"If you aren’t in the moment, you are either looking forward to uncertainty, or back to pain and regret.
- Jim Carrey

 

Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.
- John Lennon

Our entire lives are based on the future. Think about it. Ironic isn’t it? We live now, to live later. We go to school to graduate, we get a job to have money later, we meet people to get married and build a family. We set up our lives for the prospect of being happy later.

My question to you is: what about the now?

It seems like we get so into looking forward to the future we forget to stop and look around. Have you walked the same path every day of the year, and only after 6 months or so you finally noticed something interesting that’s been there all along? Where were you looking? Or were you looking at all? Life nowadays is so stressful and busy, it seems like we have retreated to living in our heads. And our bodies simply serve the purpose of transporting our head.

Have we forgotten how to live in the moment? Why do I say “forgotten”? Because we had that gift. When we were children.

I love watching children. It’s a type of therapy for me. Not playing with them, simply watching is enough. It seems to me that children are the embodiment of everything that we adults have lost: innocence, sense of adventure, unstoppable curiosity and thirst for discovering new things, the lack of fear of failure, the confidence in their safety and happiness. Children do not need two weeks to plan something fun. They know that every moment is an opportunity. They believe in the opportunity. If you think about it, its almost like… magic.

“Everyday, God gives us the sun- and also one moment in which we have the ability to change everything that makes us unhappy. Everyday, we try to pretend that we haven’t perceived that moment, that it doesn’t exist- that today is the same as yesterday and will be the same as tomorrow. But if people really pay attention to their everyday lives, they will discover that magic moment. It may arrive in the instant that we are doing something mundane, like putting the front door key in the lock; it may lie hidden in the quiet that follows the lunch hour, or in the thousand and one things that all seem the same to us. But that moment exists- a moment all the power of the stars becomes a part of us to perform miracles.”- Osho

Now, I want you to go outside and take a full minute to just look at the sky. One minute. Look up, breathe. Feel alive.

“You create your own universe as you go along.” -Winston Churchill

“The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.” -William James

“You want to become aware of your thoughts, you want to choose your thoughts carefully and you want to have fun with this, because you are the masterpiece of your own life.” – Joe Vitale

I was inspired by a documentary this week, so if you have a minute in between studying and panicking, take a look. It’s called “the Secret”. And what is this secret?

It’s very simple. It’s the Law of Attraction.

It’s a modern scientific theory that has to do with the effect of ”like attracts like”. It combines science and philosophy, in the sense that it bases itself on the idea from physics that everything, if taken to the basic level, is made up of energy. And thus, any thought you have is not just a thought, but is also a strong impulse of energy, that makes a difference in the flow of events in your life.

The Law states: I attract to myself, whatever I give my focus, attention, or energy to; whether wanted or unwanted. If you think about being poor, lonely, unwanted and believe your thoughts, then guess what? That is exactly what you’ll be. This Law applies to your life and every other person’s life on the planet. Like all laws, it is impartial and impersonal, which means it works when you want it to and when you don’t want it to.

This has happened, I’m sure, to nearly everyone. Think about it. If you spend days afraid something will happen, it will most surely happen. And when you are in a bad situation, everything seems to get worse and worse. And on the contrary, happy people seem to have good things happen to them.

You do not need to accept this as your new life philosophy, especially since there are many criticisms of this theory (well, just as any theory…) But try to pay attention to it. What I can guarantee is that it wont hurt you to just make some small changes in your attitude and lifestyle. And how do you know? Maybe this can dramatically alter your life.

Simply think positively. Think about what you want in life. Make a list. Stay away from negatives, such as ”I don’t want to be alone”, or ”I don’t want to be sad.”  THINK IN THE POSITIVE.

“I was once asked why I don’t participate in anti-war demonstrations. I said that I will never do that, but as soon as you have a pro-peace rally, I’ll be there.” -Mother Teresa

What I think is a good idea is just to start to be aware of your thoughts. If you’re sad, just fake a smile. You’ll feel better even if you’re pretending. It’s like a placebo effect at first, but once the endorphins start flowing in your body, you will feel genuinely better.

Pay attention to the music you listen to. Is it focused on negative emotions? What kind of things you discuss with friends? Do you spend all your time whining about your problems instead of finding solutions?

Imagine starting to believe in yourself and your infinite possibilities. Imagine believing you deserve everything you want out of life. Imagine getting everything you want out of life. Feel as if you already accomplished it.

If even you don’t believe in it, then how can you expect to achieve it?

Once you apply the Law of Attraction everything is possible.

“When I get sad, I stop being sad, and be awesome instead… True story !” – Barney Stinson, from How I Met Your Mother.