Why is it not clever to live in the moment

I’m sure you’ve heard this advice hundreds of times, “Hey, live in the moment!” This advice is touted by Facebook, Instagram, Hollywood, motivators, and philosophers. I once promoted this idea, but I realized it was superficial. I’ll tell you in a moment why I think so!

For more benefits, let’s start with a question, “What does it mean to live in the moment?” That’s how we understand each other better, okay, reader? And then we move on to the main course and dessert!

What does it mean to live in the moment?

Since this idea is quite popular, you can find many explanations on the Internet for what it means: “live in the present” or “to be in the moment.” For example, Claire Newton states that it means “ensuring that your awareness is completely centered on the here and now when you are not worrying about the future or thinking about the past.” 

What does it mean to live in the moment?

For instance, on quora.com, a certain guy named Eric writes, “To leave in the moment means to be 100% devoted to the feeling and experiencing the moment. Not paying attention to thought.”

But I’ve heard different opinions.

My mentor once said, “To live 100% means to spit on the values, desires of loved ones, and your own success! Remember a Hollywood movie where the main character loved pot. He f*cked up his whole life because he didn’t care about anything. He only lived in the present, here and now.”

So after such different opinions, the question arises, is the advice to live in this moment really good?

To be very clear, I thought it would be wise to give my thoughts a shape. Let’s take a look at the illustrations!

Why is it worth living not only in this moment, but also…

Imagine that your life is a ball you see below. I’m talking about the yellow circle which I drew in my picture.

Now let’s add a line to the ball. Do you see a red line below and a note on the left: “You born here?” This line symbolizes your life rope—past and future. On the left is the past, and on the right is the future. And you’re somewhere in the beginning.

The line represents all your life and the life that will take place in the future.

Imagine that at some point in your life, you experienced incredible emotions. Do you see drawn facial expressions?

But that moment has slipped out from your memory. You forgot about that old super experience, and it has faded as in this picture:

That is why you live now in an empty circle, in the present, because the present is only work and today… Everyday life is bitter because you live without the vibe you felt on the best day of your life?

But what if you somehow remembered the vibe you used to feel and would stick it in the present?

As you can see, we have a different image!

Therefore, for those who want happiness, I suggest living not only in the present but also remembering the happiest moments of life, and more precisely, feeling the vibe you felt. ATTENTION: I DON’T OFFER TO LIVE ONLY IN THE PAST. I suggest you explore the world here and now, holding by its ears the highest vibe you have ever experienced in your wonderful life! You definitely had this day; you just forgot!   

If you use this vibe constantly, you will change your habits and mindset over time.

That’s not all!

Let’s talk about the future.

I know some people are afraid to think about it, so they try to live only in the moment, but what if thinking about the future wouldn’t cause stress?

What if you have planned the future and know what exactly you will be doing tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, after a year?  

Oh yes, let’s imagine that you know your life goals veeeeery well. For example, I have planned what I will do in a year or three. Since I have planned my five years, I don’t worry about the future like everyone else. Therefore, I am not intimidated by thinking about tomorrow. In fact, when I think about the future, I feel pleasure. 

Take a look at this picture:

Do you see the pink ball? Let it symbolize your trust in the future.

What if you could simultaneously feel tremendous confidence in the future and at the same time feel the best vibe you’ve ever experienced in the past? What if you could mix it all up like a cocktail to drink here and now?

After all, when you know what to aim for, your reality takes on many colors?

What if you took a step further?

To all this cocktail, would you add emotions that you will feel many years from now when your children’s babies are born? What if you forgave yourself in advance for mistakes that you will make in the future? How does this offer look to you?

In this case, you would become super positive and energetic.

You would be happy! Like me. Do you see this guy on the street? As you can see, I feel good about my way going forward.

I experienced this with my own fur, so I repeat it the hundredth time, “The smartest thing is to live in the present, using the vibe you experienced in the happiest hour of your life, and trust yourself about your future!”

Oh yes, it’s good to constantly “ping” the past and the future; otherwise, we can get lost in empty values and…

“But my brain won’t carry that much,” someone will say. I have an offer! Eat healthily! Do sports! Don’t drink beer, and your brain will do a lot of amazing things!

On the other hand, you can choose a different method. If it doesn’t come out at the same time, “to be in the past, in the moment, and in the future,” then:

Divide the day into three parts. You can live two hours a day only in a moment. Ten minutes to remember the past (preferably good emotions). And spend a few hours for your future! During this hour, you can create daily tasks, great business, and so on. It would be good if you feel comfortable working on your future. I know that not everyone likes to work. Do you think I like to sit at the computer? But wise sacrifices always bring good results! The smarter I plan my days, the better it makes me feel! After writing down tasks for the day, I just know what to do. I also know when to reserve time for myself, which gives me peace of mind and clarity.

By the way, when you think about the future, you have to remember the past. Because how else will you realize you’re going in the right direction? After all, when creating plans, you need to be guided by your sense of value. Here you need the knowledge and experience you had gained in the past when you were in awkward situations. This knowledge is priceless, and you should not be ashamed of it. Sure, you shouldn’t be drowning in bad memories, but you understood the essence.

“But I want, I really want to be just here and now!!!” someone will state. I have a few words for this person—the last few paragraphs!

Two reasons why live only “in this moment 24/7” isn’t wise:

1. You are an adult!

I understand that it’s easy to only live in a moment as if you are a child. After all, when you are petite, you have someone to care for you. The parents cook, so the children don’t have to work. But then hair starts to grow on legs and so on. And then the largest inscription appears in front of your nose: “Welcome to reality, now you will have to work!”

So if you don’t care about your future, what will you eat? Everyone faces this problem. That’s why you have to work. What about the changes that will occur when your children are born, dear reader. Believe me, when you become a father or mother, the problems won’t really decrease, and living in the moment will be extremely difficult. Of course, sometimes you will be able to immerse yourself in the present (by playing with your baby), but once your baby has pooped his pants, you will have to quickly get out of the “happy” phase to change diapers. Therefore, to live in the moment without thinking about the future is simply absurd.

2. If you lived only in the present, your brain would lose a lot of capacity over time.

First and foremost, you, the reader, have heard of Darwin’s theory. Sure, no one knows when exactly the breaking point occurred that made the monkey think, but I think it happened when the monkey stopped living only in the present. One scientist says it happened because a group of monkey travellers got into a cold area and was forced to figure out how to survive. So, if we can believe him, the question is, would we have evolved if we had only lived in the moment!  

By the way, have you been trying to do nothing for several months? I did! For a while, it seemed as if my brain was atrophying. It took time for it to think faster! Damn holidays! I hate them!

Resources:

The power of positive memories
The nostalgy theory (thank you, Johnny Harris, for inspiration)