One of the most common pieces of advice we receive in life is to "live in the moment." In the age of mobile phones and the Internet, this advice has never been more relevant than today. But what would happen if we lived our lives by that statement all the time?
I had the opportunity to travel around the world, believing that statement to heart. And even though the advice is great, there were times when I wished I was not caught in the moment. There were times when stepping out of the moment and reflecting back on the past might have yielded a much more satisfactory result and a much happier closure.
The purpose of this post is not to diminish the benefit of living in the moment, but to highlight the importance of balancing awareness between the past and the present.
The Problem with Living in the Moment
When we are living in the moment, our minds are focused on things that are happening in front of us right at that moment without any concerns about the past and the future. The problem with this is that we are blind to seeing the bigger picture.
Living in the moment became our excuse for acting recklessly, and disrespectfully and expecting no consequences
As a traveler, I despise the need for materialistic approval in the society we are living in. We aim for short-term gratification and instead neglect the long-term reward. But as I have been "living in the moment," I found myself doing the things I despise the most by acting recklessly to get what I want at that moment and, in the end, not seeing the bigger picture and the consequences that come after. In the end, it was hard for me to let go of the false moment, and unhappiness ensued. That is not how living in the present is supposed to work.
Stepping out of the Moment
The one thing we don't get from living in the moment is the process of applying what we learned from our past mistakes to the present. By stepping out of the moment and becoming observant rather than engaged, we are able to reflect on our mistakes and try to avoid them in the present and the future. When we know the consequences of our actions beforehand, we will be more equipped to deal with the result and the inevitable closure.
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In and out of the moment
As with all things in the world, balance is the key to a healthy life. Being able to live in the moment is a trait not many people have, and it is an important aspect of a healthy life, but it is also important to step out of the moment once in a while.
Don't use "living in the moment" as an excuse to be careless about the country we traveled to, to be disrespectful to the locals and the people we are with, and to create false hope and expectation.
Give yourself some time to reflect on your past. Leave room for your thoughts to flourish and allow yourself to see the bigger picture. Your actions might not differ, but at least you are aware of what you are about to do and you accept the consequences as they are, with no false hope or expectation.
That is it for The Problem with Living in the Moment. Have we missed anything? Have you found the guide useful? Let us know in the comments below!
Further Reading for Inspiration
Looking for more articles to help inspire you to travel more? Here are a collection of articles you might like:
- Hiking to the Everest Base Camp is one of the most memorable epic moments of my life. Here's a long-read piece about my experiences hiking the Everest Base Camp: On My Way To Everest Base Camp.
- Ever wondered what it is like to travel the world on a third-world passport? Check out: Traveling The World On A Third World Passport.
- Here's why I always celebrate turning a year older with a hike: Climbing Kilimanjaro On My 33rd Birthday.
- Are you currently planning a trip around the world and looking for cheap countries to visit? Here are the 13 Cheapest Countries To Visit in the World.
- Traveling in Europe can be cheap, really cheap. These are the 12 Cheap European Countries to Visit.
- Looking for the most beautiful travel blogs to follow? Here are the 23 Most Beautiful Travel Blogs to Follow.
- For adventurers and backpackers out there, here are the 10 Best Adventure and Backpacking Blogs You Should Follow.
- I truly believe we need more Asian representatives in the English-speaking travel blogging industry, especially for blogs about Asia. Here are the Top 10 Kick-Ass Asian Travel Bloggers To Follow.
- Did you know that you can travel without leaving your couch? Here are the 8 Great Travel Books You Should Read.
- For the best travel videos to inspire you to travel even further, here are the 20 Most Creative Travel Videos of All Time.
- If you are looking for travel vloggers to follow on YouTube that aren't cringeworthy, check out: 10 Best Travel Vloggers to Follow On YouTube.
- The best way to improve your photography skills is to learn from the best. Here are the 10 Best Photography YouTube Channels to Follow.
- A photo is worth a thousand words. Here are the 25 Most Beautiful Travel Photos I Ever Took From Around The World.
- Ever wondered what it is like to be a travel blogger during COVID-19? Check out: Being A Travel Blogger During COVID-19 - What Is It Like?
- Stuck at home and not sure what to do? Here are the 10 Best Things to Do When You Are Bored in Lockdown.
- Looking for off-the-beaten-path destinations to visit this year? Check out: 8 Best Off-The-Beaten-Path Destination to Visit.
- Can't travel internationally for the time being? How about traveling in your own country? Here are the 7 Reasons Why You Should Travel in Your Own Country.
- To find the most inspirational travel quotes and captions to go with your photos on your Instagram, check out 34 Short and Unique Traveller Quotes for Instagram.
- We often hear bad stories about locals from travelers, but what about the other way around? Here are some of the Notorious Stories of Terrible Backpackers.
- If you lost your bag while you travel, here is how to deal with the situation: My Bag Was Stolen In Germany.
- Have you ever felt that you do not belong in a place you were born in? Read this: Where Is Home? - My Quest In Search Of Where I Belong.
- Solo traveling is not for everyone, and even though I love it to death, it is not always flowers and sunshine for solo travelers. Here are the 10 Things I Hate Most When Traveling Solo.
- Travel friends come and go, but that may not be such a bad thing. Here is why you should embrace your travel friends: A Life Of Brief Encounters.
- Hiking is life. Here's why: One Year Of Incredible Discomfort - 10 Things I've Learned From Climbing Mountains.
- Here's why having no plan is the best plan: Magical Things Happen When You Have Nothing To Do - The Art Of Doing Nothing.
- Is life getting you down? Here's why you can't always blame life for everything: Life Doesn't Suck. We Are Just Suck At Living It.
- Want to know why I chose to travel alone? Read this: We Travel Alone, NOT To Be Alone.
- For a meaningful solo trip, you need to share it with someone. Here is why Happiness Is Only Real When Shared.
- Traveling is no longer for the rich. Here is why: "People Think I'm Rich".
- The Himalayan Mountain is one hell of a teacher. Here are the 7 Life Lessons The Himalayas Taught Me.
- Want to travel alone but scared that you might get bored out of your mind? Here is How To Enjoy Yourself And Have Fun While Traveling Alone.
- Want to start traveling solo too? Here is What It's Like to Travel Alone.
- Here is a simple story on how I started traveling: F*ck It, I'll Do This Alone.
- For more inspiring articles like this, visit my Inspiration page.
1 Comments
Some of the advice I have recieved about "living in the moment" was arrayed towards embracing the moment rather than taking pictures and recording what you are seeing on any type of adventure. I noticed in some of the videos you have posted that you have managed to do that very well but at the same time didn't seem to distance youself from the high of the moment by being preoccupied taking a picture, recording or capturing a specific moment. Could you share on how you get to live and enjoy all those moments but at the same times are able to capture great scenerios to make a a video of your trip. I would like to perhaps expand that skills to balance those two approaches, "living the moment" and "capturing the moment" as well.