Don’t Live in the Future
Heck, if you thought the previous Rule was tough, try this
one ... But the future is where it’s all going to happen, I hear
you cry. The future is where I’m going to be successful, happy,
rich, beautiful, famous, in love, in work, out of this crap rela-
tionship, out on the town, surrounded by friends, surrounded
by the finest wines money can buy. Yep, those might be plans
or dreams or whatever. But again, this here and now is where
it is actually at. This is the moment you’ve been waiting for all
your life. This is the moment you must appreciate without all
those other things you long for. Look, longing really is the
sweetest thing. Having those dreams is brilliant. Don’t let
anyone ever tell you dreaming is a bad thing. But appreciate
that it is the you right now that is doing the dreaming. Enjoy
the wishing and the longing. Enjoy being alive and having the
strength and vitality to do all that dreaming.
Living in the moment doesn’t mean throwing away all your
responsibilities and cares; it doesn’t mean taking off and being
a total pleasure seeker; it doesn’t mean sitting cross-legged and
breathing deeply—although all and any of these things is fine
if you want. It just means taking a moment or two every now
and then to appreciate being alive and to aim to act like today
matters and live life to the full, right here, right now.
We can’t project all our future happiness into the future—“Oh
if only I were richer/younger/healthier/happier/more in
love/less in this relationship/had a better job/had nicer
children/had a better car/were slimmer/taller/fitter/had more
hair/better teeth/more clothes”—the list is endless. If only this
or that was changed everything would be perfect, wouldn’t it?
Unfortunately not—it just doesn’t work like that. When this