RULE SIX: "THERE" is no better than "HERE"

When you're "there" has become a "here", you will simply obtain a "there" that will look better to you than your present "here."

Many people believe that they will be happy once they arrive at some specific goal they set for themselves. For some the goal may be amassing a million dollars, for others losing those annoying ten-plus pounds, and for still others it is finding a soul mate. It could be getting a better job, driving a nicer car, or pursuing a dream career. Whatever your "there" is, you may be convinced that once you arrive you will finally find the peace you have always dreamed of. You will finally become fulfilled, happy, generous, loving, and content.

However, more often than not, once you arrive "there" you will still feel dissatisfied, and move your"there" vision to yet another point in the future. by always chasing after another "there", you are never really appreciating what you already have right "here". Think of past situations in which you said, " I will be happy when..."  and then ask yourself, "Was I really any happier when I actually arrived there?" Perhaps for a brief moment, but the same longing arises, and you must embark on yet another new quest.

By continuously engaging a cycle of longing,you never actually allow yourself to be in the present. you end up living your life at some point just off in the future. You only have one moment - the one right here, right now. If you skip over "here" in your rush to get "there", you deny yourself the full range of feelings and sensations that can only be experienced in the present moment.

The challenge of Rule Six is to live in the present. Spiritual teachers from the beginning of time have struggled with the question of how we can live in the present moment - a challenge that has become particularly difficult in the modern world in which we are constantly lufed by visions of greater glory, beauty, fame, or fortune and bombarded by unattainable images of how we should strive to be.

It is important to recognize that being human means coming to terms with the old-age drive to look beyond the place where you now stand. On one hand, your life is enhanced by your dreams and aspirations. These are what drive you forward and keep your passions alive, not to mention enable society to evolve.

On the other hand, these drives can pull you farther and farther from your enjoyment of your life right now. In formal education and your job, as well as in your private life, goal setting is a necessary skill. There is nothing wrong with wanting to improve your circumstances. Your challenge is to focus on the present, and on what we have right now, while simultaneously holding the intention of your future goals.

The secret is to dance on the fine line between living in here and now while holding in your heart your fondest dreams and aspirations for the future. By learning the lessons of gratitude, unattachment, abundance and peace, you can bring yourself closer to fulfilling the challenge of living in the present.