Learning How to Live in the Moment from a Child's Perspective
It has been a while since I last blogged and my life has been busy and crazy at the same time.
Over the summer, I had the opportunity to spend some time with children, and learning to see daily adventures through their eyes. Spending time with them taught me how to live more in the present moment – day-to-day without having to focus too much on the future.
Nevertheless, what do children really know that we don’t already? It’s learning to stay in the present and enjoy the simple things in life.
Children don’t have to worry about work obligations, nor do they worry about the past or the future .They know how to focus on what it is they are doing right now.
As adults we focus on things right now, but our minds tend to wander and we engage in our thoughts instead of just being present. For example, when we are on vacation, we worry about all the things that are happening in the office or back at home. When we are in the office, we wish we were on vacation. Children don’t worry about that stuff – when they are on vacation, all they want to do is play in the sand at the beach or run through a sprinkler.
So how can we start to live in the present moment?
Tips on Learning how to Live in the Present Moment from a Child's Perspective
- Turn off the phone and disconnect - so many of us spend time on our phones - checking emails, on social media, wasting time. By disconnecting it forces us to be present with people around us and our surroundings.
- Enjoy the small things - one of the kids I spent time with loved flowers and would stop to smell all of them and enjoy their beauty. Another kids loved looking at rocks and we would stop to pick them up and look at them.
- Be active - children love to go outside and play. It's fun for them and they like running around, hanging upside down on monkey bars and going down slides. So go outside for a walk, toss a ball around with friends or go to the park and play.
- Try something new - Children love exploring and learning new skills. Be open to trying something new and be willing to learn new skills that could be helpful later on in life.
- Laugh and smile - Don't take yourself too seriously. Have fun, joke and laugh. Kids don't care what people think, so neither should we. They will say and do things to be funny without caring what other people think.
- Have fun - enjoy the people around you and do things that bring joy, make you laugh and make you smile. If you're having fun, you're not worrying about the future or the past, you're just enjoying the moment.
I have found living in the present moment sometimes conflicted with other people’s perspectives about future goals and dreams. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong about having goals and dreams and striving for something. Yet, when we live in the moment, we stop focusing on the future, including goals, dreams and expectations.
I think the key is finding a balance, to be able to live in the moment, yet still strive for something in the future. Although we do not know what the future holds or know how long we will live, it is important to enjoy and be present every day as best we can.
