Also note this recent article from Psychology Today which says 'Living in the moment—also called mindfulness—is a state of active, open, intentional attention on the present.' Alternatively, but a little more highbrow, you might consider: 'Epicureanism' - a Greek philosophy from around 307BCE. Definition - 'enjoy the pleasures of the moment without concern for the future' (literally, 'pluck the day') During the 1st century BC, the Roman poet Horace wrote, 'Seize the day; put no trust in the morrow.' The notion of living for the moment crops up over centuries of poetry, including in the writings of Shakespeare, Milton and Byron. Synonyms for living for the moment in Free Thesaurus. Antonyms for living for the moment. 68 synonyms for moment: instant, second, minute, flash, shake, tick, no time, twinkling, split second, jiffy, trice, two shakes, two shakes of a lamb's tail.

Living in the moment. A here and now person. At this point, copyright infringement is my guilty pleasure. A friend and I just started. The definition of living in the moment In any moment when we have no psychological thoughts, or we don’t believe our psychological thoughts, what remains is the experience of the present moment. Whenever our psychological thoughts aren’t creating our experience of life, we get to directly experience whatever is happening in a given moment.

The easiest way to explain living in the present is to start by explaining what it means to not be present, since this is the state we have become habitually used to.

When you aren’t being present you become a victim of time. Your mind is pulled into the past or the future, or both.

Your thoughts are of the past: what has been, what could have been, what you thought happened vs. what actually did happen. Or, your thoughts are of the future: what will be, what could be, what might be, if…

Of course, it’s natural to spend moments of thought in the past or in daydreams of the future. Identifying impending dangers through associations with things that have happened in the past is important for self-preservation.

But when our lives become dictated by thoughts and emotions attached to past events and potential future outcomes, standing peacefully rooted in the present becomes increasingly rare.

Our routine, our habit, is to be off in our heads somewhere mulling over negativity and struggles of the past, or becoming anxious and fearful of the future. Seldom are we fully “here”; neutrally centred to see through life’s lens with clarity and naked awareness – a state that assists us in finding contentment and understanding in ourselves.

Habits quickly become the norm and, as we know from many of life’s other vices, just because we’re used to doing something regularly doesn’t mean it is good for us, or the right way to live.

An easy way to break this habit of being a victim of time is to identify time for what it is. Time is a human concept. The watch on your wrist and the clock on the wall mean nothing to Mother Nature.

To her, life is one evolving moment – a perpetual cycle of interdependent impermanence. Time is a metric we use as a reference point for organising our lives and documenting history. It doesn’t actually exist. Really, it doesn’t. Ask a scientist.

Time is an illusion, which makes being controlled by time somewhat delusional. The past doesn’t exist and neither does the future. The only true reference point we have to this moment in time, and to this thing we label “existence”, is a feeling of presence, of being here in this body, of seeing the world through these eyes.

This is all that can exist, because this is what you feel right now. You can’t feel the past or the future, but you can feel what it feels like to touch something right now, to see something, to hear something.

The concept of time deludes us into concerning ourselves with its passing and impending arrival. This stops us enjoying this “presence” we feel. We are duped into remaining in one of two states: The first, one of dwelling in the past and mulling over what has happened. The second, one of waiting amd constantly anticipating what is to come, if and when…

For example:

– How often do you enjoy your work? Or are you too busy thinking about getting it finished by the deadline to give yourself a chance to enjoy it?

– Are you so stressed out trying to do your best work to impress your boss that you prevent yourself being able to perform at your highest potential anyway?

– Are you so distracted by thoughts of Monday morning that you spoil the time spent with your children on the weekend?

– Are you so caught up in regrets of the past that you prevent opportunity blossoming in the present?

– Are the opinions of others, formed through actions you took in the past, stopping you being who you (are) want to be in the present?

We are all unavoidably victims of time to some degree, because it has become the accepted state of norm in our fast-paced, highly motivated and highly-strung society. And for this reason it is important that we understand that to not be present is to be torn between two worlds, the past and the future, neither of which exist. To constantly reside in this state prevents us enjoying life and finding happiness.

If you allow yourself to be a victim of time – a victim of the past and a slave to a future that is yet to unravel – you will carry with you a sense of unease. You will be susceptible to stress, agitation and feel generally uncomfortable in life.

