I’m just livin’ for the moment . . .

How many times have you heard that? How many times have you said that?

One of the definitions that I found for this phrase is as follows:

“To live or act without worrying about the future.”

So, I could say that I am living for the moment[.] – Period. Full stop.

To live in the moment, or to live in the now, means being conscious, aware and in the present with all of your senses. It means not dwelling on the past, nor being anxious or worrying about the future.

When we concentrate our attention on the present we focus on the task at hand. We give our full attention to what we are doing and we let go of outcomes.

Seizing each moment in life allows us to prolong its value and make it more meaningful. Rather than seeking quantity of time, when we live in the moment we enjoy and savor every minute. We don’t sacrifice quality for quantity.

I am fully onboard with the sentiment expressed in these thoughts. As long as we don’t overdo them with psychobabble that no one really understands. In fact, I can embrace the sentiment. Living in the moment allows me to focus on what is before me. My wife, my children, my grandchildren. The thrust of this is to put away the distractions and focus on what is present and not what has happened or may happen.

Or, I could say that I am living for the moment [. . . ] – Ellipsis. To show an unfinished thought.

I think that second way is more like my way of thinking At least, for me, that is the way I try to live my life every day. But I suspect that I just might mean something a little different than you first thought when I said that.

For me, this indicates purpose. It indicates that there may just be something beyond the physical and the present. It says that there may be something eternal. I am tempted to make this a little bit theological. But that is not my intent today. Instead, I want you to see it from a the angle of being ready for that moment when you are called upon in a time of crisis.

I am living for the moment when my family needs me to be there to stand in the gap. I am living for the moment when I am asked to make a supreme sacrifice for my wife or my children. I am living for the moment when a friend who is in need calls me from the edge of despair and hopelessness. I am living for the moment when I am called upon to lead in a critical situation.

I am living for that moment.

But we can’t be effective in that moment if we have not lived a life in preparation for that moment. Those moments come suddenly and without warning. There will be no time for a crash course in leadership.

There will just be that moment. And either you will or you will not be ready for it.

Are you living for the moment?

Or, are you living for the moment when . . .

Photo credit: Crinity / Foter / CC BY