Last year I had a discussion with a friend about that oft-used phrase, “Living in the moment.” After years of hearing and saying it, it became clear that I had no clue what it meant. Until then.
You see, I think whether or not you’re living in the moment can best be revealed by two questions:
- What excites you right now?
OR - What is thing you’re waiting for?
For my entire life, the answer to the first question was “I don’t know, nothing really”, and my answer to the second was months, if not years away:
Graduating high school and doing well at a good college.
Graduating college and getting a good job.
Waiting for the company you’re working for to sell for billions.
That was what excited me, what I was waiting for. Looking at those answers, it’s clear that living in the moment was not happening.
What am I excited about now?
Going home to visit my family.
My bike ride to work tomorrow morning.
Getting my close friends together at a bar next week to listen to jazz & play games.
The difference in time horizon, from 4-5 years to less than 1 month, is perhaps the most powerful indicator in a change of focus. From living in the future to the present. To being here.