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The Minimalists
The Minimalists are Emmy-nominated Netflix stars and New York Times–bestselling authors Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus. Alongside their podcast cohost, T.K. Coleman, this simple-living trio helps millions of people eliminate clutter and live meaningfully with less. Learn More.

Forever Does Not Exist

Everything is ephemeral: on a long enough timeline, everything ends.

Your relationships will end. Your happiness will end. Your depression will end. Your life will end. Nothing lasts forever—not even those diamonds in the advertisement.

Yet we live our lives like the best things will continue into perpetuity—like the good stuff will stick around and the bad stuff will go away once we obtain everything we want. But, good or bad, life is limited: everything is eventual, endings are inevitable.

Feel warm and fuzzy yet? You should. The most important reason to live in the moment is nothing lasts forever: Enjoy the moment while it’s in front of you; be present. Accept life for what it is—a finite span of time with infinite possibilities.

Treat friends with the utmost respect. Treat your lover to your full attention. Treat today like it matters—because it does. Now is the only time to live in the moment.

Don’t wait until a special occasion to show the people in your life you love them—if we wait until their birthdays, Christmas, or next week, the moment may never come—say the words and show it in your actions every day.

Read this essay and 150 others in our new book, Essential.