In the Now
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Something that has been on my mind a lot lately (and I mean a lot!) is wanting to be more present. To be more into what is happening in my life today. Not tomorrow. Not next week, or month or ten years from now. To be more focused on the little things, and to enjoy them more. Not to let my happiness hinge on those things in the future, that I'm waiting to happen.
I'm sure a lot of people struggle with this. And it's so hard not too! When you have goals and dreams, which are great things to have, you can put so much focus on those things. But then, what happens to your now? When all of your energy is spent looking to the future? I feel sometimes that time is just flashing by me, and I'm wishing it away, trying to get to somewhere different.
I've been this way as long as I can remember. I know I enjoyed my childhood, don't get me wrong, but the biggest theme that stands out to me is how badly I wanted to grow up. I would constantly day dream about the days when I could make my own decisions, be my own person. I remember when I was ten, I literally started counting down the years until I was grown! And I continued to count down. Until I was a teenager, until I had a boyfriend, until I graduated, until I was married. I was always looking, and wishing myself forward.
Today it's the same story. I'm always thinking, "I'll be happier when I lose that last ten pounds, when I get to go on vacation, when I get to throw this party, when my husband is more successful, when we have more money, when I have a baby, when, when, when..."
The thing is, maybe I won't be happier! Maybe I'll just keep looking to the next thing. Because I'm happy now. I just don't take the time to truly realize it. To be content and thankful for the things I have now. For my everyday experiences. And sometimes, when I'm so caught up in planning and wishing, I raise my expectations too high. There have been several times when I was so intensely focused on how amazing some event or time would be, that I was let down. It wasn't as magical as I had imagined. Then, how much more of a waste was the time that I spent wishing would go faster?
I know I'm not very old, but sometimes it still seems like just yesterday that I was a kid. And that makes me kind of sad. How will I feel in ten or twenty years, if I don't make a change? Like I just wished all my time away, when I should have been enjoying it? That's not what I want, at all.
So, my new goal is to be happier in my now. That's not to say that I won't still make plans, or have dreams, because I will. But I will let them come in their own time, because it will come fast enough. I want to be able to look back at a life filled with small happy moments, and know that I didn't just wish it all away. To be thankful for each day, and to find beauty and happiness in being present. I want to enjoy each season, and not try to rush on to the next, no matter how tired of winter I am, or how much I want fall to come.
We only get so much time, and I want mine to be well spent.
What about you? Do you think about this, and is it something you want to work on as well? Let me know!
10 comments
<3 this! It's something that I think on a lot and it feels like a very human dilema to be wishing for the next thing, the better thing, all the time. Nothing has made me stop and be more present and enjoy the little things, and just savor the life I'm already living, than when I married David. By the time we got married, we'd been together only 11 months, but it all went by so fast and I don't have very strong memories of the time because I was so busy hoping for moving in together, getting married, planning a family, etc. There are always going to be things that you feel like you need to anticipate and work towards, just always remember you get there one day at a time, and those singular days leading up to the big thing, the big event, are meaningful. I wish you luck in finding yourself more present. It is an amazing place to be. ;)
ReplyDeleteI love this. I am always planning for the next step and need to realize that I am on my last planned "next step" and enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteExactly! :) Enjoy the journey!
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ReplyDeleteRebeccawithanR
Great quotes, its so true. Worrying is such a waste of time and effort, and I feel like living in the now gives way to greater happiness. I mean life is short so why not be happy? xo
ReplyDeleteVery true :)
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ReplyDeletei love this and, yes, this is something I definitely need and want to work on. It's all too easy to dwell on the past or over-analyze the future but to actually sit back and enjoy the now is something I don't think many of us do.... And, sadly, we don't realize it.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!!!
I agree! I think once you do, it becomes easier to do something about it :)
DeleteAnd thank you! :)
I think being grateful for a day is a very good approach to life! You will be a happier person for it (:
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