Being present – life’s greatest gift

I have read books, excerpts and quotes from many masters or spiritual leaders, authors on life and self-transformation, and the one thing (among many) has stood out for me, – besides acknowledging abundant love of course – is that they all teach you to BE in the present moment.

Why is it so important to be in the present moment?

Well, life is happening now. Right? It already happened in the past, and it will continue to happen in the future as time goes by. But then why are our thoughts mostly focused on the past or worried about the future? And as we entertain those ‘ridiculous thoughts’, we miss out on life, because it is happening NOW…

What happens when you stop thinking of the past? When you stop feeling hurt because of what someone might have told you, or a negative situation which may have happened? Letting go of these feelings of regret and pain helps one to feel better about themselves, about life and about what is happening around them. But letting go of the past is only one step. What about the feelings of worry and anxiety when we think about the future? Why are we thinking so much about the future in the first place? Ofcourse it is important to plan for the future, but there is a confusion between planning and worrying about the future,

 

 

If you are a student, are you delicately studying now, to achieve great results later on?

If you are a business person, are you working on bettering your business and services now, to ensure happy customers and a booming business now and later on?

If you are a stay at home mum or dad, are you planning for the betterment of your family, now?

If you are unemployed and looking for work, are you working on bettering yourself and your job skills or aiming to study further now, or are you spending these present moments feeling sorry for yourself and complaining about the lack of jobs?

You see, everything we do, we are doing it in the present moment. Even if we are spending 4 or 5 hours a day reminiscing on the past moments, trying to relive them, the fact still remains that THAT is how we are choosing to spend our present moments.

Being in the present is one of the ways all the most successful people in the world, attained success. They didn’t spend the present moments living in the past or future. They spent it by focusing on what they wanted, what mattered for their present and future success. And then they went on to spending their lives doing that. Because a successful future isn’t created by dreaming of it, but by cultivating each step to achieving it.

 

Why is it so hard to focus on the present?

We like to think, thinking is a habit, and in order to not only think, but create a whole train of thoughts, we focus on an event that occurred in the past, and then relive it. Or we either dream, or worry about the future, and continuously think, how will this happen? How will I afford that?

You are already telling yourself that your future self (you in a month or even a week or days’ time) is STILL living in poverty. Because you are telling yourself (with worry), how will I afford this or that, at a later stage in your life.

That means that you are TELLING the universe, God, or your Divine, that you don’t have AND that you believe that you WON’T have. All because of worry.

How to focus on the present?

Do stuff that you absolutely love to do! Meditate, write, cook, whatever it takes to bring your mind from the past or future and have it focused in the present.

This may take some time. And you may feel like you are being in the present for a few seconds only. That is good, it is a start. It is better than not focusing on the present at all.

In those moments when you are focused on the present, focus on what you want in life, what you would like to happen now and in the future and what steps you need to take. Then create a plan of action to make it happen. Use moments (hours, minutes etc) that you would have otherwise spent ‘living in the past’, and use that time to do something great that will benefit your future.

The present is life’s greatest gift. It opens doors to success because we start to utilise our time more efficiently. And it brings opportunity our way because we made space for it, in current time!

Well I hope you liked this week’s read. Let us know in the comments section below and do check out my Instagram feed below for more inspiration!

Love

Salona