Don’t Let Tomorrow Steal Today: How to Make the Most of the Present Moment

The Power of Stillness

“We are paying a psychological price because what is really wrong within us is treating life as a problem to be solved rather than a process to be lived.” — Steven Hayes

How would your actions change if your future was already determined?

In a Liberated Mind, Steven Hayes suggests the suffering we impose on ourselves is due to our focus on finding and fixing perceived problems in our lives. Accepting the reality of our current situation is critical.

Acceptance is a pathway to freedom.

Contentment

Contentment is bland.

It’s not spectacular. Not awful. Just in the middle. However, is this the best way to think about this? If we don’t take stock of what we have, we will cause ourselves harm. It’s like a car we neglect to drive regularly — it may not be broken down, but it still needs service to function properly. Ancient philosophical practices such as meditating on death remind us that what we lose is irreplaceable.

“Every day, have a little bird on your shoulder that asks, ‘Is today the day? Am I ready? Am I doing all I need to do? Am I being the person I want to be? Is today the day I die?” — Morrie Schwartz

We waste our energy on things that are not in our control and the things that we are able to control, we are barely aware of.

The Mirage

“The things you think about determine the quality of your mind. Your soul takes on the color of your thoughts.” — Marcus Aurelius

Like being captivated by an engaging book, we are also captivated by our own stories. Although, our stories may be those of deficiency. That things are not yet good enough. If only our house, car, relationship, or past could change we’d be set. It is essential that we follow our curiosity and interests, and make the right changes in bad circumstances. If our lives were arranged perfectly, there would be no reason to respect what is right in front of us. That doesn’t happen unless you have a mind capable of it.

Self-talk can be a mirage.

Rest

Suffering resides in being stuck in past and future thoughts.

When we get what we want, it doesn’t take long before we’re on to the next thing or others ask what’s to come. Our happiness depends on our ability to accomplish the next thing. This is not to discourage you from pursuing what you want. Taking a moment to rest can help us lift up the proverbial hood of life and understand the machinery of happiness. It’s an opportunity to understand where our dissatisfaction lies and how we can better change our relationship to the things we do.

Pursue change, create things, and live. However, practice stillness in whatever form it may take to better recover and handle life’s transitions and impermanence.

Conclusion

Tomorrow is not guaranteed and anything can derail our plans, completely changing our lives. We don’t know what the future holds for us. There are no guarantees in life, so we must make the most of the time we have.