Recognise the beauty in the present
I’ve been a person that notoriously loved dreaming. Daydreaming and thinking, visualising about what my potential could make me become in the future. I idolised a specific version of myself that I dreamt of one day becoming (primarily influenced by social trends and expectations), particularly because it brought me a sense of fulfillment. A fulfilment that meant I was in the midst of creating a satisfied and complete life.
It gave me a great sense of dopamine and satisfaction in ‘dreaming’ about the potential I had and how it could be applied in the FUTURE, whilst simultaneously avoiding the allusion, action and attraction of the present moment.
We universally know that the present moment is something that we, ourselves, only ever have — a present moment that allows for the ‘neglect’ of the past (talked about later) and an understanding of what the future can hold.
An understanding that, ironically, life happens in the present in the forward direction but only makes sense in retrospect, and that it’s coming from you, not at you. The present moment and the ‘now’ is something that may consistently foster uncertainty, stress and anxiety in our thoughts, but thinking in the present is something that’s really been effective for me.
There’s too much beauty in the present to neglect, and to be grateful for the opportunities that passed by our way — those who are self-aware and self-understanding realise everything around them presents an intrinsic value of beauty and ‘life’ itself.
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To receive anything, we must be constantly open to receiving, suggesting we must act in a manner of receptivity to growth, to become wiser and to love. That’s because everything in our society is in a present state of constant rhythm and those who are consistently receiving are in line with such a rhythm (that took some time to understand and get used to).
Currently, we are the youngest we’ll ever be, but also the oldest we have ever been — and hence, it’s important we must learn to grow and develop in this time so our success and fulfillment can be driven in the future.
Growth and development from the younger version of you can solely be experienced by viewing situations in different ways (almost like using a different lens colour/power) that is stemmed from being receptive to the opportunities in the present moment.
When I talked about ‘neglecting the past’ in the 2nd paragraph, one thing which I was taught was to recognise the past as important and necessary but only to an extent that was lesser than the future and lesser than the present. That’s because, even despite value, the present aims to address how we go about resolving the past and acknowledging specific areas for improvement to build the future we want to foster.
Take comfort not just in what/who you want to become in the future, but the fruits of labour that are currently happening in the present. We must focus on seeing opportunities and abilities to change for the better in the elusive ‘now’ than seeking for them in the ephemeral future, where nothing is guaranteed.
Recognise what we’re capable of and give ourselves the capability, in the present, to do more things by being present.
