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| Notice your surroundings. |
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Being Present
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| Brethe it in. |
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Being Present is the best way to feel at peace. Your thoughts stop wandering. Your feelings are calm and not triggered. There is no fear in the present moment. You can recall times you were fully present because they are very clear in your memory. All of you was in the "here and now" - in a first love, on a great vacation, with a trusted friend. Most people rely on external situations in which they feel safe, in order to be present. Truly being capable of living in the present comes when you feel safe even in difficult, stressful, anxious situations.
Answers "pop" into your mind.
Most of us are quite present when we first wake up. We "sleep" on our challenges. Then we wake up and we simply "know" what's right for us. This is our spirituality speaking to us. Then we move forward in confidence.
A racing mind is evidence of an inability to be present at all. This condition disconnects us from our inner knowing. We experience inner conflict and second-guessing - struggling to be true to ourselves, yet afraid others will hurt us if we do.
Being present is the time frame of your mind.
There are only three time frames possible - past, present and future. Once you become aware of the thoughts you are having and the content of those thoughts, you will notice which timeframe you are in at any given time. You will begin to notice how often your thoughts and feelings are focused on the past or the future. Many people spend less than 1% of their time living in the present.
Being present is a holistic experience.
Your mind, body, heart and soul are all unified in that one moment. Time slows down. You are connecting with the eternal force of the universe. In fact, the definition of eternity is the present moment. It has never NOT been the present moment, just as God has never not existed.
Being present happens when you stop comparing ('judging') the present moment to past experiences or future expectations. The result of this is a feeling of love and inner peace. Regardless of what other people are doing or what situation you are facing, you are centered and calm. No one can do this all the time. The goal of being present is to be able to move towards being at peace inside even when your life is full of unwelcome conflicts and crises.
Your ability to Be Present depends on the health of your boundaries.
In any given moment, you can move from being fully present to being filled with upsetting thoughts that trigger emotions based on the past and future. It happens in an instant and is highly dependent on how good your boundaries are. If you have weak boundaries, you will either lash out or crumble. Both result in conflict and unhappiness rooted in past and future-based thoughts and feelings.
Being present begins with NOTICING when you are trying to alter the present moment and learning what you can do about it.
You are moving from seeing yourself as a victim of circumstances to a decisive person who makes wise choices in difficult, uncertain and even scary situations. Your self-confidence and self-trust grow tremendously, as does your faith. We all need to learn to navigate a current crisis to make wise choices and have no regrets, not matter what ends up happening.
Be Present.
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Further Reading:
The book,
"What's Important Now" teaches six strategies on how to notice and do
what's important now for you in any given conflict, crisis or
frustrating moment. When you trust yourself to hold your ground when
it's right, and give it away when it's not, your self-confidence rises
dramatically.
The book, "The Non-Judgmental Christian" teaches five lessons to
revolutionize your relationships with people close to you who upset
you. This book reveals how judgments are the buttons that people push
which take us away from being present. We use judgments to pressure
others to change and they do it to us in return. Non-judgment creates
a peace-filled mindset. Being non-judgmental and present-moment
focused opens the mind to new ways to heal damaged or broken personal
relationships, as well as everyday situations with teenagers, parents,
friends and co-workers.
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