Friday, December 27, 2013

New Feature: Moments

Some of you might have read this before, so I think a lot of what I have to say here will feel like a lot of rehashing. 

I believe that one of the most important things about living a fulfilled, happy life is living in the present

I used to hold on to events that happened in the past, and all that did was turn me into an angry, embittered person. 

I also lived in the future, planning years ahead. All that did was get me stuck in things in the present that I hated. Getting stuck on an image of what the future should look like makes us inflexible. And inflexibility means that we miss amazing opportunities because we can't imagine how they add to "the plan". 

So yes, I set goals, but all my plans toward achieving them are short-to-medium term. And I never give up on an opportunity in favor of sticking to the plan. Living like this makes a huge difference. 

Thing is, when I started out (and started writing this blog) I was more aware of how I was living in the present. But now I'm so used to doing it that I no longer notice. And that's sad. 

So I decided that this year, I want to make it a weekly feature where I write about one moment that blew me away. It can be anything. Even a realization I came to. Or something beautiful. 

I'll probably post these moments every Friday, but I might post more times a week if there's anything that really captures my attention. 

Anyone else trying to live in the present? How do you do it? 

4 comments:

Andrew Leon said...

I want to make a joke about ribbons and bows and living in the present.

Actually, this is a thing we struggle with all the time with our daughter.

Rob-bear said...

I don't do so well at living in the present. I have a very active imagination which moves me all around.

Meradeth Houston said...

What a great idea! I'll admit to being very bad about living in the present, but it's definitely a good thing to remember :) Hope you have many great moments to report on in 2014.

Annalisa Crawford said...

I think I'm pretty good at living in the present - although I have no idea how I do it, so I can't offer you any tips. I do find myself looking around a lot - if I'm walking to work, I look at the trees and the sun and the view of the river (and I stare at the clouds/stars ALL the time); if I'm in a cafe, I savour the smell of coffee and listen to the chatter from the other tables.

This sounds like a great idea - enjoy your year!