When the Present Moment is Just a Gateway to the Future
It’s no coincidence that the present is known as the present because it’s a gift. However, when you treat the present as just a gateway to the future this gift is lost.
The fact is that happiness is only an emotion of the present. In addition, you can only make progress and achieve success in the present. As a result, happiness, progress, and achievement represent the primary gifts of the present. These gifts go to waste when you are constantly thinking about the past and the future.
You can experience feelings of satisfaction and nostalgia thinking about the past. You can also experience feelings of hope and anticipation thinking about the future. But you must be careful with these feelings as they are gateway emotions to neglecting the present.
The present is full of moments that are more often than not written-off as insignificant. The first step to live a more meaningful life is to find ways to reframe these moments into moments to celebrate. This does not mean you forgo planning and preparing for the future or reflecting and learning from the past. Rather this means you celebrate your learning, planning and preparing moments as much as you celebrate and remember the outcomes. In other words, enjoy the journey as much or more than you enjoy arriving at the destination.