How many times have we heard people say, “live in the moment”? All the time, I would guess. The thing is, this could mean different things to different people. Of course, mediation practices as well as certain religions are much more prescriptive about what this is suppose to mean. However, I’ve got my own lazy man’s thoughts on this.

In my life, I’ve wasted too much time letting my mind wonder. It would wonder about work when I’m with my family. I sometimes think about what my other friends are doing when I’m with a different set of friends. I’ve thought about a vacation while trying to write a business plan. And I’ve thought about a new business plan while on vacation!

The funny thing is that my mind wonders off even when I’m doing something exciting like watching a live basketball game or skiing on the beautiful mountains of Whistler and Blackcomb. I’m just not enjoying the moment enough. It’s very rare that I’m 100% in the present. A few exceptions would be when I used to spar in a boxing gym, or played in a competitive basketball game, or was really in a zone at work. And these moments are my favorite moments – when I’m all present.

I’ve been trying to “live in the moment” more deliberately these days. I’ve been cheating myself for too long. In today’s world with so many distractions around us, we are constantly seduced by the fear of missing out when we are actually just cheating ourselves of a moment. We binge on quantity and not strive for quality in our lives.

The great thing is that as I’ve become more deliberate about living in the moment, I’m enjoying life much more. And I think I’m making myself more enjoyable to be around as well. Try living in each moment.