Stop Trying So Hard to Live in the Moment

Living For Your Future Self

“Just live in the moment!”

“Be more present.”

“You need to be better at living in the moment.”

You hear it all the time. There are about a dozen inspirational quotes and sayings based on the idea of living in the moment.

But the thing is, it is completely human to think about the past and future; everyone does. I believe some people naturally tend to think more about the past and others think more about the future.

So maybe you spend a lot of time thinking about the future.

You wonder who you’ll become. You worry about the number you’ll see in your bank account and who will stay in your life. You dream about the places you want to travel to and the way your life would look if it all went your way. Maybe you dream so much about the future that you catch your mind wandering to the next best thing when you’re already in the middle of something good.

I’d bet $4 that you’ve tried to kick the habit of thinking and worrying about the future. I bet you’ve Googled “how to live in the moment” and that you’ve gotten frustrated at yourself for not being able to just live in the moment. I bet you have looked around at the people you’re with and wondered how everyone else is able to live so in the present (I also bet $5 that you are not the only one who does this).

Stop doing that. Stop getting frustrated at your mind for drifting to the future. It’s just the way your mind works, and it can be a beautiful thing.

Just keep reading; you’ll see what I mean.

You Can Create the Stories You Will Tell and the Memories You Will Look Back on

Future you will want funny stories to tell about your life and memories to look back and smile about.

Stories and memories don’t just appear out of nowhere in your imagination. They come from the things you do, the days you live, and the moments you experience.

So go out and make those memories.

Make sure future you can tell stories about the places you have seen on this Earth, the moments you danced in the pouring rain, the people you kissed under a sky filled with stars, the strangers who changed your life with a single conversation, the nights you slept in a tent in the middle of nowhere with your friends, and the wild things you got to cross off your bucket list.

When you have the opportunity to skydive, fly in a helicopter, jump into the ocean, or something else that scares you right now, do it for your future self.

Even though you’re doing it with the future in mind, you’re still going out and doing fun things that will make you happy at the moment.

When a vacation flops, you and your friends get lost, or it just feels like everything is going wrong, remind yourself that one day, future you will be laughing while telling the story. Maybe it’s just me, but this always helps me lighten up. Give it a try next time something feels like a disaster.

It’s a Great Way to Make Sure You Won’t Have Any Regrets

Make it your goal to create so many memories that future you will never be left wondering what could’ve been.

Make sure future you never has to say, “I wish I would’ve lived more when I was young,” or “I always wanted to try that.”

Try all the hobbies your heart desires so you aren’t left wondering if you would’ve liked it or not. If you secretly dream of playing the guitar or learning how to knit, start now so future you will either be really good at it or know you didn’t like it after all.

Make so many memories with the people you love that it doesn’t feel incomplete when people ebb and flow in and out of your life.

Travel as often as you can now so that when you’re old you will have stories of the places you’ve seen instead of a bucket list still waiting to be crossed off.

Dreaming About the Future Will Guide You From One Thing to the Next

This is something I do. I’ll be in the middle of doing something cool, and I’ll already be thinking about what comes next.

For a while, I got frustrated whenever this happened and tried way too hard to keep my focus on the present.

I’d end up stressed out and definitely not being in the moment anymore.

Then one day I decided to let that all go. I realized that this is just how my brain works- it drifts to the future- and when I let go of trying to change that, it became a really good thing.

I realized that this is how I keep myself moving from one cool thing to the next, ultimately creating an overall really cool life that I love. Even though a part of me is already in the future, I am still experiencing what is currently happening and having a great time.

Plus, once I took the pressure off, my mind actually did start living in the present moment a little more, and it was entirely by accident.

It Might Make Life a Little Easier For Your Future Self

When you live with your future self in mind, you just might make life a little easier for yourself.

You might procrastinate a little less because you’re thinking about your future self, and you know they won’t want to do it either.

Before you make a potentially bad decision, you will think about how it will affect future you.

It’s hard to forget about your goals when you’re regularly thinking about the future outcome. Dreaming about the future will help you keep moving toward your goals.

It’s How You Make Those Dreams Your Reality

Let yourself dream big about the future.

Make bucket lists, dream about the places you want to see, the house you want to live in, the career of your dreams, and the way you want your life to look.

Let yourself dream about these things so much that you start to truly believe they will happen.

Keep dreaming and let that hope guide you to make it a reality for your future self.

Check out this post for 5 ways you can live for your future self.