Life Is A Series Of Present Moments

What is life? It’s a deep existential question that people like us ask while we’re on our self improvement journey. We desperately want to make the most out of life, experience everything the world has to offer, and become who we’re capable of becoming. So a question like this is definitely worth a reflection.

In the grand scheme of things, life is very simple. We’re born, we exist, and then we pass away. Garrain Jones calls it “the dash”, referring to the dash on a tombstone that connects the day you’re born to the day you die. Everything that you’re involved in, that happens between those dates, is your life.

And while it might not seem like it, how we spend time is always broken down into the same singular unit: The present moment. A decade is a 10 year series of moments. A minute is 60 seconds worth of moments. All we ever have is the present moment.

So in order to maximize our life by taking advantage of each present moment, it’s critical that we are intentional about where we put our attention. In a sea of everything, our attention dictates what we actually experience. Our attention determines how we spend any present moment. And given that’s the case, what we pay attention to deserves a lot more discernment.

First, we need to pay attention to what we want - thinking the thoughts we want to think, feeling the emotions we want to feel, taking up the space we want to take up. When we can control the focus of our attention, our life follows. Focus on more of the right things and you’ll get more of the right things.

But beyond the ‘what’, we also must consider the 'how'. This is a matter of quality. It’s the difference between being fully in a moment, or your attention being fragmented. It’s no surprise that trying to do multiple things at the same time negatively affects your ability to do any one thing as well as you could. When it’s time to listen, speak, think, observe, work, or rest… Do that and only that. It helps you squeeze more value out of each present moment.

And what that means is - if you’re serious about making the most out of life, it starts with the moment you’re in right now. Then the next, and the next. It’s impossible to be fully conscious all the time, but if you set the intention to be more mindful more often, and more present in more moments, then you’re headed in the right direction.