I'm often getting quotes from people reminding me to "Live in the Moment" and that thought used to only linger in my mind for an hour or so before subsiding. Soon thereafter, I was right back to rushing around and working towards "The Future". But the fact remains, that the Reality of Life is Now. All that we truly have in our lives is this moment, right NOW.
Many of us spend a large portion of our lives overlooking this simple truth, therefore we manage to never really connect with the present moment because we are constantly hoping for and attempting to create a 'happier tomorrow'. Even though my future may never arrive, I still found myself neurotically planning for it and obsessively constructing a fabricated reality of tomorrow.
Over time, through meditation I began to learn to enjoy life as it is right now, in the present moment and focus on what matters most in life. What truly matters is being Awakened and being Conscious... the most important question for us is how can we be fulfilled and obtain lives that are truly worth living?
Every individual is seeking fulfillment in life and relief from suffering. This is not to say that we want constant pleasure or the easiest possible existence. Every athlete knows that there are certain types of pain that are worth experiencing because it will propel us further. If there is progress in pain, we will still pursue it. Therefore what is it that we are seeking exactly? What are we here to accomplish before we die?
We will all die at some point (some of us sooner than others) which is an outcome that is unavoidable. Death is an ever present reality for ALL of us. And when that last moment comes, that last split second of existence here on earth, we will reflect upon our lives in vivid detail. We will reflect upon those key moments in life and remember the things that we lived for. We will also realize all of our time that was wasted and all of the insignificant things that we distracted ourselves with over the years. But most of all, we will come to the realization that our LIFE on this planet has come_and_gone.
Contemplating the brevity of life can often bring into focus what matters most in life. And this is something that I find myself fascinated with as of late. I'm not sure if I'm going through a mid-life crisis, or if I've been "born-again". But one thing is certain, and that is I no longer have time for meaningless bullshit, negative people, insincere actions, mindless entertainment, gratuitous violence, pointless lectures, or mundane experiences.
We all have a list of things that we want to accomplish in life, things that will make us "happy". But what is the significance of everything on that list exactly? Each thing on the list seems to promise that if you could only do it, you would have reason to just be happy. We are all trying to find a way to just be happy in the present moment. And it's as simple as living without regret. Do what you enjoy NOW and follow what satisfies your innermost instincts.
If you are perpetually angry and depressed and confused and unloving, or if you have major regrets, it doesn't matter how much success you have in your life or whom is with you because you will not enjoy any of it. I can't even count the number of individuals that I have known throughout my life who seemingly have 'everything', yet were totally miserable because they did not take the time to focus on what mattered most to them. I live to enjoy life like there is no tomorrow, live my life without any regrets. I take LIFE_NOW seriously and I invite everyone else to do the same :)