Is it possible to be eating, driving, making love, talking with a loved one or pooper scooping while completely oblivious of the current moment? How much time do we spend doing things we would rather not be doing?  Perhaps the answer to that question is somewhat painful.

Do you often find yourself pondering past events or fearing the future? Consider the following thoughts about enjoying life in-the-moment:

• In-the-moment living seems contrary to what our parents and Americanized culture taught us about planning for the future, being dependable and learning from our past mistakes.
• Some Native American tribes did not have a concept of time as a commodity that could be “saved, sold, or borrowed.”
• The concept of time was created by a God who is without time (Gen. 1:5).
• In-the-moment living is a Biblical concept (Matthew 6:34) and not a New Age or Hindu teaching.
• Perhaps this concept makes us angry because much of life is unjust, unpredictable and out of our control—and we want to be in control of what happens next (Eccles. 3:11).
• Consider taking an in-the-moment reality check the next time you are asked to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ or to make a commitment. When we choose to do one thing we rule out the opportunity to do another.
• We cannot change the past: “What happened in the past that was painful has a great deal to do with what we are today, but revisiting this painful past can contribute little or nothing to what we need to do now.”–Dr. William Glasser
• People who choose to be authentic (not edit out parts of themselves out of relationships) are not preoccupied with past failures nor do they fear uncertainty.
• Spontaneous in-the-moment living energizes  by allowing us to fully enjoy the person in front of us and appreciate the benefits of the task at hand.
• Living in the moment is about being rather than doing. It frees us to enjoy every day life without regrets or wishing our lives away.
• We can learn to redirect our thoughts to be in-the-moment through sensitivity to our physical needs such as water, food, fresh air, sunshine, exercise or rest.

Think about the benefits of living in the moment.

Check out this informational website:

• http://www.poodwaddle.com/worldclock.swf. It provides momentary statistics about population, mortality, illness, environment, energy, food economy, crime and other facts.  Living in-the-moment empowers us to fully process each event that touches our lives—whether good  or evil.

Rick Warren, author of “The Purpose Driven Life” says that life is like traveling along two railroad tracks with one track representing all of the negative things that are happening and the other track represents all of the wonderful things that are happening simultaneously.

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Author: Beth Holloway, MA, LPCA for Miller Counseling Services, PC

Beth Holloway, MA, LPCA is a Licensed Professional Counselor Associate and has more than 12 years’ experience in the mental health field. She has recently joined the Miller Counseling Services team and specializes in counseling individuals and couples who have experienced all types of losses including abuse, domestic strife, and trauma. She enjoys leading group therapy classes in the areas of Divorce Recovery, Spiritual Enrichment, Couples and Parent/Child Relationships, Grief Processing and Depression Recovery. Beth has had the privilege of traveling all over the United States and to more than 10 foreign countries and has been enriched by learning about people from diverse cultures and ethnic groups.