Happy now

"Happy people are happy 'now.'  Because they practice all the ingredients we are looking at, they are never dependent on a someday or tomorrow to be the key to their well-being.  They are fulfilled before that upcoming even ever takes place.  They are happy 'now.'

"What gives them this ability?  Several ingredients, but first and foremost it is a spiritual discipline of living in the now.  Listen to how Jesus puts it:  'Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.'

"While the Bible certainly tells us to plan for the future, it also tells us to live in the present, each and every day.  Today, or better yet, this moment, is all there is or all there ever will be.  You can never experience tomorrow, ever.  When it gets here, it will be just another moment like today, and if you do not have the spiritual discipline of experiencing the 'now moment,' when it gets here, you will miss the tomorrow that you are waiting on right now.

"Research has shown that people's ability to focus on the moments they are experiencing right now, the joys and pleasures of the present, actually make them happier and less stressed and depressed."   - Henry Cloud in The Law of Happiness

Being happy now is quite a wonderful goal.  Looking at the present and the good experiences right now gives us joy in the moment.  So do it for your mental health today!

Renee Madison, MA, LPC, CSAT is a counselor in Colorado.  She can be reached for appointments at 303-257-7623 or 970-324-6928