Being in the moment does not necessarily imply idleness or detachment. It is simply a state in which we are free of the commands of automatic, mindless function, released from the things we think we want or need because of peer pressure, societal mores, personal habits, or age-old traditions. Being in the moment is a state of tranquil alertness.

Being in the moment does not mean that the past or the future are irrelevant. In fact, being in the moment allows the past and the future to come to rest – and to a fine and balanced point – in your heart and mind. When you are being in the moment you no longer lose the that which is available in the present moment to fantastical daydreaming about the future or wistful regrets about the past.

Being in the moment allows you to connect past and future to that which is eternal, through the crossover point that you are in spirit and in truth. When you consider the future while being in the moment you see that which is to come in relation to all that has gone before and you recognize what can be done now – practically and realistically – to effect that future. When you meditate upon the past from this “place” you are not pulled down by it, drawn back into it, or bound by it; instead, you learn from it and are therefore bettered by it no matter how wonderful or horrible it may have been.

You do not need to go somewhere or do something to be. You are in the moment because you are being in the moment, not because of what you are doing in the moment. Remember this one point and you will save yourself from the fruitless search which has wasted the lives of billions of well-meaning people throughout history.