Being happy is about being present.
Sounds pretty simple, right?
Well, in a sense, it is, but at the same time, it's not.
Living in the present moment requires focus and training.
It's a skill we need to learn and develop, just like any other.
However, this particular skill is quite important as it can help us lead happier lives.
Mo Gawdat, in "Solve for Happy," explains the significance of being present and how it impacts our happiness.
He emphasizes the importance of being fully engaged in the current moment, free from distractions of past regrets or future anxieties, to truly experience happiness.
"All of life is here and now, so why do most of us live there and then instead?
Why do we live in our head outside the present moment fully absorbed in the illusion of thoughts, unaware of the beauty of the unfolding life all around us?
Why do we let our absence from the present cause us so much suffering?
Because that is how we were trained to be. Matt Killingworth of www.trackourhappiness.org ran a study with more than 15000 participants who reported sometimes minute by minute how they felt and what they were doing at the time.
The study collected more than 650.000 reports and presented a profound discovery. Regardless of what people were doing at any given time, they were noticeably happier when they were fully present.
It didn't even matter what they were thinking about, it didn't matter if it was a pleasant, a neutral or an unpleasant thought.
When they were focused outside the present, people were less happy. Matt explains, “If mind wandering was like a slot machine you would have the chance to lose 50 dollars, 20 dollars or one dollar.
Wandering to unpleasant, neutral or pleasant thoughts makes you lose any which way. Better not to play at all.” So remember this.
Being fully aware of the present moment considerably increases your chances of being happy."