Stop Trying to Live In The Present… Do This Instead
Trying to live in the present will have the opposite result
Have you tried to be truly in the present moment?
You get glimpses of it throughout your life and when you experience it, it’s amazing.
The problem is, if you try to live in the present, you will not be able to. Try thinking about the present moment… It’s impossible.
You can only think in the future or the past.
Go ahead. Try.
The moment you try to think about the present is the same moment you will fail to. Yet, people will tell you the key to peaceful living is to focus on the present.
I have a more realistic path for you that’ll produce greater results.
Learn to become comfortable with your thoughts.
The truth behind living in the present
It’s very enticing to try to live in the present. The arguments come from a good place and are usually from those who have found peace.
I would recommend you try it.
Only by trying it will you realize that trying will only lead you to failure. Forcing yourself to live in the present is exactly how you don’t do it.
The more you try though, the better chance you have of coming to the very real realization that to be present, you need to become comfortable with your thoughts.
In fact, you need to become so comfortable with your thoughts that they go silent. Once they go silent, you are no longer thinking about the past or the future.
Those who don’t come to that realization, stop trying to live in the present and never become comfortable with their thoughts.
It’s easy to get frustrated when a friend tells you you’re anxious because you aren’t living in the moment.
Obviously, they’re not wrong, but it is nearly impossible to simply stop thinking nonstop about the mistakes you’ve made and all the possible outcomes of the future.
So, the advice while accurate is useless.
Let’s go over this again.
Living in the present is amazing, but telling someone to do so does nothing aside from stressing them out more.
Okay, great. Now, do this instead!
Becoming comfortable with your thoughts
If you could hear what was going on in my head 99% of the time, you would think I was crazy. Likewise, I’m sure if I could hear your thoughts, I would think you’re a psycho too.
How many of these thoughts do we act on though?
Very few.
The point is… we are not our thoughts. At least, we do not have to be.
Thoughts are birth in your mind and then continue on.
Your creepy thought is quickly replaced by an evil one. And then, the evil one is replaced by a happy one.
The random cycle repeats.
You only become your thoughts if you act on them.
If we are not our thoughts, we should take most of them with a grain of salt. Listen to them, acknowledge, learn or laugh, and then move on.
Be a witness to your thoughts. Your thoughts are just noise.
This is something you learn through consistent meditation.
As you sit there, trying to silence your mind (or not think as some would advise you), your thoughts go by one after another. Treat them like a duck quacking in the distance.
With enough practice, this will become second nature.
You’ll begin to do the same thing throughout your day. As you drive, walk, and work, your thoughts will flow by.
Do you see what I’m getting at?
If your thoughts go by and you treat them as noise, you are no longer thinking about the past or the future.
And, when you are not thinking, you are in the present.
Ta-da!
To wrap it up
Instead of stressing yourself out over constantly trying to force your mind to be in the present, the trick is to become so comfortable with your thoughts that they no longer affect you.
Treat them as noise.
You can successfully do this by practicing meditation. The result will be you living in the present.
It’s a much easier and more realistic route – one that will make you live a happier life.
Thanks for reading!