"Prepare for your future."　Those words loom over me, over everyone it seems. Whether it is our family, our teachers, or our colleagues telling us this, we all scramble to try to do just that. But what are we losing in the preparation?

We are losing out on the here and now.

I sit here at my desk, dressed in my business attire, thinking about what lies ahead.  In just over a month, I am moving back up to the Bruce.　 Though I made this decision a couple months ago, I feel like I've been preparing for it since the day I moved to Toronto in the first place. The notion was always in the back of my head that I would return, and maybe that is why during the course of this year I have not felt settled in my little apartment and　have not felt completely content with my job. It was as if　I was forgetting to enjoy the moment, to　breathe in the excitement of the city, to sit back and watch the rush go by.  I forgot to live in the today.

It is a very startling realization when it comes.　 I know that I am not alone, as many of my friends are saying the same thing.　We are in our mid to late 20s and all of us feel that we are rushing forward into the future. We don't want the future to be unknown, so we are planning to make sure it is what we want.　Thoughts run through our heads "when this happens, I'll be happier; what that happens, life will be better." The concern that our mild discontentment of the moment doesn't seem　like such a big deal, after all, it will be better "one day."　

How do I fix this?　 How do I learn to appreciate the present?　While it is important to be prepared for what is ahead, it is just as important to be grateful for the here and now.　After all, if I'm not here now, I certainly won't be around down the road.　

We've all heard it before - "Live in the moment" -　but who really has the time to apply it?  You do.　 I do.  We all do.  It's just a matter of making a commitment to ourselves.

We have all heard this before, too - "It's not the destination, it is the journey that counts." Each stop along the way needs to be recognized for what it is - and appreciated.  Each day that I wake up and can pull myself out of bed  I should be grateful to be alive and to have yet another day ahead of me.　 Not everyone in the world is afforded with what I see before me.　If I can do it, I can appreciate it and　I can enjoy it.　

The journey we take to reach our destination has many stops and roads along the way. Some are necessary while others are optional. It is up to each of us to decide how and why we are taking the route that we choose. It is your choice to make the best of your every moment. That is the beauty of having free will.

I might have to remind myself every now and then to stay on track. I might have to intentionally pull my head back to the present day, and not be thinking 15 years ahead of myself. It is an effort that I can make.　

Perhaps I can put sticky notes on the mirror before I go to bed.　 Messages to myself to smile up at the sun in the morning, or to hold my hot cup of tea with both hands and breathe in the warmth.　 Messages filled with little things to be grateful for.　 Canada. My parents. My two feet.　The rosebush on the way to work.  Every time I say to myself "Things will be so much better once I have a house" I should then say "However, I am so grateful for the apartment I live in today!"　 For every negative thought I have, I can make a positive.　For every thought I have about the future I can find a good one about the present.　

It's a hard habit to get into, but I believe it can be done one way or another. You can do it alone, or you can do it with help.  If you feel that a little help is what you need, my mother and I are development coaches and can help you get on the path to right now.  M&L Ideas is located in Kincardine, just a hop, skip and a jump from your door.

As you close your eyes tonight to fall asleep, take a minute and think of the things that happened today that you are grateful for. Find your reason to live in the here and now.