I always liked the idea of living in the moment, but I never fully understood it. If one was living only for the present, wouldn’t that mean he or she was being irresponsible about the future? If I was only thinking about this moment, wouldn’t I eat anything I wanted and spend all my money without concern for the bills that are due tomorrow?
About three years ago, a number of people came into my life, I believe, for the purpose of teaching me to live in the moment. They did not tell me their secret. They did not even tell me that their philosophy was to live in the moment. Their example was so clear and strong, that just by being around them, I instantly understood.
Nathan Sawaya was a Wall Street attorney. His passion was Lego, yes the toy. He never outgrew the hours of joy he would get out of creating new things with plastic bricks. So when Legoland had a nationwide search for their next Master Model Builder" he jumped right in. He won. The prize was a job on the opposite coast, making considerably less money than he had as an attorney. He took it. After working there for a year, he did go back to law for a short while, but eventually took the plunge and left the legal field to be a full time freelance Lego artist. He choose his passion. So many of us get stuck in the money. We become accostomed to a lifestyle and then we are unable to give it up, staying in a job we do not like in favor of a big paycheck – living for the future of retirement instead of enjoying today. Incidentally, Nathan does just fine financially as a Lego artist.
Shortly after meeting Nathan, I had the honor of meeting a recording artist named Ryan Star. Ryan achieved the dream: a record contract with his band, Stage, while he was still in college. I know he enjoyed recoding the album and touring, but in the end it was not the right path for all of the members of the band and they parted ways. Many people would have given in to the pressure to get a "real job." But Ryan knew that he had a real job; his job was to inspire others with his music and lyrics. He chose the path of the struggling artist, playing small bars and clubs in New York City. I have never talked to him about this, but I can imagine that there were people who were pressuring him to give up the dream, think about his future and be more responsible. He wasn’t being irresponsible. He was living within his means, which were dictated by his earnings as a resident artist in a Soho bar. After a while, Ryan got the opportunity to compete on a show called "Rockstar Supernova" which featured singers competing to be the lead vocalist for a new band with an impressive cast of musicians. Now, if you know much about the indie music scene, you know that going on a television show can be seen as "selling out" and is often not the image that a musician in that genre wants to project. But the opportunity came to him, allowing him the opportunity to play his music for more people. He took that opportunity, rather than worry about the future of what it may or may not do for his career or image, he stayed in the moment and took a once in a lifetime opportunity. I am so glad he did, because this is how I met him. As a matter of fact, he made a lot of wonderful friends this way and a lit of connections. Now he has an album coming out in the fall, and his songs have been featured on television shows, ads and movies.
I would have never had the guts to take the steps that Nathan and Ryan did. I don’t even know if I have the stomach for it now! But, I get it. I understand how one can live in the moment without being irresponsible about the future. I try to remember it in my day to day life. At times I have to remind myself, but I’m getting there. As a line in one of Ryan’s songs says "Let the life that you live be all that you need" I’m getting there.
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