“Life is available only in the present moment.”
-Thich Nhat Hanh
I love these quotes because I know that true joy and aliveness come from being present in the only moment we truly ever have, this Moment!
We are so trained to live in the past and the future. Look at our careers. We look at how we can get ahead, move up the ladder so we can earn enough money to buy the things we want, go on special trips, buy a better car, etc., in the future. We are always looking into the future. If we are single, we are looking at finding someone. If we are married, we are looking to make our relationship better. We are always planning for something in the future.
The past gets us as well. We look at what we have done, and maybe we have regrets about what we have done. We might also look at the past and have a yearning for what we have lost. We also spend time with our memories. We live in a world of high stimulation where we have become quite multitask oriented.
How often are we truly right here in the present moment? It isn’t easy to be in this life as it is unfolding. Our minds are capable of looking back and projecting forward, so it makes for being right here tough.
Let’s look at a few simple ways we can stay in the present moment.
- Slow down-relax and be calm about your daily practice, whether it be eating breakfast, going to work, working out, or cooking your dinner. Do things with intention and ease.
- Start your day with a meditation practice-this helps to bring an awareness to my day and helps me be more conscious throughout. Set an intention to slow down and be in the moment.
- Name what you are doing-I am eating breakfast now, chewing my toast, walking to my bedroom, calling a client. It is a gentle reminder of where I am.
- Do one thing at a time-it has been proven that doing more than one task at a time isn’t effective, and it’s impossible to stay in the present moment when there are two present moments.
- Set daily reminders to be present-I have three reminders/alarms throughout the day that remind me to stop, breath, pause, and bring myself back into the present moment. This is such a wake up call to myself.
Practice these on a daily basis and see if it helps you to be more present in your daily life. In my personal retreat, we work on different ways of making it easy to be present and enjoy your life just as it is.
