Be. . .
In the physical universe there are three mental time states possible – past, present and future. Present time is you in an expanded state of awareness and understanding the past, present and your chosen targeted future.
Once you become aware of the thoughts, feelings, or moods you are having, or where your attention is, and the content of those thoughts or feelings or moods or where your attention is fixated, you will notice which level of existence, state, condition or mood you are in at any given time. You will begin to also notice how often you are in the past, present or future. Most people spend less than 3% of their mental time in the present moment.
Being Present is an experience where you feel big, powerful yet at peace with who you are, what you want and how you can do it, regardless of what other people are doing or what situation you are facing. The most noticeable characteristics are that you don’t feel introspected or self-conscious.You feel relaxed and at ease, even when unpleasant surprises come at you. You are connected to who you are with your visions, plans and what you are doing, without second-guessing yourself or others.
Being Present matters because you perform better and feel good along the way. How well do you perform when you feel nervous? How wise and compassionate are you when you feel irritated? How bright and creative are you when you feel stressed out? Nervous, irritated and stressed out are caused by thoughts about the past or the future – what might happen, how someone is screwing up, what someone did to you…and so on.
Being Present is challenging because you must learn to recognize, permeate, and duplicate exactly all aspects of what is actually happening. Most of us want to take control of what’s happening – we’re trained to do that since birth. Babies cry to get food – and it works. This is far too often carried forward into adult life. Failure to control is what makes us tense and stressed – we are unhappy and fighting or wrestling with the events of the present moment, with what is imagined or actually happening now.
When you are present, you know and can take responsibility for the difference between what you control and what you don’t. Then you will take wise, decisive action without letting what happens next spin you into feeling bad or unhappy with that new moment.
Self-observation, permeation and presence to the now are the keys to unlock being stuck-in or eliminating worrisome past & future-based thoughts. It is only in committing to your own correct choices, decisions, plus continuous observation of your thoughts in a given situation that you can be fully present in that moment. You must learn to have certainty that you are good enough, even if the speech bombs, the spouse gets upset or the boss is unimpressed. Then these outside events will no longer define your feelings or your self-worth, and you will feel centered & grounded.
Being more present is exciting, adventurous and tremendously rewarding. Noticing your thoughts and the resulting habits that come from them is the first and biggest key to learning to be more present. You’ll enjoy the pay-off when you really need to be at your best – in key situations. You will discover that taking charge of your own presence and thus taking charge of your own being is far more rewarding than what has passed or not yet arrived. You are taking care of yourself – the greatest gift you can give yourself.
Peace and Love, Jim
#be #thedailybuddha
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