Too often we compromise the moment we have in front of us by concerning ourselves with past memories and future plans. So this is an experiment, I guess, in embracing the current moment. This is where I'm at right now: studying for a test I have this week. I'm sitting on my bed and trying to concentrate on my work.
I haven't eaten anything and I feel my mind slipping. All I want is a big bowl of chocolate ice cream. It's been a long day and I feel like there is something I should have done but have forgotten about. Even as I sit here, trying to focus my mind...trying to think only about the moment in front of me, I can't help but turn my attention to the things I wish I'd done and the things I wish I could be doing.
When I think about the past, I wonder whether doing certain things differently would have changed the outcome of how I feel right now. When I think about the future, I wonder how I will get through finals and make it home for winter break in one piece. I guess the common thread amongst these thoughts is the element of uncertainty.
What if? We wonder. What if we could have made different choices? What if something bad will happen to us? The fact of the matter is that we will never be able to answer these questions until the moment itself is upon us. So why not try to make every moment the best it can be? Yesterday was yesterday.
There is nothing you can do to change the past. Tomorrow will come soon enough. Will focusing on either make you happier? Is there any way to be truly happy when you are so focused on anything but the moment in front of you? I really believe that happiness comes from within you.
You can't depend on an event from the past or the future to determine how you feel. Happiness comes from accepting where you are in life and making peace with the here and now. So as a reminder to myself and to anyone reading this: just live your life. Every day is a new day and every moment is a chance to be the best version of yourself.
Don't cheat yourself out of giving one hundred percent to the things that you do because, at the end of the day, you have a choice: to be the best you can at this very moment or to constantly wonder about the million moments in front of or behind you. Choose to be happy. Choose to define yourself by your actions at this moment. Because all we truly have is now.
