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Mindfulness or Living in the Present

“In today’s rush, we all think too much — seek too much — want too much — and forget about the joy of just being.” -Eckhart Tolle

This concept of just being is simply not how most of us humans roll. We spend much of our time trying to be better at things. However, in that space between where we are and where we want to be, we can wind up carrying around feelings of unworthiness, guilt, shame, fear, and self-doubt.

Life unfolds in the present. But so often, we let the present slip away, allowing time to rush past unobserved and unseized, and squandering the precious seconds of our lives as we worry about the future and ruminate about what's past. "We're living in a world that contributes in a major way to mental fragmentation, disintegration, distraction, de coherence," says Buddhist scholar B. Alan Wallace. We're always doing something, and we allow little time to practice stillness and calm.

“Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present.” - Jim Rohn

What does it mean to live in the present moment? It means that your awareness is completely centered on the here and now. You are not worrying about the future or thinking about the past. When you live in the present, you are living where life is happening. The past and future are illusions, they don't exist.

 

Living in the moment—also called mindfulness—is a state of active, open, intentional attention on the present. When you become mindful, you realize that you are not your thoughts; you become an observer of your thoughts from moment to moment without judging them.

To live life to the fullest means facing your fears with bravery, an open mind, and a lack of prejudice. It means making the most of what you have and never settling for less than the life you are capable of living. It means being truly alive and awake to life and not asleep in life's waiting room.

The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience. -Eleanor Roosevelt

Some tips on living in the present – to get the most out of your life possible.

Fully appreciate the moments of today. Soak in as much of today as you possibly can – the sights, the sounds, the smells, the emotions, the triumph, and the sorrow.

Don’t try to quiet your mind. The hardest thing to do when living in the moment is, or trying to simply witness life, is to not have the urge to try to quiet your mind. When we try to quiet the mind, we just disturb it all the more. Instead, simply witness your thoughts as if they are pure sound. Don’t try to judge your thoughts, there are no good thoughts or bad thoughts. Simply witness them as if they were noise.

Never value anything because of how much, or how little, it costs.

Smile. Each day is full of endless possibilities! Start it with a smile. You are in control of your attitude every morning, keep it optimistic and expectant.

Breathe, you’re alive. As you focus your attention on your breath, you’ll notice that your breath is neither voluntary nor involuntary. It is something that you do, but at the same time something that “does you”. When you focus your attention on your breath, you come back into relationship with reality, because like breath, reality is both something you do and something that “does you”. It is co-creative. Practice conscious breathing to bring your mind back to the present.

Don’t miss an opportunity to compliment someone, say thanks, or express affection.

Stop worrying. You can’t fully appreciate today if you worry too much about tomorrow. Realize that tomorrow is going to happen whether you worry about it or not. And since worry has never accomplished anything for anybody, redirect your mental energy elsewhere.

“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” –Thornton Wilder


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