In today’s world, everyone is so involved in making a secure future that they have no control over their present. We are fed with this notion of a future day in our lives when everything will be secure, and then will we be able to enjoy to the fullest. Our lifestyle is based on working for a future we have no control over. Along with working hard, appreciating what we have now are both equally important. Lucius Annaeus Seneca has beautifully summed up this notion in the following quote: “True happiness is... to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future”.
It is rightly said that past is a nice place to visit but certainly not a good place to stay. It is very natural to let the past have an impression on us. What is wrong is letting past make decisions for us in the present. We cannot change what has passed. But what we can do is learn from it and move on.
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We are all on a journey. Every one of us has a destination in mind. But on the way to that destination, we forget to make the most of every moment. Happiness is not a hotel where you can check in. Happiness can be found on that journey we undertake to reach a place. If our journey is dull, reaching any destination would not matter.
Oscar Wilde mentioned in his book ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ that “the world belongs to you for a season”. This statement by Wilde applies so well in this context. No one can predict the future and we are not going to live forever. Our life is like a season, that shall pass with its speed and we need to seize the present moment.
For this, in my opinion, we should first of all give our mind enough time to wonder. We are so bent on making ourselves disciplined that we do not allow our mind to relax. Modern life does not give us enough time to stop. We are always on a time crunch. This schedule might eventually lead to burnout. If that happens, we will lose all the hard work we have put in. The mind is like a machine, sometimes we need to let it be and oil its parts. We should give our mind enough time to wander and explore things other than a routine. Doing that helps the brain to refresh and restore its efficiency.
Secondly, it is mindfulness. The word ‘mindfulness’ means “the state of being conscious”. It revolves around staying present in the moment. Practicing it in our lives gives us the tool to find the balance. It’s a must to reach a state of mind to appreciate every moment. People are becoming more aware of mindfulness exercises in recent years. There are apps and websites that guide through these exercises. Our brain works a lot for us, the least we can do is devote ten minutes a day for its well-being.
The third way to seize the present moment is to find joy in the little things of routine. It’s true that we cannot ignore our routine. The world is running at the speed of light, and we need to keep up. It’s getting difficult to take out a few minutes just for yourself. To remedy this situation, we need to find joy in our routine itself. Like eat something we like occasionally, talk to a loved one once in a day, listen to our favorite songs whenever not working and so on. We need to take small moments out of our routine and make it joyful. No one can do it for us, we need to do it ourselves.
Also, we should stop trying to achieve all at once. No one in this world would say that he or she doesn’t want to be successful. We are in a hurry to have it all. There are no shortcuts to success. But we need to keep in mind that we cannot skip to the end without going through all the chapters of life. We should not try to tire ourselves by doing more than we can handle. We should take life one day at a time. It’s like waiting for your tea to cool down before you can take a sip. You try to drink all of it at once and you’ll burn your mouth. We should be aware of our present and make most of it. Other things will come your way in their own time.
In this era to social networking, we hardly get time away from the noise. So, it is very helpful to disconnect occasionally and have some time to yourself. Watch a movie, rest, listen to music, anything that brings happiness. We should live our life instead of just passing days. The time we have now is the only constant we have.
And finally, we should introduce randomness. No one can promise us that 'one day' when we can be reckless and free. So, we need to introduce randomness into our lives and look for ways to make most of whatever we have now.
Life is indeed a race. But to reach somewhere we should not let our lives pass by. Time is fluid, it won’t come back. In the end, I would like to conclude by the lines said by John Ron: “Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present”.
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