As college students, we feel as though we constantly need to be planning for our future. Whether that is our future in 10 years or 10 minutes, our minds are always a step ahead of time. This often removes us from the present because we are so concerned with what is going to happen next. We forget what is happening right now. Being in a position to always feel as though we need to move forward rids us of the present moment’s joy, and we miss out. We miss out on people, events, conversations, and experiences, but sometimes we don’t realize the value of those moments until it is too late.
When we get caught up in the chaos of life, we begin to view life’s events as tasks. We make appearances just to cross them off in our planner, we have lunch with a friend just to say we have kept in touch, and we do things just to have them done. Meanwhile, we are glued to our cellphones trying to see what is going on everywhere else in the world instead of where we are. Our lives become one big to-do list. People are treated as chores, and conversations are just another way to help pass time. We have become so concerned with how busy we are, we forget that life is moving quickly, and we will never get these moments back.
Here is my advice: don’t waste a day planning for better ones ahead. We truly only have the moment we are in right now. Tomorrow is a new day, full of its own unexpected burdens, so the planning of every detail is pointless, anyway. When we worry about what’s coming next, we forget where we are and who we are with. Instead of trying to be everywhere at once, try being in one place completely. If you are talking to someone, talk with them. Do not say things just to pass time. People don’t want your attention if it is not complete, and they don’t want your advice if it is not genuine. Learning the value of a person in your life is one of the most beautiful discoveries you will ever make.
Wherever you are, be all there. People you encounter deserve it, your tasks deserve it, and you deserve it. We get so stressed about tomorrow, we forget to stop and smell the roses today. Every moment in our lives is put there for a reason. If we keep rushing through our days, we are going to wake up one morning wondering where all of the time and people in our lives went. Things we wish we would have said and moments we wish we could have slowed down are vaguely in our past. Life moves quickly on its own, there is no need to rush it.
From now on, I encourage you to be fully engaged with someone when you are with them. Put the phone away. Enjoy their presence. Once you understand the value of a moment and give it the attention it deserves, the rush of life seems to let up.
