to focus on what we truly want.

Past, Future, and Present

Past: A period of time before and until the present.

To visualize this, by the time you finish reading this that I’ve written, it’s already in the past. From the past comes the experiences from which we learn. Many lessons come from not-so-pleasant experiences, while others arise from beautiful moments.

For me, letting go or healing the past would mean seeing it as experiences and learnings.

Every day, every minute, we decide whether to live in the past, present, or future. In fact, we spend our days moving between these three. I like the idea of being thankful for what’s happened, learning from it, and living in the present.

Future: A period of time that is to come.

The future is our focus, where we want to go, what we want to do, where we want to reach.

Often, we stay in constant stress, thinking about the list of things we have to do, depleting our energy levels. We get fatigued even before we start working on our to-do list, affecting our productivity. Our bodies often reflect and register these feelings.

There’s also a tendency to rush so much toward a goal that we get there so exhausted not enjoying it as much as we imagined.

I like the idea of envisioning the future to motivate me toward something positive without losing sight of the present and enjoying the journey more than the destination. Creating a realistic daily to-do-list, has help us to be more proactive living in the present moment.

Present: The period of time that is happening now.

For me, the present is the architect of both the past and the future. With every minute spent in the present, we construct the past and create our beautiful future. This is how the present is so important.

How do we realize we’re not living in the present moment?

The examples below are based on my personal experiences. We are all unique and experience in different ways.

Are you multi-tasking very often, for example doing something as simple as cooking while watching TV shows or listening to a radio program? I’ve noticed that by cooking mindfully and being present, we engage with the vegetables we’re cutting, letting our imaginations fly creating new recipes, savoring each added ingredient and the aroma it emits while cooking. It’s when that extra ingredient (love) is infused, something we have only when we are in the present moment.

Have you ever consciously chewed a meal so slowly that you can taste each ingredient it contains?

Another example that comes to mind is when we walk in nature, often wearing headphones with relaxing music. Mother Nature blesses us with the most serene sounds, like the songs of birds, the sound of the water of a passing river, or perhaps the laughter of children playing with a ball on a sunlit day.

Finally, when we get stuck in a single thought for a long time: Often happens that we keep thinking about a situation that has already happened. Perhaps we wonder if we should have said something different, reacted in a different way, or if the circumstances had been different. We remain in the past without reaching any resolution and keep reacting to it, putting our focus and energy into that situation that is no longer in the present.

The same thing happens when we’re thinking about the future. Sometimes, we spend so much time planning an idea, that it often takes longer than desired to start. Living in the present helps me procrastinate less and do more.

How has living in the present moment been beneficial to us?

Mindfulness: Embracing the present has helped us in directing our attention towards our thoughts, emotions, words, and actions helping us to focus on our desired goals.

De-stress: Being in the present has helped us release certain emotions tied to both the past and the future, allowing us to enjoy day-to-day life and even better sleeping at night.

Enhanced productivity and happiness: By reducing our stress, we boost our productivity and find joy in our daily activities.

Gratitude: Being present in the moment, reminds us of our blessings, as each sunrise offers a white canvas for us to paint the life we desire.

Meditating in nature is one way we practice living in the present, enjoying the beauty of Mother Nature.

The present is a gift, and the present is right now. Enjoy all the experiences, live every minute, and incorporate new habits that help us feel better, like reading a book, walking in nature, enjoying each sunrise and sunset, laughing, creating that beautiful future we want to live, enjoying the journey, and being grateful for every present moment.