Life unfolds in the present. Yet, we all let the present slip away like water through our fingers, allowing the current moment to rush past us unnoticed. We squander many moments of our lives in pursuit of better moments. Why do we do that? Buddhists claim that it’s because “our monkey minds are vaulting from thought to thought like monkeys swinging from tree to tree”. 

1- We’re too busy focusing on the future

We are always worrying about tomorrow, consumed by thoughts about what would happen 5 minutes from now. Our focus is always centered on everything but the present moment. At work, we daydream about the weekend, and on the weekends, we stress over how much needs to get done when we get back. We rush through thought after thought when we should be savoring moment after moment.

 2- We’re too busy focusing on the past

And when we’re not dwelling on the future, we’re nostalgic for the past. We often look back to the best moments of our lives and feel sad, because we have this notion that the rest of our life can in no way live up to it. When that happens, be grateful. It means you’ve lived. It also means that you can have other moments like it. Don’t live in the past for too long. If you find thoughts about the future and reminiscences of the past swimming through your head at a moment you should be enjoying, you should ask yourself a simple question. Can I put these reflections on hold? Press pause and stand still. This won’t stop recurring because it’s a human condition. But what you can do is practice constant vigilance, as Alastor Moody would say! Remember to ask yourself if these thoughts can wait until you’re done with whatever you’re doing. Save these unwanted thoughts for bedtime. After all, this is what bedtime is for, to reflect on your life and to remember the most significant thoughts you had during the day.

3- We’re too concerned with capturing the moment on different social media

Literally and technically, we CAN capture the moment. Figuratively, however, we are starting to forget how. We all took capturing the moment too seriously and are all now competing for best and happiest captured moment ever. The thing is, you probably won’t have pictures of the happiest moments of your life. I certainly don’t. That doesn’t make me remember them any less. In contrary, I think these are the moments I remember most. I can tell how I felt, what I was wearing, what was the weather like and whom I was with. I remember all the intricate details, because I don’t need a photograph to remind me of a time I was happy and neither do you. Pictures are great, but I assure you that you don’t have pictures of the happiest moment of your life because you weren’t concerned with taking a picture then. You were busy living the moment. Nowadays, we all suffer from a condition called camera anxiety. We see friends we haven’t met up with in so long or a beautiful sunset and immediately get the urge to hold up our phones and capture it on screen. Does having it on screen make it more special? My guess is that it doesn’t.

4- Modern life has gotten us so busy all the time

Modern life is a demanding life, and most of the time, we’re so busy and yet feel so unaccomplished because we’re filling ourselves with all the wrong things. We use a lot of energy and end up feeling emptier and less comfortable than ever. In other words, we are sabotaging our own lives and don’t even know it. Stop and ask yourself if you’re busy or productive, because the two are not synonyms despite popular opinion. The busier life gets, the more we need stillness in our lives, which is why it’s important to slow down. Some would suggest that you need to take a deep breath, but it doesn’t work. At least for me, it doesn’t. In my opinion, something different will work for each individual because we’re not all the same. At the end of every day, I ask myself “what did I learn today?” And if the answer is “nothing new”, then I couldn’t have been productive. We strive to be productive because we want to learn new things along the way, and if we’re not learning, then we must be filling ourselves up with the wrong things. Find what will work for you and repeat it daily.

You will never have this moment again 

There are moments in your life where you will look back to and sigh so heavily. You will close your eyes and try to travel back in time so you would look the way you looked and feel the way you felt once more. The sad truth is, you will never live that moment again. The best moments of our lives often come unannounced and unplanned. Why is it that we’re always so busy planning and running around in order to live a happy life? Yes, planning a life is necessary but don’t get too consumed with the planning that you forget the living part of the process. Don’t be disappointed that everyday of your life isn’t an adventure because nobody’s is. Every moment won’t be a bungee jump or a perfect kiss. Yet, every moment is important because it leads to the moment after it. Accepting that would be the ultimate acknowledgment that life is indeed worth living, and every moment is indeed worth capturing.