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Living in the Present
by Patti Petrella
Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans.
John Lennon
Learning to live in the present is, to some, the most powerful means for achieving peace.
What problems can you have in this moment?
Worries always stem from the past or future, but not from the now.
By detaching from the outcome and letting go of the past, we can free
ourselves to enjoy the present and let go of our need to control things.
A favorite read of mine is Eckhart Tolle's book, The Power of Now. He writes, "All you really need
to do is accept this moment fully. You are then at ease with the here and now and at ease with
yourself."
"Enlightenment, self realization, self actualization, being
connected", are all aspects of living in the present, as is taking on the role of the witness.
Identifying with the ego blinds us to our true nature, and keeps us imprisoned in the past and
future, and saps our energy.
Realizing that we are not our ego, personality or even our thoughts, enables us to start observing
ourself on a different level and listening to the divine that is already inside of us.
Dr. Wayne Dyer has a mantra that is very liberating.
"Nothing can go wrong in my world."
All external events can not touch me, Not, the spirit-the true me. Yes, the body can be hurt, but the
inner spirit and all that really matters remains perfect.
This implies, that everything happens for our ultimate good, even though we may not understand it
at the time. It is only how we react to something that makes it positive or negative.
When we lose awareness of the present, we can be split and in a state of conflict. More and more
this becomes a pattern until we rarely ever find ourself in the present. We think and worry about
the past and future with only brief, almost nonexistent visits to the present.
Perhaps, without realizing it, we concentrate on the past and
future to actually avoid the present. These states of mind are
both fueled by the ego. The ego identifies with the past and
lives in hopes for the future.
The ego is uncomfortable with the here and now and the
connection to our higher self, that is established by living in the present.
A step we can take to living in present is to learn detachment from the outcome of events. This is
most liberating. To simply not judge, analyze or take things personally. Give us the need to
justify, attack or defend the ego. Simply step back, and as the Beatle's song says, Let it be.
Does being attached to the outcome change it in any way? No. If we have control over the
outcome, then we have taken care of it. If we do not have control, then there is nothing we can do
anyway. Worry is a product of living in the future or obsessing about the past.
It is the process that matters. If we did your best at something and it didn't work out like we
planned, it doesn't matter, because it was still the process that mattered. There are no arrivals,
just a series of steps. These steps form our life, our growth and our happiness.
Being attached to the outcome enslaves us to intangibles that don't exist.
The quality of our present state of mind is what will form the
quality of our future state of mind. We can't find happiness in the future or past. We can only
experience happiness in the present.
We can be mindful of the moment. Expand your senses and time will
expand. Observe your breath. Listen to the sounds around you. Smell the aroma of life. What are
you touching, seeing or sensing now? Wake up into the existence of this moment.
We can start by consciously pulling ourself out of the past or
future whenever we drift there. Notice how often this happens. It is amazing how much time we
spend there. Being conscious means being in the now.
If a matter needs dealt with, we can do it without the ache of worrying over the past or future. Deal
with it and let it go. We canbe more efficient in coping with all dilemmas if we are in present tense.
Joy and peace are indicators that we are centered in the
present. Unhappiness, pain and struggle are emotional
products of being elsewhere. When you can come back into the
present and problems tend to dissipate.
At first you may only succeed for a few minutes or even seconds at a time. As with any process,
the more you practice, the easier it becomes.
Taking a deep breath and concentrating on that breath is a
good channel into the present. Draw your attention into your
body. Do you have any problems right now? They are probably all in the past or future. This
moment is perfect. Let your attention rest in this moment.
Quiet the chatter in the mind.
With practice, we can learn to stay rooted in the present while still interacting
with others and dealing with everyday tasks and decisions.
We can be happier and more conscious as we move through our day.
The past and future veil God from our sight.
Rumi
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