Live in the moments.

  Everyone has heard the saying, “Life is too short.” You may disregard this, as you are only a teenager. Why should you care about the length of your life when you have so many years ahead of you?

While this may be true, the truth is, life goes by fast. If you do not stop and realize just how amazing the little things are, you may be missing out.

The idea is called mindfulness. Living in the moment also improves health. According to a study done in world, practicing mindfulness can reduce anxiety, stress, and has many other benefits.

Many of us live life without really noticing what’s happening around us. When we choose to be mindful, we see every moment unfold. Then we realize what we have done, what we are doing and what we want to do. It seems as though current society remembers the past better than it was, the present worse than it is and the future less resolved than what it will be.

One way to live in the moment is to see what is in front of us: family. Family is usually left in the back of our minds in our lives. For example, what stores did on Black Friday totally degraded the meaning of Thanksgiving. Most camped out at an electronics store on Thanksgiving day, a day where we should take the time to enjoy dinner with our family.  These stores chose to open early just to make more revenue. Instead of spending some quality time with family, people were outside in the cold longing to find the best prices on things they probably will not use within years from now.Another way to live life is to not gravitate on things that cannot be changed such as the past. What is done is done and all mistakes must be learned from. All achievements in the past should not be  welled  upon, but seen as another way to learn how to succeed. We sometimes tend to see the past brighter than what it truly was. We then spend so much time trying to replicate that feeling. We also sometimes tend to see bad events in the past, and cannot let things go.  The fact is, we must leave the past alone. Let it be.

via bikomu.com

You should also keep in mind that the future is not set in stone and anything can happen. A powerful high-paying job does not always result in happiness. When you are deciding majors, find one that you like. Chances are you will feel more successful at a job where you are happy as opposed to a job where you hate with a high pay.

Forrest Gump was onto something when he compared life to a box of chocolates. Each individual moment, like a piece of chocolate, should be savored. If you do not, it will be gone before you know it and you will be sad that you did not take the opportunity to enjoy it.

Accept the past, live in the moment and enjoy everything the world has to offer.