Living in the Moment. How?

[Julian]

At this point in my life i have many regrets i am trying to let go of. Not only that but i also live in the past alot and i have many worrys about my future.

Im really sick of doing both of the above and i just want to LIVE IN THE MOMENT. How can i do this? What steps can i take towards being able to live in the moment each day.

Anyone?

 

[Johnny Double]

I'm not sure there's an easy answer to this. I was in your exact position a few years ago, all I did was to literally focus on the present. I did this backed up by my short/long term goals. Without those I'd never made any progress.

You have to decided what you want out of your life, form a plan, and stick to it. It's hard to let the past go, I know, but it only has as much power as you give it. Ignore it, banish it from your thoughts as much as you can, and focus on your goals.

 

[DarkLight]

The issue w. focusing on the present, etc... is its one of effort. Nobody can sustain continuous effort, and literally if you do... the forces of yin/yang would come into play and the total effort achieved would collapse into itself... into its opposite, surrender.

Thus... if your not a fan of achieving total focus, through absolute will power, the way to go would be acceptance, and letting-go.

Whatever arises in the moment... accept. All the bullsh!t of your mind/emotions, etc... ACCEPT. Just witness them as if your watching a movie... and accept them! From that acceptance, there will be no need to duck and weave yourself out of the moment. Your facing the contents of your present experience (no matter how unpleasent), and thats that.

Now since everything is transient in nature (meaning... nothing is permanent, everything changes), there will be no need to do anything to make it pass. It will pass away by the very laws of the universe itself.

So you just approach life with acceptance, and relax into that attitude. Try and achieve the continuity of it more and more. Extending its duration (into the present).

You'll peel like an onion, the sh!tty layers of your unconciousness (repressed emotions, limiting beliefs, personal history, etc.)

In short... its a Suave path. lol

 

[JonJack]

To be truly able to live for the moment requires certain sacrifices. It can be difficult to think about long-term goals for your career and at the same time live your personal life by the moment. Unless you can seperate the two completely, that is you work hard and earn more not because you want to buy something nice or be popular, but because you want to work hard and be good at what you do.

To live for the moment, the goal is never external. It is never to get a hot chick or become rich or drive a nice car. Instead, it is internal. It is because you like it, you enjoy it, you have fun and it makes you feel good and satisfied. Sure you can still have all those nice material stuff. But it's more of a spontaneous or impulsive desire. You have the money, you see something nice and interesting and you buy it. Or you always liked this one thing and now that you have the money, you can get it. You never worry about not being able to get what you desire. You don't care if you don't get it. There's always time. If you don't believe you have enough time, then you're the type that does live for the future and you should just accept that about yourself.

Not everyone can live by the moment. It entails a minimalistic lifestyle. It's a simple life. If you're an employee, you'll be viewed as having little to no ambition or loyalty. Girls might look at you and see someone that isn't secure or stable. On the other hand, you'll be seen as a fun person. One that is easy going and is a pleasure to talk with. You seldom complain and you're very independant.

There's always a good and bad side to most things in life. To live for the moment isn't all positive. Unless you truly understand what it is to actually live for the moment, it may not be the right thing for you. The only way you will know for certain is if you actually manage to be able to live life by the moment. Only then will it be certain that you're comfortable with such a life.

But since you're finding it difficult to do so, I have serious doubts about whether or not you are cut out for it.

 

[Julian]

I appreciate the responses gents.


The best way i can relate to "living in the moment" is when i was young. I would like to capture that again but i feel that as i get older it is more and more impossible.

I will try some of the things suggested

 

[chickenlegs03]

Read "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle

It basically teaches you how. I began "living in the moment" for a little...and realized all those other times that I 'thought' I was living in the moment I wasn't.

On one particular occasion I was walking in the rain back from class...and it was almost as if I was seeing rain for the first time, it was like being high.

I also noticed my memory was a lot sharper when being in the moment, and my mind felt less drained at the end of the day.

However, I realized it's actually cool only to have that ability to do it when you want, and not all the time. Because, in a way, anger, regret, are good for fueling my drive to improve and change.

And now I've just abandoned the book, and kept it only as a good reference to go back to every once in a while. I would highly recommend it, but personally, I think what I learned most is that it is good to be able to completely detach from your emotions and inner voice in order to learn how to channel them in the right way when you choose to.

Here's a link to the book...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/15...f=pd_bbs_1/102-6311762-9404138?_encoding=UTF8

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