6 Practical Ways to Enjoy Life Now Rather than Later

Hmmm! Enjoy life now rather than later. I once heard this little girl asking her mother why they do not bake cookies and all those goodies when they have a big oven. The mother told her that they planned to move to a large kitchen house. That is when they would be able to bake all that they want.

According to the mother, their house had a small kitchen that was not user friendly.

Will the child still be interested in baking after they have moved to the bigger house? I don’t know. All I know is that the mother is missing some bonding moments with her child—moments that make life worth living. I only wish they would stop waiting and enjoy the baking now.

Are you waiting first to get that big house, or that nice car, or a fat bank account, or that person in your life before you begin to enjoy life?

You can enjoy life now rather than waiting to enjoy it when you have made a certain amount of money. Or when your child is at a certain age, you live in a particular house or neighborhood; the list can go on and on of the possible excuses for you not to enjoy life now.

In this post, I share six practical things that you can do to begin enjoying life now. You may want to start with one or two of them until they become a habit, then you take on an additional ones.

6 Practical Ways to Enjoy Life Now Rather Than Later

 1. Live in the Present

Living in the present has positive effects on your physical and emotional well-being. But, unfortunately, it is an art that not many people have mastered.

You need to live your life not in the past, nor the future, but in the present. Both the past and the future are nonexistent. You cannot be physically present in either of them. Because of that, you need to embrace the present and enjoy life as you move along. The past is gone, and the future is not guaranteed.

Is it possible to plan for the future when your focus is on living in the present? The answer is yes; you can make the necessary plans, investments, and savings for your future. To do this, you will need to break down your goals for the future into activities that you can do daily.

If, for example, you have a goal to get married in the future, you cannot say that you will enjoy life only after you are married. Purpose doing some activity towards that goal every day. Reading a book about how to become a good spouse may be an excellent place to start; in this case. You could practice preparing a new dish or perfecting your signature dish; you could take some time window shopping for a beautiful gown or suit. The list is endless.

As you can see, these are all fun activities that you can enjoy doing, in the present, even before your desired goal of marriage. This way, you get to focus on the daily activity and enjoy doing it. Please do not wait to enjoy life in the future because you may never live to see it.

On the other hand, some people live in the past. They like to hold on to their pains and regrets. Living in the past can cause you unnecessary stress, insecurities, depression, and even rob you of your confidence—from some failures that you experienced in the past. You could end up having some health issues as well.

All you need is to pick lessons from your past mistakes and use them to improve your present life.

I used to replay my mistakes in my mind repeatedly. Sometimes I would even enjoy doing it. Have you ever heard of sweet pain? I am so glad that I made a conscious decision not to be bound by my past mistakes anymore. It is one of the best decisions I have ever made. You, too, can do the same. I am sure that you will not regret it.

To be successful with not being controlled by your past mistakes means consciously controlling your mind. It may take a while for you to manage your mind in this way. Nevertheless, it is something that you can begin doing and perfect with time while you enjoy your life journey. 

2. Stand in Awe of God and His Creation

Standing in awe of God is, among others, the conscious decision to find the wow factor in God’s creation. Be sure to include the beauty in the flowers and plants, the beauty in the different species of birds, the complexity of how your body functions. When you focus on these things, you will be more conscious of your surroundings.

When you notice creation in general and your surroundings in particular, you will find yourself enjoying life in the present. Imagine taking the time to listen to a bird’s song, or to stop and look at the rainbow, or you look outside your window when it is raining—looking at how the hailstones are dropping from the sky to the ground, catching them mid-air with your eyes. How do you feel after that? Do you still feel stressed, or do you feel happy? Those are things that would make me happy.

Consider keeping a journal of the wonders you have seen, however small. Read this journal when you feel sad, and your mood will quickly lighten up. Read it also when you are not feeling too grateful, and you will begin to be more thankful for many things in life.

Tip: There are lovely images on www.bing.com about the wonders of this world and beyond, like Mars. You could start there by searching for “nature” and enjoying those stunning images of nature.

3. Purpose to Be Kind to Yourself and Others Every Day.

 In life, we cross paths with several people daily. These people may be going through a rough patch in their lives, and being unkind will only worsen their situations.

There are also days when things do not go as expected for you. For example, you may have prepared for a particular interview, but you did not perform well as hoped. Also, your first date may turn out to be a total disaster, or even you may fail to adequately deliver that presentation that you had spent a lot of time working to present. You may delay calling back a client or responding to that email, which costs you a client.

Whatever the situation, do not be too hard on yourself. No one is perfect. Those experiences happen to the best of us. Pull yourself together and move on! Enjoy your favorite drink, movie, or go to your favorite place. Do something that makes you happy. Every dark cloud has a silver lining. Remember to extend the same grace to others.

When you practice kindness to yourself and others, the chances are that you will not focus on your stress factors. You will then find satisfaction from your service, which makes you enjoy life now.

4. Practice forgiveness every day

Photo by Gus Moretta on Unsplash

Some people can be mean to us, which is sometimes very painful. The sad part is that they are even the people closest to us in some cases. We need to forgive these people for our own sake continuously. We must forgive ourselves as well.

It is one thing to forgive and yet another to forget.

Though it may not be easy to forget, forgiving sets you free to move on beyond the issue at hand. If we do not forgive, we build a cage in our hearts and imprison ourselves in that cage of bitterness. In most cases, the person we refuse to forgive is not even thinking about us or our issue!

The bottom line is that we should not repay anyone evil for evil, no matter what. Evil acts rob us of our joy. Forgiveness sets us free.

5. Believe That God Will Give You the Strength to Do Everything

 Every time you wake up in the morning, trust that your creator will give you the strength to accomplish your tasks. You will find this to be quite an energy booster for the day! Continue to remind yourself of that fact each time you face a challenge.

Reassure yourself of this fact daily. It will eventually become a good habit that saves you lots of stress and helps you enjoy life now.

The results will be excellent when you couple it up with not worrying about the future and not regretting your past!

6. Value correction (rebuke) instead of getting on the defensive

 People around us want to flatter us more than rebuke or correct us in today’s society. They will find it easier to share your wrongs with others rather than tell you directly. Someone who cares for you and your growth will want to correct you for a mistake that you have made.

It would be best to value that because not everyone will tell you where you have gone wrong. Correction also makes you wise, more valuable, and happier in the end. Pride goes before a fall, and we don’t want that, do we?

Please share this article for others to benefit as well.