Nope. If you thought that this was some type of advertisement promoting a limited-time deal, sorry, this ain’t that. Instead, it’s something much more big picture and longstanding.
Hah, didn’t post yesterday because wasn’t really inspired to write about anything, but the idea for this post struck me last evening, and so. Well, anyway! I’ll get started!
Now, this may be a bit anticlimactic, but…
What you only have access to right now is… precisely that. Right now. The present moment. You only get one chance to experience it, and that’s right now. Mere moments later you’ll already be in a future moment, and this will merely be a lingering aftertaste!! of the past.
Now, I’m sure that most of you would have heard of the saying ‘live in the moment’ before. Like, you shouldn’t dwell and wallow in the past because it’s simply no more, and you can’t change what has already happened. As for the future, that’s something you actually have a steering wheel of sorts for!
So basically, such were more or less my thoughts on the topic of living in the present moment too… However, yesterday, I realised that there is yet more to the topic that I’d actually overlooked before.
Hah, this is somewhat related to the way the human mind works, even…
Alright, so let’s get into it proper, shall we?
Okay, so something we human beings do is that in general, we always have desires to mold the future in a certain way that fits our preference. An objective fact of sorts, see.
However, something very striking about this is that in our lives, such an easelessly natural habit is actually insatiable!!!
It’s most certainly because of how our own personal status quo constantly refreshes.
Huh?
Like, for example, say that you want to get a romantic partner. So you do! And for the first few weeks, maybe, everything is rainbows and unicorns, oh so fresh, oh so invigorating.
But then slowly you get used to it as it thoroughly assimilates, integrates into your daily living. And then it’s not that you start to take this for granted, but that the dopamine spike it provides you wears off.
Like, sure, getting that raise or that car may boost your happiness levels for a while, but at the end of the day, it’s only temporal and thus limited! Sooner or later, your happiness levels will fall back to their baseline, or neutral, state.
Another great example would be the process of growing up as a child!
Initially, even crawling around is a milestone and achievement for you. You’ll be filled with so much delight and pleasure at having reached that stage!
But then the happiness levels will fade, and it’ll become like your status quo as you get so used to it, and it’s off to looking for the next target to zero in on! Like next is maybe getting to your feet and standing, then even walking…
This is basically just how the human mind works! For a time, compare moments past and present and there’s an obvious milestone!! You feel over the moon! But then it fades, because that’s now just an ordinary, daily thing for you…
So obviously I’m not trying to put this down or anything! This is just how life works and it’s perfectly fine! Got no need to see any problem with that!
Still, doesn’t it seem like you can actually glean a certain insight from this?…
Just think about it… in actual fact aren’t you always chasing an elusive thing?
Hmm…
Like, the natural state of affairs is that always, always, after this present goal is achieved, we’ll soon be setting our sights on the next goal. The present happiness fades and old state of affairs you just totally fades away to become a thing of history.
And in your daily endeavours to achieve stuff, you may also often wonder: Did I actually achieve something? Was it worthwhile, worth my time? Or did I actually fail to make any real progress and it was not much and a waste of time to be honest?
Well, that’s just simply how we are as human beings! As living things for whom the present is not fixed but mutable, we obviously wanna acquire some better future moments that are more!! to our tastes!
But here, we run the real real risk. A trap that one might fall into, as I briefly referred to earlier, is taking the present moment for granted even though that was something that was oh so distant from the past you, and seriously, look how far you’ve come!!! Hey, friend, for people who have experienced truly devastating moments before…
Like, think about it. There were people who were wheelchair bound for 10 over years before finally learning to stand up and even walk again. Don’t ya think they would appreciate and love every single future walking moment from then on!!!
But still most goals are just milestones that are like been there done that. Now moving on!
Hah… and so, we’re finally kind of arriving at what I’m getting at…
Typically, it is actually totally impossible to expect ourselves to gain true long-lasting fulfilment from a single future event! Because over time, that will naturally fade and become our normalcy. AND on the very next day or week or whatever, we go looking for the next! goal which we’ll set our sights on!
And on and on and on!
Hey!!! Man, but seriously, what else is there to keep us fulfilled aside from these goals? That’s just how life is!
But in that case, don’t overlook this!
Future moments and their fulfilment are, in general, transient! Because, what’s next is only the next thing, which is to go ask ‘and what’s next?’ And then you set your sights on something else!
So to truly max our your happiness levels, the true key is this. Really, truly, when you are experiencing these nice present moments of goal fulfilment themselves, savour it thoroughly!!! Suck the joy out of it!
See, think of it this way.
Method 1: You reach your goal!!!, and then as it fades your mind is off busily thinking of some new goal that’ll fulfil you. That’s natural really, because the kick from achieving that old goal has worn off.
Method 2: As you reach your goals, you truly, truly thoroughly savour and relish them. You don’t invest your ‘bliss hopes’ in a future moment, no, because you know that hah, it’s a trap!!! When this very future moment comes and becomes your present moment, huh! You’ll be thinking of yet the next future moment again! And so, true happiness is always unattainable for you because seriously, NOW!!! is the only time you can gain it!
I repeat: If you’re always looking for happiness to be attained on the horizon, when you reach that horizon, you’ll again be looking at the next horizon to attain it! But… now is the only time you can gain it!!!
I still believe in gaining fulfilment through goals, because truly, I think that one of our main goals in our lives should be to max our lives out. But still!! To be honest, hehe, aren’t you actually neglecting a little something in your pursuit of your future happiness?
You’re neglecting the present moment, now!!!
Okay, I’ll present two scenarios.
