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The Moment is Happening Right Now
All the time, I catch myself thinking about the moments when I could have made a different decision. I replay the same situations in my head and wonder, “Maybe if I did this instead, things could’ve turned out better,” or “Maybe if I had just tried a little harder.” And then there are times when I start worrying about all the little things that haven’t even happened yet, small details that probably won’t even matter in the long run. Sometimes it’s so easy to get caught in the “what ifs” without realizing how much unnecessary stress that causes.
And so, I want to talk about something simple yet incredibly hard to do, at least for me, which is living in the moment.
Too often, we get caught between two worlds that don’t really exist, one of which is the past, which we obviously can’t change, and the other, the future, which we can’t predict. We replay our old mistakes over and over or worry about things that haven’t even happened yet. Meanwhile, the present, the only moment that’s actually real, can slip away quietly.
We forget that this, the present, right now, IS life. Not yesterday’s regrets, not tomorrow’s worries, but this very moment: sitting here, surrounded by everyone who shares this exact time with us.
Living in the moment doesn’t mean ignoring the future or pretending the past didn’t happen. It means learning to exist fully where your feet are, while trusting that everything else will eventually fall into place. It’s about recognizing that even uncertainty has value, that the unknown is what keeps life exciting, what gives us something to discover, something to feel alive for.
When we live in the present, we’re essentially giving ourselves permission to breathe, to feel, to notice. We stop trying to control everything and start experiencing life for what it truly is: unpredictable, fleeting and, most importantly, temporary.
And let's be honest, a lot of the best memories we have weren’t planned to perfection a week before. They happened when we stopped trying to control everything, when we let life unfold without needing it to make any sense, when we allowed ourselves to feel instead of fix or when we understood that uncertainty isn’t something to fear but something that makes moments actually real.
And sometimes, we forget that even the smallest moments can hold the most meaning. It’s not always the big milestones that define us but the quiet in-betweens, the late-night hangouts with friends, the walks back from the end class, the laughter that happens for no apparent reason at all. These are the things that don’t often get written down or captured on camera, yet they’re the ones that stay with us long after everything else changes.
We’re always told to think ahead, about exams, universities and even careers. But sometimes, the most important thing we can do is pause, and to appreciate the people we have beside us in this moment, the lessons we’re learning, and the moments we’ll someday look back on and miss.
So, for just a moment, try to be present. Put down your worries about tomorrow or next week and “what-ifs” of the past. Because life isn’t waiting for us, it’s happening right now.
And so, I leave you with just three words, live a little.
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