10 Reasons to live in the now

1. Your past will always be there - you can live in the past if your heart desires to do so but that shit ain’t healthy. Of course your past is your past and you can refer back to it at any given point so there isn’t really a reason to dwell there. (Unless you are remembering a fond time or memory, then ya, bask in that ish for awhile)  
2. Your future is not guaranteed - unfortunately, you will not live forever (super sad face) therefore living in the now is hecka important! You need to enjoy or at least try to enjoy what you have now and slow your roll. Who isn’t guilty of thinking of the future and really honing in on it?? Everyone is. That’s okay but if you also only see yourself as a billionaire who lives the lush life & your reality is you drive a janky ass gold Camry & have $5.00 to your name, find the silver lining in your life as it is now & be okay with that - I’m not saying to not shoot for the stars but you need to always recognize your now & know that you might not make it to that boujee life status to be remembered by. 
3. Be present - this is hardest task at hand... it will be rough at first to achieve this - you really need to be focused on being present if this is something you struggle with but it is totally doable! In order to really capture all of your life fully you need to be present in each moment - put your phone down when talking to a friend, take a picture of that really cool sunset & then put your phone away & experience it with your own eyes for a bit, this is a bit cliché but stop & smell the roses if you want to.
4. Challenge yourself - number four and number three go together pretty well - you need to challenge yourself to be present. You can start by finding one thing or one activity in your day where you really would like to focus on being present. For example: if you want to be more present during your workout you could try to not listen to music if you usually do and really listen to your body and mind - try silencing your thoughts of your plans for after your workout and channel your attention on what is happening now. Push those thoughts out of your mind  whether it’s getting drinks with a friend, going home to do housework, eating a whole fucking mushroom pizza... try to not focus your attention on that but really on what you are doing now, challenge yourself and it might surprise you what you find out about yourself wether it be positive or negative learn from it and grow.
5. Be mindful - you might not appreciate your current state of “now” but it needs to be recognized that it is happening. If you are not happy with what is happening “now” don’t worry, you need to feel bad sometimes to fully enjoy when things are good - it helps you appreciate the good times. If your current state of “now” is good then just sit back and embrace it for what it is. 
6. Growth - getting out of your same routine shows that you have a growth mindset - it is proof you are not some stale piece of shit who fears change - yay! Change can be freaking scary & weird & that’s okay. Feeling things is okay incase you didn’t know. Being present & living in the now will help you grow as an individual - you will be more self-aware & in turn will help you expand your awareness of life in general. Who doesn’t love personal growth? 
7. You won’t miss out on the little things - it’s the little things in life that count right? What if you’re too busy living in the past and thinking about how you used to do this and how you used to be that blah, blah, blah - stop doing that. Stop and look around, ask yourself, “why am I doing this?” If you come up with a valid reason, okay - but if you come up with a trash reason, stop. What are you missing in the now? Who knows, you might have missed a little thing that would make your day. 
8. You’ll be a better friend/person - have you ever been telling your friends, co-worker, cousin, acquaintance, lover, whoever, a story and felt really passionate about telling it and looked over to see them completely distracted by something else? It’s crushing. They are not living in the now. You are living in the now by giving your attention to them and sharing an experience with them - if you want to be a better friend or a better person, you need to live in the now. If someone takes the time out of their day to share something with you (even if you despise them) listen to them and share that moment in the now with them. Who knows the impact it will have on you and them. 
9.   Why not? - why not live in the now? what do you have to lose living in the now? Literally nothing! There is a reason to your life and you have nothing to lose! Living in the past and the future you are losing your now which is not helpful or productive in any way shape of form.
10. You made it this far - well you were living in the now reading this post so gold star to you! Now check in with yourself and see how the fuck you are doing - take the steps you need and remember that you can always tap into your past and your future is never a sure thing but you are here now and that’s pretty cool - be present, mindful, and challenge yourself to honor the present and live in the now.