They always say the grass is greener on the other side. Well, for me, the greener grass always seems to be the past. I feel like I’m constantly reminiscing the “better” times—things, people and places that are no longer a part of my life. I long to have back the life I once had, but then forget there are new things, people and places in my life now.

While I’m focusing on the past, eventually, the present becomes that “better” past. What if I were to fast forward, and rather appreciate the “better” past while it’s actually happening?

So often I think that we are under the illusion that our past is so much better than the present, but was it really? We like to remember the good parts of the past, tell ourselves that it was better than it was. While we do that, though, we miss out on so much that’s happening right then and there. We forget to realize that we are no longer experiencing those things, people and places for a reason. Life has moved on, we’ve grown, and focusing on the past gets us nowhere.

Live life in the moment and focus on the present—I promise you won’t regret it.

Living life in the moment is more than just focusing on the present, but also making the most of it. There’s so many little details that you’ll miss if you don’t pay close attention to yourself and your surroundings. Pay close attention to not only what people say, but how they say it. Watch for the little things people do for you. Embrace all of your different emotions—joy, fear, grief, satisfaction, and so many more. There’s so much happening, so much to catch, so much to cherish. Enjoy the little things.

If we learn to truly enjoy the place of life we are in, seeing it for all it’s worth, it becomes so much easier to appreciate. Every stage of life comes with its ups and downs, joys and disappointments, hopes and fears, but none that should go unnoticed. You may not be too fond of the stage of life you’re in, but I promise that if you pay close attention, you’ll be able to see more of why you’re in the stage you’re in. So often we miss the true point of the stage we are in and miss out on learning the life lesson we were meant to learn.

What you have now is only here for a short period of time. Once it's gone, it's gone.

If one thing’s for sure, I never want to live life with regrets. I never want to look back on parts of my life and wish I’d done it differently. I want to enter each stage of life knowing full well that I made the most of the last one I was in, being fully satisfied, and having grown from whatever it was that I just went through. There’s nothing worse than regretting a time of your life.

So here’s my challenge. Live life in the moment, focus on today, find joy in what is happening right now before it’s over, and you’re wishing to have it back. I promise it’s entirely worth it.