We all do it. I am incredibly guilty of it. Human beings wish most of their lives away instead of basking in the moment of the experience. During a TV show that I was watching, this robot made the comment “you humans always wish for something to be over.” That statement really hit home. Most of us are never happy and spend all of our time wishing for it all to be over. I am pretty sure, that is not the point of life.

Wishing to Hurry Up and Get Here

When we are little kids, we want things to hurry up and arrive like Christmas, birthdays or some other fun event. We don’t fully experience what is going on around us because we have our sights set on the future. We are moving so fast; we never slow down to enjoy what is right in front of us. We fail to see the gifts of each day.

Wish it All Away

As we get older, we start to experience some of life’s more unpleasant aspects like illness, a project, a work assignment, or a disagreement with a loved one. We then begin the practice of wishing we could fast-forward through it and end up on the other side without actually having to live through it. The problem is once it passes, we are on to something else, we then want to rush through. It never ends.

The whole point of being a person is to live, learn, grow and evolve. When we wish pieces of our life away, often huge chunks, we are robbing ourselves of the lesson and the learning. The experience, both bad and good is what teaches us and helps us change as people. These choices are how we define who we want to be.

Be Present for Every Single Moment

We all know pain and suffering are not fun. However, that does not mean that it isn’t helpful and doesn’t sometimes result in the best version of us once we come through it. So instead of pushing it off and wishing it away, perhaps we should be looking at it from the mind of a child instead.

Try turning the situation over in your mind and wonder about it. Why am I going through this? What might I have to work on and how do I want to react to it? Do I like how I am handling it now? How could this situation change me for the better? These are some excellent questions that will help you get a better understanding of why you are experiencing it. The answers might also give you direction. By trying to rush through it, we miss out on the possibility of finding options and solutions within something challenging. We also miss out on huge opportunities for growth.

You might find that being curious about something rather than wishing it away helps you to move through it quicker. You will find yourself more present in the moment and possibly not suffering so much. This way you will stop missing out on all that life has to offer. So if you make any New Year’s resolutions this year, maybe include “be more present” as one of them and “stop wishing my life away,” as another.