The name of this article sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? Every single person reading this right now is living. Or are you? A study conducted by Harvard psychologists suggests that around 46.7% of the time, we aren’t paying attention to what we are doing in the moment. That sounds like a very conservative estimate with the ever growing importance being placed on distracting smartphones, getting ahead in an increasingly materialistic world, and maintaining the day to day duties that cover our basic needs.
So what is getting left behind? Living.
Think back on your greatest memories. The common thread running through all of them is probably how vivid they are, and how completely and utterly in the moment you were. All too often I find myself thinking about possibilities for the future, and imagining situations that will never occur. All of this between checking my smartphone way too frequently which inhibits the ability to focus for extended periods of time. Researchers are confident that drifting off or being stuck in our heads is the very cause of our own unhappiness. But what if we could harness our full potential and be completely focused in the current moment, bringing everything into one harmonious juncture. That is where true happiness lies.
So how do we get there? I think we already know...