1. There is no difference when you are mindful.GarcherLancelot wrote: Ok then in this case what is the difference between mindfulness and "living in the future,past or present"?.. .I am not controlling my thoughts like I am paying a lot of attention and thought-stopping over nothing but just observe and more aware of whatever I am doing.. .
2. Every effort, whether controlling or observing, stirs the mind. If you develop sensitivity towards those moments you will see that they appears only from time to time, stir the mind, and disappear. During such a moment, we are confident that we are aware, mindful, in control, so we want to extend this experience, as we desire them. This is the cause of delusion in the first place. But people practice it, although it's difficult and exhausting. If you stop controlling, observing and string the mind, a natural clarity will arise, which is very similar to the previous one, but totally effortless and "conceptless". This is the mindfulness, and it arises from not seeking. There are many teachings that are aimed to help practitioner pinpoint this "state", like:
"Changing phantoms, flowers in the empty sky, Why tire yourself in trying to seize them? Gain and loss, yes and no, Throw them all away in one go."
If you are not driven by gain, those short, fake moments of control have no basis to arise and mind is naturally cleared.