Living in the Present

The present moment is all that we are promised. We all know this - yet so many of us live as if the present moment is a hurdle to somehow overcome to "get where we're going."  

The truth is we are rarely present in the here and how. We seem to consciously or unconsciously believe that the following moment must be more important than the present one. So instead of experiencing the magic of now, we allow ourselves to anxiously dwell on the future - worrying about what might happen tomorrow. If not careful, we continuously repeat this cycle - aways wishing away today to get to tomorrow.  We can become blind to what's happening around us - and completely miss out on our deeper purpose for living.  

Life unfolds in the present. But so often, we let the present slip away, allowing time to rush past unobserved. We squander the precious seconds of our lives as we worry about the future and ruminate about what's past. And let's be honest, the fast-pace of our world contributes in a major way to mental fragmentation and distraction - 24/7 news cycles, 140-character messages, and the next new thing.

When we're at work, we think about being on vacation; when on vacation, we worry about the work piling up on our desks. As teens, we want to be 21. In our 20's, we want the career path of someone in their 30's. In our 30's, we dream of the financial security of those in their 40's and 50's. 

There's nothing wrong with contemplating the future. But having a better future is grounded in what is happening in the present moment. Creating a compelling future begins with accepting and embracing the present. Tomorrow is built on the back of today.