One of our favorite adages is: Worrying does not take away tomorrow’s troubles. It takes away today’s peace. Yet, we spend much of our day doing just that.
In an interesting happiness study, Harvard psychologists Matthew Killingsworth and Daniel Gilbert determined that people spend approximately 47% of their waking hours thinking about something other than what they’re doing.
In other words, we spend about half of our day not in the present moment, often worrying. And, the study reports we’re actually less happy when our minds are wandering.
Even scientists agree; happiness is found in the present moment.
So, finding ways to keep us right here, engaged in the moment, may actually boost our happiness levels — and a consistent meditation practice is one of the best ways to learn how to fully live in the now.
Also, it’s OK to start small; 10 or 15 minutes a day of meditation can offer incredible benefits