The Chase That Never Ends
The human mind is restless. It loves seeking. Dopamine, the neurotransmitter that fuels motivation, doesn’t reward achievement—it rewards the pursuit. That’s why reaching a goal often feels hollow. The moment
you get what you thought you wanted, your brain moves the target.
The Greeks had a word for this illusion: telos—the ultimate end, the grand purpose. We believe our lives should have a telos, a singular, defining moment where we “arrive.” But life doesn’t work like that.
There’s no final destination. There’s only this moment unfolding in
real-time.
The mind tricks us into believing that happiness exists in the future, just beyond our reach. But how can you ever be happy if you’re always postponing it?
The Peace of Presence
Lao Tzu wrote, “If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the
future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present.”
Think about the last time you were truly present. Maybe you lost yourself in a deep conversation. Maybe you watched a sunset without needing to capture it on your phone. Maybe you listened to music, fully immersed in every note.
In those moments, there was no past to regret. No future to chase. Just
this.
That’s what living in ‘The Now’ feels like. Not numbing yourself to reality. Not pretending problems don’t exist. But choosing to fully experience the only thing that actually does exist—the present.
How to Return to ‘The Now’
The present moment is always here, waiting for you to return to
it. But we’ve trained ourselves to live elsewhere—in regrets, ambitions, and distractions. How do you find your way back?
Start by asking yourself:
Where is my mind?
Is it stuck in the past? Racing into the future? Or fully here, experiencing what’s unfolding?
What if I require very little to be content?
I am not giving up on growth but recognizing that peace isn’t waiting at the end of the tunnel. It’s already here.
What does this moment feel like when I fully pay attention to it?
Instead of
resisting, just be. Feel the ground beneath your feet. Notice the sounds around you. Observe without judgment.
Because this is it.
This moment is life. Not the next one. Not the one after that. Just this.
You’re Already Here
I
believed I’d “get my life together” one day. I’d wake up as a future version of myself who had it all figured out. But that future self doesn’t exist. The only me that exists is this one. The one still learning. Still evolving. Still here.
So, if you’re waiting for life to begin, stop. It’s already happening.
Let go of the illusion of arrival. Accept that you’ll
never “figure it all out”—and that’s okay.
Because the point of life isn’t to reach some perfected state.
The point is to live, Gentle Reader.
So live.
Peace, love and power.
