Contentment in The NoW
Discover the radical power of living in the present. Let go of past values and future goals to find true contentment in the now, where life unfolds moment by moment.
Goals inherently pull us towards a future we imagine will bring fulfilment—something we don't yet have. This forward momentum can leave us feeling dissatisfied with the present, forever measuring our “now” against what we still hope to achieve. The further we chase these goals, the further the present moment slips from our grasp.
Similarly, values—rooted in the past—often anchor us in things we've experienced, in how we’ve been shaped by previous moments. These values form our moral compass and guide our judgments. But they can also trap us in the past, serving as the foundation for our biases and assumptions, pulling us back from the present.
While both goals and values offer structure and meaning, they also create a subtle dissatisfaction with the present by placing our attention either in the future or in the past. The person striving for goals is caught in an endless pursuit of what might be; the person guided solely by values may be stuck defending what has been. Neither is fully immersed in the present moment, and neither finds true contentment there.
But contentment is not in what you've lost, nr is it in what you hope to gain. Contentment is here and now.
The present moment exists for its own sake—unburdened by comparison to what has been or what might be. In this state of true presence, there is no dissatisfaction, no striving, no judgement. Just a simple, complete acceptance of what is.
Living in the now isn’t some fleeting escape; it’s the only place where life actually happens. The present doesn't need validation from past experiences or future outcomes. It simply is, and within it, there's a quiet, profound fulfilment. It’s like a single breath, a circle that contains everything you need—because it measures only itself.
Being present doesn’t negate goals or values, but it reframes them. They don’t have to control you. They become part of your experience, not the whole of it. The act of being present means you can move through the world, pursue your goals, honour your values—but without letting them dominate your sense of being. In this way, goals and values can coexist with the present moment, but they don't overwhelm it.
The trick is to stop seeing life as a series of disconnected events—the pursuit of future goals, the preservation of past values—and instead, start seeing it as an unbroken flow of moments. This moment. Then this one. Then the next. When you're truly present, you’re no longer a slave to either your past or your future. You’re no longer caught in the mental loops that define success or failure, gain or loss.
Instead, you're alive in the now, and this is where everything happens. The past informs you, the future draws you, but the present—the now—is the only place where you can actually live.
This shift in thinking is radical because it demands we let go of the comfort and security we seek in goals and values. But it’s also liberating. When we stop chasing fulfilment elsewhere, we find it right where we are. It’s not always easy, but it’s real. It’s right here, in the only moment that matters.
Check out our trial performance of The NoW - the World’s First Facebook play, which shaped everything I am working on over at Feathertree Arts.