晨读英语美文100篇 Passage 79．Learn to Live in the Present Moment

[00:00.76]Passage 79．Learn to Live in the Present Moment

[00:07.33]To a large degree, the measure of our peace of mind is determined

[00:14.88]by how much we are able to live in the present moment.

[00:19.14]Irrespective of what happened yesterday or last year,

[00:23.74]or what may or may not happen tomorrow, the present moment is where you are—always!

[00:30.63]Without question,many of us have mastered the neurotic art

[00:36.65]of spending much of our lives worrying about a variety of things—all at once.

[00:43.10]We allow past problems and future concerns to dominate our present moments,

[00:49.99]so much so that we end up anxious, frustrated,depressed, and hopeless.

[00:56.56]On the flip side, we also postpone our gratification, our stated priorities,

[01:03.89]and our happiness,often convincing ourselves that“someday” will be better than today.

[01:11.33]Unfortunately, the same mental dynamics that tell us to look toward the future

[01:17.46]will only repeat themselves so that “someday” never actually arrives.

[01:22.16]John Lennon once said,“Life is what’s happening while we’re busy making”,

[01:26.65]our children are busy growing up, the people we love are moving away busy dying,

[01:32.99]our bodies are getting out of shape, and our dreams are slipping away.

[01:37.81]In short, we miss out on life.

[01:41.42]Many people live as if life were a dress rehearsal for some later date.

[01:46.78]It isn’t.

[01:48.53]In fact, no one has a guarantee that he or she will be here tomorrow.

[01:52.90]Now is the only time we have, and the only time that we have any control over.

[01:59.14]When our attention is in the present moment, we push fear from our minds.

[02:04.94]Fear is the concern over events that might happen in the future

[02:09.54]—we won’t have enough money, our children will get into trouble,

[02:13.91]we will get old and die, whatever.

[02:17.09]To combat fear, the best strategy is to learn to bring your attention back to the present.

[02:24.31]Mark Twain said,“I’ve lived through many terrible things in my life,

[02:29.45]some of which actually happened.”

[02:32.62]I don’t think I can say it any better.

[02:36.45]Practice keeping your attention on the here and now.

[02:39.84]Your efforts will pay great dividends.