On Living In the Present

I do not live in the present. I live in the past, where my failures and triumphs were. I live in the future, where my failures and triumphs will be. But now, this moment, is lost to me. And when you realize that you are speeding past it, it’s always too late to slam the brakes. That’s why the practice of mindfulness and study of Stoicism is so important.

The Stoics made a point to live in the present. Their reasoning was sound: living in the past does nothing to help your future and living in the future stunts your ability to achieve that which you dream of. And yet we must remember the past so as to learn from it. And we must plan for the future so as to aspire to it.

Yet living in the present does not mean living only in the present. It simply means to take in the current moment and experience it fully. Do what you are doing and nothing else. Focus solely on it. And set aside time to learn from mistakes (preferably as soon as you make them). Set aside time to plan for that bright future. But, assign as much time as you can to the present; to the thing that is being done now. For the present becomes past much sooner than we anticipate.