How To Be Happy

“Live in the moment”
It seems like such a simple concept doesn’t it?
Every utopian TV series idolises it and every self-help book preaches it.
We are overloaded with information and the devices that we have in our hands…
They were meant to streamline our lives yet can now encumber them.
Taking time for ourselves and having the ability to just stop & “smell the roses” is often a harder challenge than we acknowledge.
There’s so many new-age initiatives that we try –
Going off the grid and disconnecting from social media…
Meditating and practicing mindfulness…
Focusing on enjoying the time we have instead of trying to capture everything through photographs on our phones…
… I’ve tried them all and can say that life has felt more fulfilled when I’ve been successful with these strategies.
However I’d like to pose one more dimension to ‘living in the moment’ instead of merely focusing on ‘living in the here and now’…
So often I think we are always looking forward to what is to come –
- We can’t wait till we finally reach summer
- “Only 4 more hours of sitting here at work and watching the clock until I’m free”
- How often do we think to ourselves “I just need to get through work this week and then it’s finally the weekend and happy days”
Or in the longer term –
- “Once I finally finish this university degree and start working I know I’ll be happy”
- “Once I’m able to buy that new TV for my room, life’s going to be so much more enjoyable”
- “I just need to finish 8 more weeks at work and then I’ll finally get to go on that holiday to Bali”
It seems like we’re always looking for what’s to come.
Now don’t get me wrong…
I am so excited about the future and know that the best is always still yet to come.
However, if we’re always focusing on what is to come, it often means that we can miss the beauty of life that’s in every moment surrounding us.
Too often — we sacrifice the valuable time and experiences of today, constantly looking towards tomorrow.
If we think back to the past, we may realise that there was a time when we used to pray & ask for many of the things that we have now.
It can be a trap to always focus on the future, constantly thinking about how good life will be once we tick a certain box or we accomplish another goal.
Happiness is not something that is achieved by having requirements or conditions met.
It’s a truly liberating moment when we realise that real freedom is a state of mind which we attain through our own choices and beliefs.
We have the ability to be happy every single day.
I’ve learnt to be content with what I have while working towards what I want and who I want to become.
I truly believe that once we become comfortable with who we are and the amazing opportunity it is just to be alive that it will give us the freedom to truly begin to ‘live in the moment’.
“Forever is composed of nows”
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