WHY DO WE WANT MORE THAN WE HAVE? WHY IS IT THAT IT ALWAYS SEEMS THAT WE CAN’T LIVE IN AND APPRECIATE THE MOMENT UNTIL IT IS OVER?
Today, I woke up thinking about these questions. I’ve written a lot of articles and said a lot of things, but I don’t want you to think for a second that I think I have all the answers to my life or life in general. I’m not perfect. I ask myself questions on the daily and am incredibly introspective on my behavior, actions, and interactions with others. I try to better myself every day I live. You know why? Because everything starts with you. If you are not perfect, how can you expect someone else to be? If you are not loving, how can you expect someone else to be loving towards you? All you can do is strive to be the best version of yourself possible. This way, you can ask that of those around you as well.
So getting back to my initial questions, today I woke up and checked up on my son. I took him out of bed and fed him. The rest of the household was still asleep and the sun was just breaking over the horizon. It was beautiful. During all this, I found my mind wondering – thinking about my plans for the day and other activities and things I wanted to do. In hindsight, I wonder why I wasn’t able to appreciate that beautiful sunrise with my son. I wonder why I wasn’t able to be present at the moment.
AFTER CAREFUL THOUGHT, THE ANSWER I CAME UP WITH WAS THE FACT THAT MY EGO WAS IN THE WAY. I WAS SO BUSY IMAGINING WHAT A FANTASTIC, HYPOTHETICAL DAY I COULD HAVE, I FORGOT TO APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT I ALREADY STARTED MY DAY IN A FANTASTIC WAY.
The phrase “live in the moment” is thrown around a lot these days – the idea of living in the moment and appreciating what we see in the now instead of clinging to expectations of the future, or memories of the past, but how many of us really live like this?
As I thought about the subject, I realized something. Even though you’ve heard the saying a million times, been lectured by your friends and family a billion times. When was the last time you stopped to appreciate a beautiful park on your daily commute to work? When was the last time you felt the air on your skin and the sun caressing it? When was the last time you ate something and recognized how many flavors are in your meal? It’s probably been a while, hasn’t it? Don’t you think that it is a bit controversial that you think you are appreciating the moment yet you can not remember the last time you actually appreciated something for what it is?
WE LIVE IN AN ILLUSION. OUR EGO GETS IN THE WAY OF OUR ABILITY TO APPRECIATE, BE GRATEFUL AND LIVE STRESS-FREE.
Society pushes expectations on us that drive our actions for our future. If I had a daughter, I would never demand that she gets into competitive sports unless she really wanted to. If I demanded her to, it would alter her perception of the world and what is expected of her. It would feed the competitive side of her nature, even if she had no innate interest in it. It would alter her natural course. Instead, I would teach her to take care of herself, and take care of her body and health. Natural things.
So, thinking of the future diverts our attention from small things. I often hear from friends that they would raise their kids differently if they were given another chance. I don’t want to have those thoughts in 20-30 years when my kids are adults. I don’t want to look at my child and feel sadness due to insecurities that I have given them. Now, again, I want to stress that I am not perfect. I have made mistakes and I probably will make more in the future, but instead of focusing on my past failures I am going to focus on what I can do with my kids now to help them grow into proud loving individuals. If we live in the now, that is the best thing we can do for tomorrow.
Now I pose the following questions to you. Do you think it’s boring when things are good and happiness is not a concept but a way of life? What would be in your life if you started to live in the present? What would be your priorities? What situations and emotions would you need to face within your household? How would it be different from what you have now?
