Your life is lived in the present moment.  Perhaps you will simply be more attentive to this; and to be present as your life is in constant motion in this moment.  Your life is a reflection of the present moment.  If you are present then you will be more easily able to live of your highest self and not reactive, and of your ego mind. 

We need to contemplate the future and our choices and ideals of what we want; but as we hold these in our mind in moments of future reflection, we must be able and willing to live of the present.

The present moment is described as living in ‘now’; being attentive to ‘what is’ – typically what is right in front of you that you choose to take notice of, or of what activity or task you are participating in, or unto your breath (as in meditation); all of which allows you to experience focused attention in the ‘now’.

It’s not realistic to expect that you can live all moments in the present, but a reasonable goal may be to become better at noticing when you are not present nor attentive so that you can choose to return your attention – to live your life as it is unfolding and of the present moment far more of the time.

“It is in the present moment that you are able to bring your awareness within and to the deepest aspect of what you are.  For some, this becomes a point of awakening; and a realization that they are not their mind nor their thoughts.  It is when we still the mind that we are able to hear (sense, feel, notice) the voice of our inner being ‘our highest self’ – and our oneness with the god source.” – dorothy

It is in the present moment that you are also witness to all that you are capable of; because it is in the present that you are open to thought ideas, inspiration, and creative energy.  In the present moment there is gentle silence – stillness – of the mind; momentarily – as if you were free of its distractions.  This is the experience of simply being.  If you were performing an activity such as writing or walking, or playing music – and you feel yourself immersed in this (moment); ideas and thoughts would come into your mind; they would become part of your experience in that moment and in each moment that you were present to these.  Random unrelated thoughts may also come to mind; for example, you may decide you need a glass of water, or you think of calling a person to check in on them, but when you return to your chosen activity and resume presence in it; you are once again being one in the moment with ‘what is’ (that is – what you have chosen in this moment).  

You can be present to a work task and this is what we tend to describe as tunnel vision or focused concentration and in sport; being “in the zone”.  These are all ways of describing present moment awareness.

 “Living in this moment is how you experience the bliss of life.”

It’s helpful to remember that you are always moving into and out from the present moment.  You need to be able to do this in order to contemplate and plan for the future, and as you reflect and reminisce upon memories.  Your mind will at times seem as though it is leading you; your thoughts jumping from whatever you are doing to a thought of future or past and then finding yourself attentive to something in the present again.  The nature of ‘doing’ vs ‘being’ is one that we must live in balance. 

It’s only if you allow your thoughts to be all-consuming; a persistent distraction – and a constant presence that your thoughts will seemingly affect your ability to feel how you want to feel.  You may wish to practice and live by these three success habits; ‘success’ in the sense that these are the habits that will reaffirm success in your life; of being in control of how you think; and to remind you of your ability to change your mood state into one of happy, joy, and peace; as you choose this.  These are important habits that support your need to plan future moments, whilst then returning to live in the ‘here and now’.  

 

In the present moment, you exist.  Often there are no thoughts; only the simple ability to be.  You can exist in the present fully attentive to what is before you.  It’s actually what we do as children; we observe; we take notice; we get excited about the simple joys and experiences of life because we are fully immersed in these and of the present moment.

Helpful Tip:  Notice when you are distracted; when you are caught up in the flurry of thoughts inside your mind.  These are the moments in which it is important to be mindful of where your attention is and then to return to the present.

 

It’s important to become skilful at being able to return to the present moment; and to live more of your life from this place by choice because this is how you have control and how you choose your path and your destiny; out of what you desire most.

The definition of not being present is any of the following:  multi-tasking, when you are not paying attention to what you are doing, allowing your mind to jump from thought to thought and as you are reacting to your thoughts rather than choosing your thoughts and how you will feel.  Feeling a mood state that you don’t want to feel is another example of your focus being outside of the present moment; because in the present you are just being.

 

See if you can curate moments when your thoughts ‘stop’ and your mind becomes silent.  Notice what comes through; what you become aware of.  Is it the energy of your inner being?  In the present moment, can you explore more deeply this presence and the source of what you are as energy; and as the beautiful energy of love?

 

Sometimes I find wonderful posts that I love sharing.  I appreciate how Myrko Thum describes the present moment as the entry point to spiritual awakening.”

Myrko reminds us that: “thoughts stop. The mind becomes silent. What shines through then is the energy of our being. (In the present moment) we can dive much deeper into this vertical dimension and discover more about our true nature. To dive into the present moment is also the goal of meditation.”  (Thank you for this Myrko!)

