I was driving to work last week listening to a cool radio talk show. The topic they were discussing nailed me and really got me thinking about my life. We are all probably familiar with the phrase "living in the past". Well, they were talking about the fact that most people don't realize it but they live in the future. What they were saying was that we tend to delay our contentment in life until sometime in the future. Some common thoughts that support their theory:
When I get out of debt, I'll be so happy.
When I get in a relationship things will be so good.
When I get a raise, I'll be more content.
Once I achieve my goals I'll be satisfied.
When I retire and have little responsiblity, life will be grand.
......and so on.
I got to thinking about my own thought life and I realized I delay my happiness until some future event occurs. The problem is that the future never arrives. It's always the present. That's all we ever have is the now. As long as we delay our contentment until some future event we rob ourselves of the only life we'll ever have which is the right now moments. And truthfully, the events on which I base my satisfaction rarely live up to the magnitude that I've given them in my mind. For instance, I get a raise. Great, but in a short time I've digested and processed that happening and am now banking on the next event to bring me more solace. It's a vicious cycle.
Well, I intend to get off this merry-go-round. Why do I always think that tomorrow will be a better day? The future maybe better but I've lived long enough to know that it will have its share of problems as well. I determine to no longer base my contentment on some future occurence. Today is the day to live and experience life. I'm not suggesting that it's wrong to plan for the future. But that's just the point.....plan for the future but live life today. I just don't want to wake up one day and realize I've spent my life wishing my bad circumstances away. So today, I turn over a new leaf. Life is always right now, never yesterday, never tomorrow.
When I get out of debt, I'll be so happy.
When I get in a relationship things will be so good.
When I get a raise, I'll be more content.
Once I achieve my goals I'll be satisfied.
When I retire and have little responsiblity, life will be grand.
......and so on.
I got to thinking about my own thought life and I realized I delay my happiness until some future event occurs. The problem is that the future never arrives. It's always the present. That's all we ever have is the now. As long as we delay our contentment until some future event we rob ourselves of the only life we'll ever have which is the right now moments. And truthfully, the events on which I base my satisfaction rarely live up to the magnitude that I've given them in my mind. For instance, I get a raise. Great, but in a short time I've digested and processed that happening and am now banking on the next event to bring me more solace. It's a vicious cycle.
Well, I intend to get off this merry-go-round. Why do I always think that tomorrow will be a better day? The future maybe better but I've lived long enough to know that it will have its share of problems as well. I determine to no longer base my contentment on some future occurence. Today is the day to live and experience life. I'm not suggesting that it's wrong to plan for the future. But that's just the point.....plan for the future but live life today. I just don't want to wake up one day and realize I've spent my life wishing my bad circumstances away. So today, I turn over a new leaf. Life is always right now, never yesterday, never tomorrow.