There is no redemption to be found in time.

So surrender to what is right now.

Wherever you are, commit to being there, completely. Life will take care of the rest.

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Too often we fall into the trap of dwelling on the past or being anxious about the future. A consequence of this frame of mind is that we become frozen in time. We are unable to move forward because either our history haunts us or we are unwilling to make a leap of faith into the future.

This also means that we miss opportunities in the present moment. God could be calling us to do great things today, but we are too focused on a past hurt or future concern that we simply ignore what is happening right in front of us!

The key is to live in the present moment. But how does one do that?

First of all, we must look at Christ’s own teachings. In the Gospels we read how He exhorted His apostles to be concerned only with today,

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the day.“ (Matthew 6:34 RSV)

Jesus teaches His apostles to focus their attention on today instead of needlessly worrying about what could happen tomorrow. To be honest, this is something that I struggle with on a daily basis. As a father, I am constantly worried about the future and want to ensure that everything will be perfect for my children. Certainly it is good and noble to plan for the future, but I should never do so at the expense of quality family time in the present moment. What good is it if I spend my evenings making graphs and predictions for my children’s financial future and neglect to spend time wrestling with them on the floor?

There needs to be a balance. We must be responsible in looking forward, but we cannot let the future consume us. At the same time, we cannot let our past hurts or grievances dictate how we live. Learning important lessons from the past is beneficial, but it does not help us when we are unable to move on or forgive past offences.

For guidance on how to put this into practice, let us seek the wise advice of Mother Angelica. This was (and still is) a hallmark of her spirituality. Much of that wisdom can be found in the book Mother Angelica’s Little Book of Life Lessons and Everyday Spirituality and is a great source of inspiration.

For example, she once said,

Live In The Moment Synonym

We have to learn to live in the Present Moment. We have to ask God: What are You calling me to do now, in this Present Moment? Not yesterday or tomorrow; but right now. God’s will is manifested to us in the duties and experiences of the Present Moment. We have only to accept them and try to be like Jesus in them.

Mother Angelica even relates living in the present moment to the theological concept of “Actual Grace.” She explains,

Every moment of life is new to you, and God gives you Actual Grace in that moment. It is different from Sanctifying Grace…God grants us the Actual Grace of this moment, not the grace of tonight or tomorrow, just the grace for this moment….God does not give me the grace today to endure the pain of tomorrow. But if I am living in the imagined pain of tomorrow with the grace I have now, I will always feel at a loss.

She even gives a “system” that ensures we are faithful to this concept. Mother Angelica says plainly,

My ‘Do/Drop System’ is to do it and drop it. When you live in the Present Moment you do whatever must be done, then you drop it and move on. You don’t dwell on the past, or on your past accomplishments. That’s all over. Do it and drop it.

Mother Angelica stresses “doing” instead of “dwelling.”

At the same time, Mother Angelica suggested that “meditation” was a key to remain in the present moment. She goes on to say,

Set aside some time for prayer. Meditate on something and you will find courage there. But then you will return to the activity of the day: that pile of dishes, the unruly children, the nagging wife, the nasty neighbor….Even after the ‘prayer time’ has concluded, the meditation continues on because I must never lose sight of Jesus. If I recognize Him within my soul, I will see Him more easily in you. What I do to you, I do to Jesus.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen also took on this topic and adds his suggestions,

We are to leave the past to divine mercy and to trust the future, whatever its trials, to God’s loving providence. Each minute of life has its peculiar duty — regardless of the appearance that minute may take. The Now-moment is the moment of salvation. Each complaint against it is a defeat; each act of resignation to it is a victory. (Catholic Exchange)

To conclude, let this prayer of Saint Faustina be our prayer every day of our lives!

O My God,
When I look into the future, I am frightened,
But why plunge into the future?
Only the present moment is precious to me,
As the future may never enter my soul at all.

It is no longer in my power to change, correct or add to the past;
For neither sages nor prophets could do that.
And so what the past has embraced I must entrust to God.

O present moment, you belong to me, whole and entire.
I desire to use you as best I can.
And although I am weak and small,
You grant me the grace of Your omnipotence.

And so, trusting in Your mercy,
I walk through life like a little child,
Offering You each day this heart
Burning with love for Your greater Glory.

Japanese Word For Living In The Moment

From her Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul, Notebook 1 (1)