The Power of Now — by Dan Lynn

By Dan Lynn

While doing some deep research on how the mind works, I learned that most of us spend our time somewhere other than where we are. We replay the past or worry about the future, and the moment we're actually in slips by unnoticed.

But what I learned is: the past is only a memory, and the future is only a story you're telling yourself. Neither one actually exists right now. The only moment that is ever real is this one. It's always Now.

That changed how I try to live. If Now is the only thing I ever really have, the goal is simple: make every Now great. Be fully in it. Give it my attention. The past is done so don't worry about it and happiness isn't somewhere in the future — it's built one Now at a time.

This idea runs through Buddhist mindfulness, and it's the heart of Eckhart Tolle's The Power of Now and other mindfulness readings. Keep coming back to this moment — and make it a good one.