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Being Present

 

Being present is sometimes difficult for me. As human beings, we have a natural inclination to dwell on regrets from the past and borrow trouble from the future. As a planner, I am certainly prone to the latter.

I think about all the things I must do: tomorrow, next week and next month. I wonder how all the pieces of the future will fit together. How will I make them fit? What might go wrong? I add stress to my present because of possibilities in the future. I carry tomorrow’s burdens that do not need to be on my shoulders today.

This type of activity robs us out of the present because our energy is divided between what has already happened and what might happen, leaving us struggling to deal with what is happening now. It is unfair to others because they do not have all of us in the moment. It is unfair to our past because we cannot effectively learn lessons from the past by rehashing our regrets. It is unfair to our future because we enter it worn down and unfocused. Most of all, it is unfair to our present because we are divided and distracted making it impossible to be at our best.

Learn from mistakes in the past. Plan for the future. But be present now. Fully engage in the moment and what is in front of you now. Be present. It is a wonderful gift to others, but it is really a gift for you.

Comments

  1. UnknownFebruary 28, 2021 at 9:49 AM

    Great post! In my own life I've found that when I stop thinking about past misfortunes and I don't worry about what the future holds, I can be "more present" and live a more joyous life. Personally, doing meditation like Sadhguru's Isha Kriya has helped me immensely with this type of thing.

    If you have slots available I would like to do a guest post on your blog. It would be about how meditation can help one be more present and help one live a more fulfilled life. And at the end of the post (with your permission) I would link back to my blog mindsetmountain.com.

    You can contact me at stupendouslydigital@gmail.com. If you're too busy or don't have any slots I understand. Either way, nice post and keep it up!

    ReplyDelete

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