We grow up believing we are supposed to find happiness in life. Unfortunately, we aren’t really sure always what happiness looks like. We have all had that moment when we look around, and everything seems to be going our way, we are riding the cloud, and things couldn’t be better. If you learn how to live in the moment, the good and the hard are easier to tolerate.
Life is predictable in the sense that what goes up, must always eventually come down. That leads you to feel as if life isn’t as great as you had hoped it would be. When people look for a general “happiness” to their life, they often spend a lifetime chasing an impossible goal. No one, and I mean no one, can be happy all the time. Life is a series of peaks and valleys.
How to live in the moment – 10 ways to live in the now
So, how do you find overall pleasure in life and not left feeling like it is more of a roller coaster than a wonderful ride? The key to a fulfilling life is knowing how to live in the moment. Living in the moment means you take things as they come. You enjoy each moment be it good or bad, and you live your life without regrets, baggage, or any tainting of the past into your future.
I hold onto things from the past. What I find is when you take too much of yesterday into today, you can’t fully ever grow or live. If you want to know how to live in the moment and in the now, it is about always being present, not passive, and, definitely not a spectator in your own life.
#1 Don’t hold grudges. One of the worst ways we bring too much of yesterday to take up today is by holding grudges. Grudges are like carrying luggage of wrongdoings around with us everywhere.
Not only are they exhausting, they do us no good. If someone wronged you, let it go. The only person it hurts is you. It stops you from fully living in the here and now.
#2 Forgive. There are times when we say we forgive. But we don’t really, you know what I mean? When you truly forgive, it means you put it behind you never to be thought of again.
#3 Look at every experience as a learning curve. To truly understand how to live in the moment, view everything as a continuum, not an ending. If you mess up, then you pick up and keep moving forward. There is no way to get through this life without making a little mess.
#4 Let go of fear. Fear is one of the most powerful emotions people possess. The worst part about fear is that we typically don’t even recognize it for what it is. Fear stops us from loving, leaving, creating, moving on, achieving our goals, being vulnerable, and, it can be one of the reasons that you aren’t fully present in your own life.
If you want to live in the moment, let go of fear. After all, what is the worst thing that can happen from trying something? It is far worse never to try, than to fail while giving it a go.
#5 Don’t anticipate the future. Along with fear comes anticipation. We all learn from our past what to anticipate in new situations, but that only taints new experiences and gives us a different perspective on our lives and actions.
If you want to live in the moment, you can’t continually be thinking about the future and what might happen. You always live in the future and that isn’t really living at all.
#6 Think positively. Living in the moment involves seeing the positive side of life. If you are always Eeyore, going around thinking everything is awful, then you aren’t really living in the moment. You live in in your own head.
#7 Love like crazy. Stop holding yourself back from love to live in the now. Being vulnerable and putting yourself out for rejection are two very scary things. But, I would argue that if you don’t ever let your guard down to be the real you and take a chance at leaving yourself open for love, you can’t ever experience it.
Love is one of the things that makes the world go around. And, if you want to live in the moment, let yourself be vulnerable, love like crazy, and stop fearing rejection from putting your heart on your sleeve.
#8 Consider each day your last. What would you do if today were your last day? You certainly wouldn’t view it the way that you do day to day. Try to live each day like it is the last one you have.
#9 Try to bring back naivety. To live in the now, let go of your past experiences and meet each new day as if it was your first. Drawing inspiration from watching children’s wondrous nature, it means approaching even the most seemingly mundane thing with enthusiasm and the ability to see something new every time.
#10 Don’t hold back. Living in the moment means not reserving yourself or holding back. Have you ever stopped yourself from smiling too much or from singing too loud? Those are all self-control measures that prevent us from living in the moment.
