When was the last time you were content? Think back to that memory, and ask yourself if you were truly happy in that moment, or if you were perhaps thinking of something else at the time? Do you live in the moment? If not, why not?

Young people are one of the easiest targets for advertising and consumerism. It’s rather obvious that mass-media uses the hyper-sexed, social, and playful desires to subtly intrigue the minds of their younger audiences. We are all victims. It could be easily argued that it is the raging hormones of youth that create such up-and-downs and dissatisfaction. Or that advertising and media are fuelling our discontent, showing us images of such beautiful and attractive people we know are flawed and photo shopped, yet still yearn for a similar appearance.

The hardest question to ask yourself is why. Why do I really wish to look like, or own something that is being presented to me on this screen or billboard? For example, if your wish is to change the way you look, ask yourself ‘what do I hope to achieve by this change?’

If you take even a moment to consider the reasons for your interest in something the media is trying to sell to you, you will probably come to the conclusion that you are attempting to satisfy a deep-seated longing which you believe will make you happier.

This isn’t something only young people struggle with, but everyone who has ever lived. The big question is; how can I stop looking for other things to make me happy?

An obvious cliché response is to be content with yourself, and to understand that you are an interesting and special individual. That is wonderful advice, yet it is a very grand idea and it is normally not enough to counter the waves that challenge and confront our self-security every day.

I will offer a little practical advice, something you can actually do:

Take your socks off

Take your socks off and walk on the floor around your home, focusing only on the sensation of your feet. Every time your mind slips away, thinking of this and that (or the emails you need to check), pull it back in, to the feeling of what you are doing. This is simply watching your mind. Your mind will naturally wander off from your current experience, but as you recognise it skipping from one idea to the next, bring it back to the sensation of whatever you have chosen to focus on.

What I have previously described is often described as Mindfulness.

I would be surprised if you were not wondering, ‘how is this going to stop me from looking for more things to make me happy?’ Through Mindfulness we can become acutely aware of our situation, and only then truly enjoy it! It is a technique for living in the present. Simple, everyday events like walking up a flight of stairs become alive, as your hand runs along the banister, your mind resting on the sensation. However the real challenge of Mindfulness is to let go of the fact you are trying to be Mindful and just to experience your actions as they are.

I’m not suggesting by focusing on your sockless feet, walking on a floor you will be able to overcome all the things you have ever longed for! Mindfulness allows you to focus and then to understand how your own mind jumps from idea to idea. The next time you are confronted by something that inspires a sense of longing, don’t suppress it, and please don’t ignore it! Rather, ask yourself what has caused this  ‘want’ within you. A good technique once you have observed what you are really longing for, is to ask yourself if it is actually going to make you any happier that you are now, or is it a temporary, momentary solution?

There is an old saying, that ‘the grass is greener on the other side’. That even if you live within the most beautiful and exciting place in the world, you will still be more focused on somewhere else, somewhere you think has ‘greener grass’.

An example of this is organising to catch up with a friend. After making a big effort to get ready and having travelled to meet them, they have simply sent you a text-message telling you that they are sorry and that they can’t make it. I would be surprised if you were not frustrated! It is so easy to become focused on something that is going to happen in the future, imagining how amazing this future experience is going to be; more often that not we are rather disappointed in the reality of it, and end up thinking about something else while we are there.

It requires practice, and the wiliness to ask yourself, ‘do I live in the moment? If not, why not?’

Being spontaneous and ‘living in the moment’ doesn’t mean giving up self-control to be wild. Many of us would have had a drunken friend at a party attempt to teach us (or we ourselves have been the inebriated teacher), that we just have to ‘live in the moment’ to be happy! This is wonderful advice, but being drunk is the opposite of being able to truly enjoy the moment. I’m not suggesting you should not drink; true happiness however is in the subtlety of a moment, the present experience.

Do you live in the moment? If not, why not? Leave us a comment below.

This post was written by the Daniel Byron, Ambassador of InterAction – Danielbyron.wordpress.com and Interaction.org.au

Thank you to Student Edge for supporting the development of this blog through the provision on a rather fantastic Goodie Bag.

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Image Acknowledgement

Toes Image By Shawn Hayes under Creative Commons Licence

Fence Image By Rik C under Creative Commons Licence