Live In This Moment Now
— Jennifer
Unhappiness lives in the past. Unhappiness lives in the future too but there is no unhappiness in the present. Why are you unhappy? What are you unhappy about? Is it about something that might happen in the future? Or is it something that happened in the past? When we spend time regretting something that happened in the past, or worrying about what will happen in the future, there is no room for happiness in the present.
What amazed me was when I found out the amount of time I was not fully in the present. It seemed like I was always thinking about what was next, or thinking about some event in my past. Even while engaging in a conversation with someone, I would either be thinking about what they had said, or anticipating how I was going to respond to what they were saying. How many times do we miss vital information from those we love just because our minds are elsewhere? You can test this for yourself. Become a monitor of your own thoughts. I think you will be amazed to find out how often you ‘aren’t really there’ with what is happening around you.
Many times we have insecurities and doubts. Many times we have difficulty focusing on what is happening right in front of us. We are thinking about what we said to soand-so and about how we could have handled a particular situation differently. We are constantly thinking about what we are going to do if this were to happen or that were to happen, not realising that all the while, we are missing out on what is happening now.
When you bring your awareness into the moment of now or the present moment, all the worries of the past and all the imagined fears of the future gently fade away until all that is left is the vivid experience of the present. It is in this state that you actually start to see life. You will see colours you never saw before. It is in this awareness that appreciation grows.
Happiness is not experienced in the past or in the future. Happiness is always experienced in the moment. If you are waiting to be happy sometime in the future, you might be waiting a very, very, very long time.