Be Here Now… Go with the Flow.  Live one day at a Time.  The Art of Now.  What the heck is everyone talking about???? Why is it even important??? It is only important if “quality ” of life matters to you.  Allow me to digress a bit and elaborate.

When you are a kid and everyday is laid out for you by your parents, it is so easy to go with the flow because basically you are not in charge.  You do what you are told and for the most part and  you are good with it.  Life is being directed by someone other than you.   When you are a grown up it is a whole different ballgame.  As they say  “You are the director, the producer and the STAR of the movie titled… “This is MY Life.”  By the time you are getting out of high school/college everything changes.  Your world shrinks and you have the OMG what do I do now?.   You start to fast forward.  I Need to get married and have kids, buy a house, make lots of money, go to church, be happy, work out, get involved, travel, etc etc…..I get hamster brain just thinking how I used to think.   So what does it take to be “present”.   A lot is the answer.   We are born present, it is our mind and expectations that take us out of the Now.    Unfortunately it could take a major change in our life to get us to understand how precious and uncertain our time on the planet is…..and why it is important to pay attention to the Now, because no one promises you tomorrow.

For some it could be a disease, a divorce, a death, a near death, getting fired  or just plain old depression.  There are a lot of ways our life wakes us up. Trust me I have had all of the above awaken me.  Not necessarily to me but it had it’s effect.    NO SHAME.    All of these situations are there to show us more of who we really are and what we are made of.  You learn more from failure than you do success.  We know this like the back of our hand.    So here is ” what I know for sure ” as Oprah likes to ask her guests on Super Soul Sunday.  You can not enjoy the present while constantly living with regrets.    You can not enjoy the future because we all know in an instant it can and probably will change.   Happiness is a “state of mind” not a place.  . When we practice gratitude for all that  we “are”,  not who we are going to ‘Be when…” something happens, that  is when we know we are present. You can only be grateful for what IS, not what might be.   You can not be in the place of gratitude and be somewhere else in your mind or spirit.  When you are grateful for today just as you are it signals good chemicals to your brain.   Simply put gratitude is a healthy and being Present state.
Being present helps bring the trust and knowing everything will work out exactly as it should.  Anxiety is the exact opposite.

 

When  we are present not only do we notice more of the our surroundings and the people in our lives, it all stands out like it is magnified.   You can not pay someone a compliment with out being present.  .  That is why it feels so good to both parties if shared in sincerity.  Noticing the small things in life changes your filter.   The awareness it creates allows for the beauty of Seeing  the yellow bird in the tree in front of you when you are walking your dog, because you are present.   It grounds you and it is a practice.  Self awareness comes from being Present.   You  also hear what your body is telling you more loudly when you are living in the Now. .  It could be ” I am tired” and then you rest.   And then again it could be .. ” Do not eat the second cookie,  you know you are not hungry.” Mindless addiction goes away.    When you are present almost everything is not only more visual but also more audio.   When you are present you hear the entire conversation.  It is so much more fun to hear what people are communicating.  When you are present and  Not fast forwarding to what you want to say… it keeps you connected.    When you are present Yes you can be bored to tears,…  Ha ha.  At least you know you are paying attention.  Athletes and artist know how to be present.  They focus all their energy in one direction .  They get in the zone.   When you speak with them about their performance they seem high, naturally.  Why,  because  the time does not matter anymore.   They are so present because they are practicing being the best they can be.  Their body, mind and soul are connected and the energy then is endless.  The best of the best in people does not reside in Should of, Could of,  or If only. Those places are in your past for a reason.  When you are in the Now  it is easier to be aware of everything.

 

Other people shape our lives.  They do not make us or break us. We either give our power away or we retain it.  People sense when we give them our power.   It is then,  if we allow it how we are manipulated.   Sometimes in Life I refer to it as “stroke, stroke …. kick, kick. “They reel us in.   Kids do it, bosses do it and our mates do it. It feels like a sucker punch.   Patterns repeat themselves if we are unaware and detached.  Being present helps us recognize these events as they  are happening.   We know when we are getting played and can respond differently.   The strongest people I know did not get there from the easy cushy life they have had.   Their awareness was created out of enormous pain.   Physical, emotional or mental pain.   The interesting thing about pain is sometimes it “is” the more familiar emotion.   Pain is not your friend or back up plan, do not let it be familiar.  Be present, recognize the patterns of self sabotage straight on.   When you are present, you stop patterns of pain dead in its tracks .  You are aware of the situation and adjust a habitual response so that you do not have the same outcome.   It is great to dream about the future and how it will all play out.  Just do not do it at the expense of losing today. So the next time you start to fast forward to your vacation, retirement, your inheritance, your kids getting grown up and gone… realize all that you have is this moment right now.  Enjoy it as much as possible.  Remind yourself that everyday is a gift.  The daily prayer “give us this day our daily bread” does not mean next years bread, it means daily. I believe this wonderful prayer is a reminder to  be present.   Setting goals is great, write it down, make it happen.  Take the action behind it on a daily basis to bring it forth.  While you make your plans, do not leave your life behind.

 

Here is a couple of questions to ask yourself.   Am I constantly reliving the past?? How much time do I spend there each day?  Can I change the past?  (seriously… so why hang out THERE).   Am I constantly looking to the future for my peace of mind and happiness?  How many times a day am I present?  How much living have I missed by constantly shifting into rewind?  Is there beauty all around me and I miss it?

Friendly reminder… you don’t get the rainbow without the storms.

“It is not uncommon for people to spend their whole life waiting to start living.”
― Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment  

This is the best book to read if you get stuck and need help practicing being present.

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Who is Better than You??? NOBODY!

 

On a side note…  Who ever is the fan of this blog in Brazil please message me.  I see that you read my blogs every day.  I am honored.  Thank you.

alizajul@yahoo.com