Living in the Moment

Living in the Moment… Because There Is No Future

There really is no future when you think about it. This is why living in the moment is all we have. There’s an argument that the past doesn’t exist either. How do we know that we truly lived in some previous time, whether 10 years ago, 20 years ago, or just a few seconds in our past? Quantum physicists will tell you that the past and future have no form of existence, and others will tell you that you’re living them right now.

Those are some pretty heavy-duty ideas. It might be tough to wrap your mind around those possible realities.

While you may disagree with much of what we discussed, you’ll probably agree that the future doesn’t exist. Existence is the present moment and the present moment only. You can use your past to act more intelligently in the present. That can help you plan for and create the desired reality.

However, you don’t exist in the future. Your entire existence is simply this present moment. You can create a new and wonderful present moment in your future, but that’s impossible unless you embrace what’s going on in your life.

Always Look Ahead and Your Life Will Be Behind You

Planning and preparation have their place. There are things you have to do today and plan on doing tomorrow and next week so you can pay your bills. You may want to take a vacation in a few months. It would be silly not to plan your actions until then so your vacation can go off without a hitch.

People Constantly Look for the Next Moment, instead of Living IN the Current Moment

They can’t wait to get out of work to spend time with their friends. At dinner with friends, they look at their phones and realize their favorite reality show will be on soon. While at home watching television, they are thinking about a work responsibility they must tackle the following day. Immediately upon rising the following morning, that person thinks of the traffic she’ll have to battle to get to work on time. The smartest strategy is to “be here now” and enjoy the experience.

Every thought is about the future, and we have no control over any future reality.

Don’t spend your entire life looking at your past or your future. Before you know it, you’ll be at the end of your road and won’t have enjoyed so many present moments that could have given you joy and fulfillment. The only existence you have is right now.

The future is a concept. The present is our reality. That sentence you just read is already behind you, in your past. This is an example of how fleeting time is. It’s also a lesson that you should grasp your current reality and embrace it. Give it its moment. Look for the beauty in the now. You’ll find that you enjoy less stress and anxiety and more fulfillment and peace of mind. That’s a life worthy of living.

We often live as if the future is a place we’re traveling to, packing it with plans, worries, and assumptions. But the truth is: the future never arrives. When it does, it’s called now.

The future is a mental construct—an idea. We use it to organize, to dream, to plan. But it doesn’t actually exist in the way we experience this present breath, this moment of stillness, this heartbeat.

Living in the Now: The Only Place Life Happens

Try this: Recall a moment from yesterday. Now imagine something you think may happen tomorrow. Notice how both are happening in your mind—not in reality.

Life is only ever lived right here. All experience happens in the now. Even when we plan, dream, or remember—we do so in the present. The power is always in this moment.

Living in the Moment Helps You Stop Overthinking Things

Do you ever predict that some future event will turn out terrible for you? A lot of people do. This is a pretty common human behavior. It’s probably rooted in a survival instinct response. You want to constantly monitor your surroundings for anything that may harm you in some way, physically, mentally, or emotionally. Moving your body regularly will help keep you in touch with your physical self

If you have a big test, you start thinking about what will happen if you fail. Before you know it, your every waking thought leads to nervousness and anxiety. Even though you are prepared for the test, all this obsessing over a potentially poor outcome causes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

You predict failure, and … that’s what you create.

This is a simple example of overthinking things. It’s what humans love to do for whatever reasons. We constantly create pictures in our minds of a terrible outcome with dire consequences. These thoughts persist and grow until they totally overtake rationality.

Overthinking and Inventing Dire Consequences Almost Always Make Things Much Worse Than They Are Now

Thoughts are just thoughts. They are not reality. How many times do you have dozens of conflicting thoughts every day? It happens all the time. You might think about a possible outcome so much that you create dozens of potential realities.

Guess what? Only one reality is possible. It might not even be one you imagined. And most of the time, that obsessive, negative inner voice that never seems to shut up will paint a picture that’s nowhere close to reality.

Win or lose, succeed or fail, things are rarely as bad as you expect they’re going to be.

