“Live in the moment” they say. But, can you ever live in another moment? Confusing, right? What if they told you there are 86400 gifts each day just for you? Even more confusing? Well, there is an explanation for everything.
You cannot live outside the moment
They say “Live in the moment”. But then someone may think: “Can you live in another moment?”. In a way, no matter what we do and have, all we have is a series of moments.
From the moment we are born till we die, our life consists of a certain amount of moments. At any time, you may be imagining, daydreaming, or simply thinking. Regardless of where your mind is, you exist within each moment.
Seen from that perspective, “live in the moment” sounds redundant. Still, many feel better when they understand and apply that simple rule in their life. Perhaps, we have long been living for the moment instead of within the moment. So it is natural to shift our attention there.
A gift inside the moment
A friend once told me: “Every moment offers you a gift but you can open this specific gift only within that moment”. This means that every second of the day, you open the gift that is given to you. There are 86,400 seconds (or gifts) per day. Try to open as many gifts as possible. Or better, open more gifts than you did the day before.
So if you want to experience a certain beautiful aspect of life, focusing on the “now” can be a first step. If you consider giving this a try, you may ask “How?”. Most of the time, it seems we are preoccupied with something that does not let us “be in the moment”. This can be writing a report at work, working out in the gym, or just eating.
However, no matter the activity, what you do or do not do can only happen within a series of moments. So you do not specifically need to find the time to try a new practice, praying or meditation. You can just focus on the “now” while you do the activity.
Opening the gift
There seems to be an age-old problem with people: When you are here, you want to be there. When you are there, you feel like being here. For example, you may want to be like the actor you see on TV. But that very same actor may be fed up with their lifestyle and would like a more quiet life.
When we are in that state, can we ever be content? By default, satisfaction will be an endless pursuit. You want something; you work hard to achieve it but then you want something else. Again, you invest time and hard work. It would be fine if we had limitless time on this earth but that clock is ticking for everyone.
A simple technique to help you focus on the “now” is the following: just see that every moment is a moment closer to your deathbed. From the moment you started reading this article, you are 2 minutes closer to your death. This is a fact. Thinking about it can be scary in the beginning but can help you embrace the present moment.
Takeaway:
- Regardless of where your mind is, you exist within each moment.
- Every moment offers you a gift but you can open this specific gift only within that moment
- A simple technique to help you focus on the “now” is the following: just see that every moment is a moment closer to your deathbed