 

Practice present moment awareness with these 3 ‘success habits’:

Use these habits daily to help you easily return to the present; and to train yourself to remain present far more of the time.  These habits become the ways in which you draw upon yourself more insight and understanding and they are how you train yourself to be mindful, attentive and hyper-focused whenever you need to be.  This allows you to enjoy more of life’s moments; and to make deliberate choices based on your present moment experiences in flow (as they are occurring now) and of what is right and best for you; in this moment, and in future moments.

Success Habit One:  Notice when you are not attentive and present in this moment and return your attention to the present.  How?  Focus on something in front of you or refocus your attention onto what task (or activity) you are doing.  This helps you train your mind to focus at will.  You become more self-aware as you practice noticing the moments in which you are not attentive and present.  You then use your free will to choose the present moment each time you notice you are distracted or in a perpetual cycle of thoughts that do not serve you.  This is one of the reasons why meditation is so helpful.  You are training yourself to focus in the present and often this is done by using your breath as a guide (and focal point).

Success Habit Two: Use your breath to bring your attention into now.  I teach clients to bring their attention into the present moment using their inhalation.  As you bring attention to your breathing and to this moment; let every ‘in-breath’ be a cue for being in this moment.  Try it for yourself!  It’s a great habit to also practice mindful breathing as a way of holding attention in the present.  Your attention to your breath allows you to return your awareness instantly into the present moment.  Whenever you notice your mind is no longer focused in the present moment, or if you have become distracted from where you need to place attention; take several conscious breaths.  Let each inhalation become the reminder for you to bring and hold your attention in the present.

Success Habit Three: Practice immersing yourself fully in a task.  This is easy when doing something that you love or perhaps when you are working towards a deadline and perhaps there is a greater need to hold focus onto your task.  When distractions arise, practice noticing them before consciously returning to your activity or experience.  As you remain present immersed in a task or activity – allow yourself to enjoy your experience fully.  You can practice immersing yourself for shorter periods of time (say 5-10 minutes); and in other moments especially when you are easily enjoying your experience, you will find it easier to remain focused and fully present in the activity for a lengthy time.  Here you use the first habit to notice each time your mind may wander.  As you develop present moment awareness, any task that is less enjoyable can become a more enjoyable experience as you focus your attention onto it, and as you are fully immersed in what you are doing.  This is how you can also focus on doing your very best as you are attentive and present.

Helpful Tip: Notice when your attention moves away from what you are witnessing, experiencing, enjoying and doing in this moment.  What is most important is your awareness of this.  As you become better at recognizing when you are no longer present and when you are distracted or multi-tasking, you may return to the present – by choice using your free will.  This is what it means to be in control of your mind.

“As you live in the present moment, attentive to ‘what is’, free of thoughts that may be critical or disparaging, you are free to be who you truly are.  It is in the present moment that you live your best moments and of your authentic nature.”   – dorothy

 

BONUS Success Habit:  You can become more attentive in each moment by asking yourself these questions: “Am I present?” and “Am I being attentive here and now?”

This will help you gauge where your focus is, before returning your attention into ‘now’. 

You can hold presence as you choose to be aware and observant without judgment.  Judgment will immediately take you out of the present moment.  It will disrupt your experience and how you feel; and you will likely miss out on more of the present moment unfolding beautifully before you; including what could be something valuable and important that you may need to learn, observe, or know.

“The goal is not to live all of your moments in the present.  As you choose to hold present moment awareness; you realize just how much more enjoyable and precious each moment is as you live with greater awareness and attention to it; and how blissful it is to be present to your experiences in each moment.  In the present you are free to experience the beauty of each moment as it is unfolding”  – dorothy

 

Please enjoy this guided meditation to experience the present moment.  Visit the WISDOM Archives for more free guided meditations and ‘spoken word’ reflective inspiration.

 

Something further to contemplate.  In his blog post, Myrko shares the idea that “there is only one moment; and forms are in constant motion.  Even memories stored in our brains are changing forms.  In that way you could say that it is not time changing along the world, it is the world of form changing along one present moment.” 

– I like this way of comprehending the present moment because if we think of our lives as one present moment, then perhaps it is easier to return to this one moment; to make a point of living in it – far more of the time; recognizing that everything is (always) in constant motion (around us).   In this way, the present moment is our life; we witness and observe all of life in our world and of our personal moments best when are present – attentive to them.  – 

Namaste xo