Stay in the Moment and Embrace Your “Now” for More Success, Less Stress, and More Peace of Mind

When you’re constantly giving life to less than positive thoughts, you’re allowing for the creation of a negative outcome. When most of your thoughts are of a negative nature, life shows us that that’s more of what we’re going to receive.

To remove a lot of the negativity in your life, the failures and mistakes, start embracing the current moment. Don’t worry about your past. Don’t fret over the future. Learn from past mistakes and use them to plan for a better future, but spend most of your time in the present.

Embrace your current moment, this single instance in time. It allows you to focus on what you’re doing right now to create more future success. You only control the present moment, so give that point in time most of your focus.

For More Productivity and Better Outcomes, Stay in the Moment

Do you remember when multitasking was all the rage? In the 1990s, self-professed productivity gurus told us to constantly juggle multiple tasks. We were told that most big achievers in life could do several different things at once, all of them successfully and at a high level of productivity.

Best-selling books talked about multitasking to improve virtually every aspect of our lives. We were told we could do so much more in less time, giving us more free time to do whatever we wanted.

After a few years of generating billions of dollars in self-improvement sales, multitasking was unmasked.

It was found to be a productivity killer. Millions of people woke up to the reality that the best way to get something done is to do one thing at a time. Focus on a single task until it is completed. Then begin tackling something else. This was and still is the single best way to maximize your time and minimize your effort.

Giving All Your Attention to the Current Moment Is All about Focus

One of the oldest carpentry axioms tells us to “Measure twice, cut once.” This minimizes errors. You don’t spend more money than you need to on lumber. You’re not wasting money on wood you miscut because you were in a rush with your measurement.

In other words, the entire focus is on the present moment. That moment is measuring the piece of lumber you are about to cut. You’re not thinking about an upcoming vacation or what you’ll eat for dinner. That can cause you to make a mistake. Nothing else should exist except whatever it is you’re going to be cutting.

Then you measure it again. Your focus is so intense on getting this right that you understand the importance of double-checking your work. This is a simple example of living in the moment. The best carpenters are present in their current actions. They understand that letting their minds wander could lead to an incorrect measurement. That means having to buy more materials to replace their mistakes.

A lack of focus on carpentry could also mean smashing your thumb with a hammer. Or worse, if you aren’t paying attention while using a saw.

Why This Matters for Inner Peace and Productivity…

When you anchor your awareness to the present moment:

• You let go of regrets from the past.

• You stop anxiously clinging to future outcomes.

• You find peace, clarity, and focus.

• You experience the full aliveness of being.

This doesn’t mean we abandon goals or preparation—but we stop postponing our happiness and presence for a “someday” that never comes.

A Practice to Try for Living in the Moment…

Ask yourself throughout the day:

“Am I here now?”
“What part of me is worrying about a future that doesn’t exist?”
“Can I return to this moment, to my breath, to what is real?”

Even 30 seconds of awareness can shift your entire experience.

“There is no path to happiness. Happiness is the path.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

The future will take care of itself. What you have is this moment, rich and full of potential. Don’t miss it while waiting for something else to begin.

We use these real-world examples of the importance of focus to help us appreciate living in the current moment.

You’ll improve productivity if you focus on the “right now” slice of your life. It’s really all you have control over, isn’t it? Your past is behind you, and your future is far from guaranteed or controllable. Start spending more time in the present moment, totally immersed in your current existence, and you’ll see more productivity and better results in your life.

Perhaps you would benefit from a course I have co-created with Janice Dugas. The Entrepreneur’s Trifecta… Focus, Creativity, and Confidence is new and promises to make a difference for your life and business! Take a look at https://ConnieLoves.me/EntrepreneursTrifecta

I’m bestselling USA Today and Wall Street Journal author Connie Ragen Green. My goal is to help at least a thousand people to reach six-figures and beyond with an online business for time freedom and passive income and to simplify your life. Come along with me, if you will and let us discover how we may further connect to achieve all of your dreams and goals. This is also why I want you to think about living in the moment and cultivating a wealth mindset and an abundance paradigm as you are growing a profitable online business. Perhaps my “Monthly Mentoring Program” is right for you.