Missing the Moment
From the moment of our birth we always desire more, that which we don’t have, and that which will come tomorrow. As a child we always want what the other children have even if we have great toys ourselves. As adults we want the style of clothing others have, to possess the latest fad, and to “keep up with the Jones” even while the Jones are trying to keep up with the Smiths who in turn… you get the picture.
The grass is always greener they say on the other side; we always tend to want that which we do not have. You may have the greatest wife or husband, but you long for the lost love who you at one time could not stand; or the man or woman who is not yours just because it is something you DO NOT have!
You start off just wanting a car, then you want the faster car, then the more expensive car, then the limited series car; wanting always one step beyond where you are. You want just a small house in the country so you build your dream home; then it needs landscaping, a paved driveway, a two car garage, a barn for the horses you want to buy; until you finally need to build a new house, a bigger house.
Happiness is always one paycheck away, up around the bend, the next year, when you have $100,000 in the bank, then one million, then 5 million; until you end up never enjoying what and who is right in front of you now.
You have a dog, a great dog that is your best friend; you tell him that you’ll go for a walk tomorrow, then it’s the next tomorrow, then when the weather is better, then when spring gets here. You push it off for so long that it’s now years later and he is hurt and just wants to sleep and you have missed out on his best years and great times with a great friend.
You tell your spouse that next week you’ll go to the show, and you repeat this until you find they no longer ask and they are doing things on their own and you no longer have anything in common and they are leaving you.
You spend so much time looking to the future for happiness that when it doesn’t come you turn to religion or mysticism looking to discover where true happiness lies and what it all means. Why are you born, why do you dye, what is needed to find true happiness?
Then you see that one religion bad mouths another, one denomination bad mouths another; there is so much hate and anger between them you wonder how they can even be religious; yet again you are left with question, unhappy and unsatisfied.
It is true that life is a struggle, but we ourselves make it far more a struggle then it has to be. We spend far too much of our time trying to find happiness, contentment and love in other places and other times, when in reality it is in front of us all the time.
The same is said for success in all areas of life whether its money, happiness, love, business, education or anything that fills our definition of success. Russel Conwell wrote an excellent speech titled “Acres of Diamonds” that shows to what extent people will go to find success only to have others find it right in the place the success seekers left behind.
You must begin to live your life in the moment, or live in the now. This may sound mystical but it is very simple. Find your happiness where you are now. Look, really look, around you and see what you have to be happy for today, this moment. Ask yourself if someone were to take everything I have and I was permitted to keep only 3 items what would those 3 items be. Then make time to appreciate those items now and give thanks for them.
Especially ask yourself who you would miss most if they told you that everyone you knew would be taken away except for 3 people or animals you love. Who would be left by your side? Enjoy those individuals NOW!
Sure it’s great to plan for the future and have goals to shoot for, but you must find balance between the NOW and the future. You must find the happiness and love in your life now before you can look for it in your future. If you wait 10 years to find happiness and love, that is 10 years you have to go without when, if you open your eyes, you could find it in your life now.
Hug and kiss your spouse today, tomorrow and everyday; walk your dog; pet your cat; live your life NOW while preparing and creating your future.
The grass is always greener they say on the other side; we always tend to want that which we do not have. You may have the greatest wife or husband, but you long for the lost love who you at one time could not stand; or the man or woman who is not yours just because it is something you DO NOT have!
You start off just wanting a car, then you want the faster car, then the more expensive car, then the limited series car; wanting always one step beyond where you are. You want just a small house in the country so you build your dream home; then it needs landscaping, a paved driveway, a two car garage, a barn for the horses you want to buy; until you finally need to build a new house, a bigger house.
Happiness is always one paycheck away, up around the bend, the next year, when you have $100,000 in the bank, then one million, then 5 million; until you end up never enjoying what and who is right in front of you now.
You have a dog, a great dog that is your best friend; you tell him that you’ll go for a walk tomorrow, then it’s the next tomorrow, then when the weather is better, then when spring gets here. You push it off for so long that it’s now years later and he is hurt and just wants to sleep and you have missed out on his best years and great times with a great friend.
You tell your spouse that next week you’ll go to the show, and you repeat this until you find they no longer ask and they are doing things on their own and you no longer have anything in common and they are leaving you.
You spend so much time looking to the future for happiness that when it doesn’t come you turn to religion or mysticism looking to discover where true happiness lies and what it all means. Why are you born, why do you dye, what is needed to find true happiness?
Then you see that one religion bad mouths another, one denomination bad mouths another; there is so much hate and anger between them you wonder how they can even be religious; yet again you are left with question, unhappy and unsatisfied.
It is true that life is a struggle, but we ourselves make it far more a struggle then it has to be. We spend far too much of our time trying to find happiness, contentment and love in other places and other times, when in reality it is in front of us all the time.
The same is said for success in all areas of life whether its money, happiness, love, business, education or anything that fills our definition of success. Russel Conwell wrote an excellent speech titled “Acres of Diamonds” that shows to what extent people will go to find success only to have others find it right in the place the success seekers left behind.
You must begin to live your life in the moment, or live in the now. This may sound mystical but it is very simple. Find your happiness where you are now. Look, really look, around you and see what you have to be happy for today, this moment. Ask yourself if someone were to take everything I have and I was permitted to keep only 3 items what would those 3 items be. Then make time to appreciate those items now and give thanks for them.
Especially ask yourself who you would miss most if they told you that everyone you knew would be taken away except for 3 people or animals you love. Who would be left by your side? Enjoy those individuals NOW!
Sure it’s great to plan for the future and have goals to shoot for, but you must find balance between the NOW and the future. You must find the happiness and love in your life now before you can look for it in your future. If you wait 10 years to find happiness and love, that is 10 years you have to go without when, if you open your eyes, you could find it in your life now.
Hug and kiss your spouse today, tomorrow and everyday; walk your dog; pet your cat; live your life NOW while preparing and creating your future.