So you want to get from A to B.
Scenario 1: You go from A to B at super speed, Speed 8.
Scenario 2: You go from A to B at speed 6, taking some time to relax and smell the flowers.
In Scenario 1, you’re totally out of breath and thoroughly fatigued and drained! Sure, you’re quite happy that you reached your goal, but when you have, it’s like… moving on! On to putting in more work to go better my life circumstances! After a quick self-reward, maybe.
And yet, the thing about life and you is that, know this now, it’s a never-ending project!!! I mean, unless you’re in constant deep meditation all day, every day, that means you’ll have to find!! something to engage yourself with!
So yeah, I feel that Scenario 2 is more like it! Sure, the goal remains, and you still achieve it at a considerably okay speed, but now the one difference is that you really enjoy the entire process of it!
Hey, don’t forget this one self-evident thing: This is a process that you as a person must experience regardless, so why not try to max out even this process the best you can??
And then, sure, after you’ve attained that goal and it becomes normalcy for you, don’t forget to remember to thank and applaud and love your past self, feeling grateful for all those blessings that you have now relative to that!
See, one thing we’ve gathered from this exploration is that happiness is an internal state. We may always try to attain it through external things, sure, but at the end of the day, it is what it is – an internal state.
So, think of where you were and where you are now. Hey, like, isn’t that a surefire way of summoning that internal state to ya? Metaphysics 101!
Meanwhile, whenever you’re experiencing the present moment, aka always, thoroughly enjoy the moment the best you can, for you’ll never, ever, get to experience it again!!! The other option is just taking it for granted and sorta abusing it away you know. Hey, think about this!
In the future, when my state of affairs and my circumstances are much better than how they are now, I’ll enjoy life then!!!
Hey human! How sure are you that you in the future, when that has become your personal status quo, you won’t have your own set of new challenges and goals to deal with then anyways?
Life is a never-ending project! It’s not like once you’ve passed a goal line of Xkm, you’ll be rewarded with this permanent state of content, happiness!
So, what does that tell you? Well, you should certainly make sure to savour every single moment of it the best you can!
See, otherwise, you just reach the milestone mark and feel that yeah, really, it was only a matter of time that I attained this! And in the process, you kinda downplay everything you went through in the meantime! Everything is just matter-of-fact, as it should be!
That’s a trap!!!
Hey friend, actually reap the rewards of your hard work the most it’s able to elevate you! Feel that bliss!
Like, think about it. When you pay big money to enjoy a buffet, don’t ya try to eat to the max so that you don’t waste the resources you spent?
Well, it’s the exact!! same thing here! Input – effort, hard work. Corresponding output – fulfilment, happiness derived! Did ya reap! as much of it as you could?!!
No!
Well, why then, you best start enjoying every single moment of the process now yo! Rather than banking on some future moment to provide you with that happiness, why not you derive it from the present moment when you also can! Like, even your process of striving right now is still something you can derive fulfilment and happiness from, ya know!!
Phew!
Huh, this article has not been turning out the way I expected it to. Like, tbh I feel like I’ve just been ranting and ranting! 🙂
Anyway, the main point is: You only get to enjoy your present moment now, so do so! In future moments your circumstances will be different, and you might not get to enjoy the same elements then!!!
And of course, this thoroughly aligns with enjoying the little things in your everyday life! Still do that! Don’t take for granted the blessings others might not have, sure, preachy but true. But, more like, hey! Seriously, don’t waste them away! Like, tbh, think about playing a game where you run around and collect coins. These are coins that you be missing rn bro! Like, go collect them, and the feast – so much better!
Hah, this project to max out happiness sure is an interesting thing yo!
Anyway! One thing.
Bad things happen, so if we wanna max out our happiness, are we still supposed to feel super happy even then?!
Well, spiritual people will be like: everything happens for you, not to you. It’s all meant to take you to your highest destination and all that…
Yeah, we get it. Whatever. Huh.
Well, just remember this. In a sense, you are the writer of your own story! When bad things happen to you, will you be a force of light? Or…. will you be a force of darkness?
For at the very least, the way you are influences the people around you, for sure!
And yes, you do have a choice!
See, we’re all creators of sorts. Like, our very perceptions shape the world we experience see. Glass half empty half full thing, really!
Sure, if you have a lot of faith, you can definitely choose to have complete trust and fully surrender, even worship every moment.
But at the very least, it’s like this. What you give your energy, thereafter… it is given life by you!
When you give negative thoughts energy, negative thoughts persist within you. It’s as simple as that! After sufficient spiritual growth, one learns to start filter these thoughts within you!
Yes, I allow this thought. No, this thought is ridiculous. I allow you no space within me! and the like.
It is all! about finding the right way of seeing the world that you desire!
There’s loads more that could be done to achieve this, and I even thought about maybe mentioning stuff like attachment and expectations and how to manage all that.
But still, at the end of the day, how about you just take this away, huh?
What you only have access to right now, is right now. So, please, try to refine and make better how you experience this present moment of right now! Cause you won’t ever get to experience it again, and if you are not experiencing it correctly presently, this state will just persist on into the future.
The ideal state: Feel full enjoyment in every present moment! Don’t be distracted over external things, but thoroughly immerse yourself within now! Know how worthy every moment is of your adoration! Like, even the joy of being alive is something to ride on!
Alright everyone! Tbh I have mixed feelings about how this article came out, but I guess it’ll do! Really feel like I gotta go rest now, so, adios!!
PS: Wasn’t feeling that great just now, so lots of errors. Have corrected them and edited the article slightly. Much more satisfied with the article now!