Living in the Moment by Megan

Living in the Moment by Megan - January 2016 Scholarship Essay

My New Year’s resolution is to take things one step at a time. I want to live in the moment and not be tied up with the little things going on around me; however, this is easier said than done. In the past 2015 school year I was always thinking about things I had to do a week later or even a month later, and I never really got to engage in what I was doing in the present time. But that was last year, and now I want every day that I get to wake up and walk on this Earth to be like my last.
Living in the moment doesn’t seem like much, but when you actually start to do it, you realize things you haven’t seen before. There is more chance for conversations with people that you might happen to pass in the hallway, or even just saying hi to someone that you don’t know. That is living in the moment. To me, it is the little things that make life interesting; it is your choice if you pay attention to them.
I get that the days start to go by fast, and it is easy to get caught up in what the rest of the world is doing. I have started to stop and look. For instance, I used to put headphones on every time I walked the hallways at school. Even if someone wanted to talk to me, they couldn’t because my headphones gave off the impression that I didn’t want to talk. I changed that. When I walk through the hallways now, I try to start the conversations. My first question is always “How are you”. Almost ninety percent of the people I was asking always said “good”. It seemed a little odd how that is the answer I always got. I dug deeper and asked more questions on top of that. There are people out there who hide their feelings, and not that this is a bad thing, but if something is bothering someone then it is always a relief to know you have someone who really cares and is there to listen to your problems. If I would have had my headphones in, I would have never known how that person truly felt. It is honestly an eye opener.
It is actually pretty funny, if you take Twitter for example, it is considered a “social” media website; however there is never face to face communication. Then Instagram, it is so easy to just double-tap the picture for likes, but no one ever tells someone their outfit looks nice in person, that would just be crazy. Living in the moment means being a real human being and not living behind our Iphones. Yes, I still use Twitter and Instagram and Facebook, but I don’t let it consume my life like it used to. Life is so much more fun than looking at a 4 inch lit screen, I promise.
I believe my New Year’s resolution to live in the moment and take things day by day will ultimately make me a better person. I know the question is what will make me a better student but to me it is what will make you better throughout your entire life as well. I don’t have a goal I have a motive to continue and live by this every single day. It will be hard and challenging sometimes but I already have proof that it has made me enjoy life so much more. I hope I can get other people to view it this way as well. In the end it is about who you become and not who you were.