These past weeks I have learned from a dear friend that the best way to live long, enjoy what you do, and get the best out of it is to always have a positive mindset and find fun in what you do.
When you’re happy it’s easier to enjoy the moment and even joke about your past mistakes and have a fun time planning the future. But none of this will stop you from experiencing happiness in the present moment.
Appreciating life is more of an internal decision rather than a response to external circumstances. So we basically have two options, we either stay sad and depressed or be happy and enjoy what you do; it’s all up to you. I choose happiness and peace of mind.
That being said, it’s better to find a way to enjoy whatever you can at any given time.
Now how do we enjoy the present moment?
1. It all boils down to perspective
We all view life differently. While a few people are open to changes, others stay hung up on the status quo. Are you part of the few that believe that nothing will get better or are you among those that anticipate change and want to get the best out of life?
Perspective guides us in a couple of ways. It makes us understand that things might be worse. But do you know that things can also be better?
We all feel like our life is lacking one essential thing that will make us happy whether it’s more money, a different job, nicer apartment, the most recent phone, better friends, etc. All these sound good but will your life really be better with them? Will you find peace and happiness? I am a firm believer of finding joy in your current state/position and as you go higher, it becomes part of you, meaning that whether you have it all or not, you should be happy.
We have heard of people who have everything they want, but they’ve become so obsessed over their image that they can’t fully enjoy anything.
We can give so many reasons why we are not enjoying the moment but the truth is that it can always be worse and it can also be better. This solely depends on what perspective we view life from.
Enjoying your reality is far more powerful than enjoying a dream you wish to hopefully come true.
2. Get rid of the distractions
Our mind is a powerful tool. It is like a battlefield and a lot of thought goes on there; the good, bad, and the ugly. So in order to enjoy and soak in the present moment, you must first learn how to control your mind, thoughts and focus on the present.
We all have negative thoughts. They can be so overwhelming that we find it difficult for us to focus and get things done.
Most times when we want to get things done, or even when we have no reason at all to worry, the negative thoughts creep in. They can come as a reminder of our past hurtful experiences, worry, fear or doubt. All these rob us of the joy and peace we were meant to experience from that moment.
Let’s learn to be more disciplined in our thoughts and focus on the present. Be intentional about stopping bad thoughts once you notice a trace of them. Understand that our time is precious and cannot be gotten back once it’s lost so make the most of it.
3. Learn to let go
This is definitely one of the hardest parts. It’s not easy to forgive and let go especially when you are really hurt. But I want you to know that letting go is not for the other person who hurt you but because of yourself.
When you let go and start accepting things as they are instead of how you’d like them to be, you’ll find that you’ll suffer less emotional trauma, stress and you rarely get frustrated with others. When you let go, you set yourself free from hurt.
Letting go is a sign of great strength. When we carry a lot of baggage it becomes hard to move but when we let go, we feel lighter and more at peace. We cannot receive something new if our hands are filled with old baggage.
