Keys to Life - Key #1: Live in the Present

A little over two years ago I penned an article called Keys to Life. The piece was an adaptation of an essay by author Michael Thomas Ford from his book of collected essays called "My Big Fat Queer Life." In the essay, "Ten Keys to Being Happy Though Gay", he spells out ten tidbits of advice on things gay people should do in order to be happy. I felt strongly enough about his list that I adapted it so that we all could gain some insight into that ever-present pursuit of happiness.

The ideas set forth in his essay inspired me to create my own list of ideals to strive for in pursuit of a happier life. Some of Ford's keys made a lot of sense to me, but not all of them. I kept some of them the same and changed others to fit life as I see it. Remember that these are ideals. They're not easy to achieve, but they're all worthy of aspiring to.

I've long since wanted to revisit these "keys to life" in the hopes of keeping them at the forefront of my own mind and to share them as valuable information for anyone to have. For the next several weeks I'll be doing just that, only this time I'm going to be taking a look each of the ten keys individually. In this piece, we'll take a look at the first key to life: live in the present. Here's what I wrote on this back in November of 2008:

Key to Life #1 - Live in the Present
What's happened already is gone. No matter how much we want to go back in time and retract things we've said or negate things we've done, we can't. It's impossible to revisit wasted time and be more productive with it. The same thing goes for the future. Why worry about a speech you have to make or an upcoming doctor's visit days, even weeks, in advance? Live now, for today! Appreciate the moment you're in, whether you're busy cooking a great meal or having a nice moment at work. Focus on what's happening right now, at this moment. And keep in mind the rest of the keys.

Forget the past

I believe far too many of us live in the past. Allowing past events in our lives can sometimes work to our detriment. Both good and bad memories have a way of influencing our everyday actions, and there are ways of dealing with both types of recollections.

Bad memories should not be dwelled upon, but taken as lessons for future actions. We cannot undo the things we have done or the words we have said. We can only learn from them as we go forth in life. I've had plenty of regretful actions in my life and I know that it does me no good to dwell upon them. I must accept the fact that they happened and I can't change them. The only thing I can do is learn from them so I don't repeat the same mistakes going forward.

Happy memories are just that: happy memories. I think that life is all about making these kinds of memories and we should always be striving to create a whole catalog of them. Recollections of joyful occasions can often provide comfort in times when we're feeling down, and the more we have, the better off we are!

Don't worry too much about the future

Of course, planning for the future is important, but it needn't consume our everyday thoughts. Future events can cause us worry, and worry can cause stress. There's no sense in getting stressed over a dentist appointment that's going to take place in a week or a tough conversation you might need to have with somebody tomorrow. When you've got a potentially stressful situation coming up in your future, wait until it arrives before giving it any thought. Live in the here and now.

Live in the present

Life can be wonderful! Take each and every moment you have and cherish it. Your past is history and your future bright, as long as you learn to savor what you've got right here, right now. At this very moment I'm doing something I love to do, and that's writing. I'm not focusing on anything other than the task at hand and once I'm done, I'll move on to the next thing, which is probably cleaning my house. Once I get to that, I'll pop in some tunes and savor that moment too, knowing that I'll be reveling in the fact that once I'm done, my home will be nice and clean. Love your life each and every moment!

I hope you've enjoyed this article and will take heed of what I've said. Of course it's always easier said than done, but keeping this and all of the other keys in mind will keep you in the know for the betterment of your own life. Neither this nor any of the other "keys to life" are my own, but I believe in them wholeheartedly and I plan to keep striving to make all of them a part of my own life. I know that if I do, my life will be better off in the end!