Meditation, Living in the Moment while still Planning for the Future
There are nuances in life that can, sometimes, confuse us.
Lately, it is more than common to hear about meditation and mindfulness as the single best thing you can do for you self right now in your life. (It may just be).
Meditation can, in a way, be described as an act of focusing on only one thing at a time. Maybe it's your breath, a certain part of the body, some type of movement: walking. It can even be music. Meditation trains your attention, calms your mind, and soothes your body.
Not to be mistaken with mindfulness: being mindful of your activities may or may not be meditation. One can argue that when one is meditating, one is mindful, but the opposite is not necessarily true.
Now, we've all heard about carpe diem. It can be an extension of the concept of being mindful: if one is mindful, one is present at all times. And since the future or the past cannot exist in the present moment, then, by being mindful, you can only truly leave in the moment.
But where does this leaves us when we need to plan for the future?
Where are we when we want to reminisce or analyse a memory?
No need to fret: meditation and living in the moment will make you a better planner.
Remember: carpe diem is not YOLO. When you are present in the present moment, you can always, in theory, better choose your outcomes. By being present, not only is life more enjoyable, you are also in a better state to make the best decisions.
This being said and while being mindful focuses on the present activity, this never excludes, well, any activity. Including thinking. Including planning.
If we're talking about the past, one thing is useless rumination, where you're needlessly worried about a past even or in pain because of something that happened: but thinking about the past doesn't have to always be like that. By being mindful you can better perceive why you're thinking about a past event and whether this is a productive endeavor. Remember: if you're actively analysing and actually getting valuable outputs from something that happened, it may help you to think about it. However, I'll be the first to warn you about overanalysing past events, even much more so consciously: rest and sleep organize your memories better than anything. Really do pick your battles.
Even easier is to use this example for the future. Being mindful doesn't mean not caring about the future: it means knowing when to think about it and when to plan. Better yet, how to plan.
If planning for the future can make for a better you, this is an activity you have to take with full responsibility. After all, if we don't think about our future selves, and only think about the present, we may more easily succumb to things that may not be so good for us in the present moment. Luckily, being calm and present, also helps you better select what is just a spur of a moment bad decision (maybe you really didn't need to buy that?) or what was just a spontaneous, fun and enjoyable moment.
Over all, being mindful helps us lead a better life: whatever that may be.
If you'd like to read a great book about Focus and some of what was debated on this article, check out Focus by Daniel Goleman
Remember: your time is limited, but your attention is what makes your experience. Do stop to smell the flowers. Enjoy!
Lately, it is more than common to hear about meditation and mindfulness as the single best thing you can do for you self right now in your life. (It may just be).
Meditation can, in a way, be described as an act of focusing on only one thing at a time. Maybe it's your breath, a certain part of the body, some type of movement: walking. It can even be music. Meditation trains your attention, calms your mind, and soothes your body.
Not to be mistaken with mindfulness: being mindful of your activities may or may not be meditation. One can argue that when one is meditating, one is mindful, but the opposite is not necessarily true.
Now, we've all heard about carpe diem. It can be an extension of the concept of being mindful: if one is mindful, one is present at all times. And since the future or the past cannot exist in the present moment, then, by being mindful, you can only truly leave in the moment.
But where does this leaves us when we need to plan for the future?
Where are we when we want to reminisce or analyse a memory?
No need to fret: meditation and living in the moment will make you a better planner.
Remember: carpe diem is not YOLO. When you are present in the present moment, you can always, in theory, better choose your outcomes. By being present, not only is life more enjoyable, you are also in a better state to make the best decisions.
This being said and while being mindful focuses on the present activity, this never excludes, well, any activity. Including thinking. Including planning.
If we're talking about the past, one thing is useless rumination, where you're needlessly worried about a past even or in pain because of something that happened: but thinking about the past doesn't have to always be like that. By being mindful you can better perceive why you're thinking about a past event and whether this is a productive endeavor. Remember: if you're actively analysing and actually getting valuable outputs from something that happened, it may help you to think about it. However, I'll be the first to warn you about overanalysing past events, even much more so consciously: rest and sleep organize your memories better than anything. Really do pick your battles.
Even easier is to use this example for the future. Being mindful doesn't mean not caring about the future: it means knowing when to think about it and when to plan. Better yet, how to plan.
If planning for the future can make for a better you, this is an activity you have to take with full responsibility. After all, if we don't think about our future selves, and only think about the present, we may more easily succumb to things that may not be so good for us in the present moment. Luckily, being calm and present, also helps you better select what is just a spur of a moment bad decision (maybe you really didn't need to buy that?) or what was just a spontaneous, fun and enjoyable moment.
Over all, being mindful helps us lead a better life: whatever that may be.
If you'd like to read a great book about Focus and some of what was debated on this article, check out Focus by Daniel Goleman
Remember: your time is limited, but your attention is what makes your experience. Do stop to smell the flowers. Enjoy!
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