People love to spend too much time today planning for tomorrow. While I personally love planing almost more than anything else, there are times when you have to put that all aside and live for the present moment. We have so many opportunities to do great things today, and we often choose not to because we are either too busy romanticizing yesterday, or worrying about tomorrow. With that, here are eight ways you can make the most out of today:
1. Call Someone
Call an old friend to catch up, or a relative just to say hi. So many times we only call someone if we have a specific purpose in mind: to ask for a favor, to plan something or to get something accomplished. Instead, call for no other reason than to ask about how your friend or relative is. Ask them about what's going on in their life. It's one of the easiest things you can do to brighten someone else's day as well as your own.
2. Visit
Likewise, plan to actually get together. Set a date and stick to it. Our digital world makes it easier to stay connected, but we need actual face-to-face interaction with our loved ones. You can't hug someone through a screen.
3. Include Those You Love In Your Activities
Invite people to do things with you. Invite your mom to yoga and offer to pay for her class. Offer to take Dad out to lunch. Go out to the movies with your sister and buy both your tickets if she's tight on cash. You don't have to constantly give away all of your money to your loved ones, but in the long run you'll forget about how much that ticket cost or how much the bill was. You'll remember getting the giggles because the seats were squeaky during a quiet scene and all the fun times you had with the people you care about.
4. Give "I Love You" Presents
Again, it doesn't have to be much. Bring home fruit for the family when the fridge looks a little sparse. Bake extra cookies for your friends or bring some of the good chips and dip to your grandparents. It's a little kindness that can go a long way.
5. Really Listen
Ask about your friends and actually listen. Humans naturally want to talk about themselves, so people take notice when you take the time to listen to them.
6. Do Something Fun
We often put off play until our work is done. It makes sense in theory, but unfortunately, work is never truly done. Sometimes you just have to put your work down and do something fun for a bit while you still can. There will always be work to do, but if you constantly put off having fun until later, you may run out of time. So go to that party, go out with your friends, take that vacation. Do it now.
7. Take Care Of Yourself
Living hard will catch up with you sooner than you think. Take the time to exercise and eat right today. Make time to go to bed early when you're sick. When you feel yourself starting to burn out, take a moment to step back and heal before it gets worse. Remember that you only have one body and it has to last you for life!
8. Take Pictures
Take as many pictures as you can! Pictures will help you keep all the good memories fresh in your mind. Plus, scrapbooks and picture frames can make great heartfelt gifts. You can always get rid of bad pictures at a later time, but you can never go back to a moment to take more.
