Be Here Now

Studies show at least half of our thoughts are about something other than what’s happening now. We’ve all heard about the value of keeping our attention in the present moment. This is easier said than done, especially nowadays.

However, there are a few things you can do to help keep your attention on what’s currently in front of you, in the here and now:

Boost your mindfulness and awareness of when your brain pulls your attention away from the present. Our brains can easily trick us out of the present with distorted memories that make the past seem better than it was, and with anticipating an idealized future. There is no destination that you’re going to arrive at where you’ll be completely caught up and devoid of obstacles. The future is filled with unknowns. It does us no good to be engaging with them.

Since the number one cause of unhappiness is overthinking, just keep returning back to the moment you’re in. Notice and return, notice and return. Notice the internal subject you’re on and change the subject. Back to the here and now. Placing your attention on a physical sensation, like breathing, also helps.

The other strategy is to remind yourself that life is a temporary journey. We don’t know when the journey is going to end. All we have is the journey. All we have are the moments of our life.

Life should be like a sandcastle. We ought to enjoy the process of making it and embrace the impermanence that the tide will gradually come in and reclaim it. To enjoy it, we have to be in the present moment.

As the famous quote says: Don’t wait for things to get better. Life will always be complicated. Learn to be happy right now, otherwise you’ll run out of time.