Do you know why it’s important to focus on the moment? As humans, we have been gifted with the unique ability to remove ourselves from the present moment. As such, we are able to look back on things that have happened, gain experiences and knowledge, and learn from the past. We too are able to look ahead in time and plan our future. You can see how this has aided in the survival of humankind in a not so kind world filled with predators and aggressive species. The ability to learn from the past and predict what’s to come is necessary to the human life.
True as this may be, what has aided us for thousands of years has also become our downfall. As times change so do the necessities of certain human traits; and, although it is still very important to learn from the past and predict what’s to come, it is perhaps not as life-threatening as it once had been.
Because we have this unique ability does not mean it should be used all of the time. In fact, to be lost in time isn’t always the healthiest place for a human to be. The best place to be is right now. When we spend our time looking backward or forward and do not take the time to experience the now, we tend to put ourselves in a place of unease, anxiety, and perhaps even trick our brains into feeling like we are in a fight or flight situation.
Here’s why it’s important to focus on the moment.
It’s easy to show and feel gratitude when you live in the moment.
When we live in the past or the future, we are often thinking about things bad that have happened or worrying about things to come. We’re thinking about how we could have done things better and we’re thinking about how we can secure our future and have a better life. But when we are living in the moment we are thankful for what we have right now. If you think about right now, most of will have health, happiness, experience with family and loved ones. If we are stuck in the past or the future and not experiencing new things we have to be thankful for then we are choosing to focus on the negative aspects of life. When you focus on the negative you feel bad. When you focus on the happy and positive you feel good. It really is that simple.
We don’t let life pass us by.
Being stuck in the past is one of the worst feelings in the world and is fuel for resentment and bitterness towards loved ones. It’s easy to get trapped there in the place where nothing is let go and no one moves on to better places. When we spend all of our time here we miss what’s happening right in front of our eyes. We feed our brain sadness and depression and regret and we neglect the fruitfulness of life. When we choose to live in the future we grasp on to anxiety and worry and desire to have the things we do not have. With neglect the opportunity to appreciate the experiences we have been gifted. Experiencing right now in the future as a reflection of the past is no way to live life. Worse, to look back regret that we did not take the time to experience the moment. Don’t let this happen to you.
It’s how we connect with other humans.
With almost 6,000,000,000 human beings on this earth, today imagine every single one of us having multiple moments in time. In theory, by the power of thought, we all experience the past, the future and the presence all at once. That’s a lot of time travel. Yet the only way to really come together and connect and have shared experiences is to be present in the moment with one another. It’s one of the greatest gifts. If you were having relationship troubles, try letting go of the past. Try not to worry about the future or what’s to come or what the other person is thinking about. Just stop and share the experience of now. We promise you’ll be better for it.
We hope you have gained some insight into why it is important to focus on the moment in our everyday lives. May you find more peace by doing so.
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