Carpe Diem! Seize the Day! Or even better, seize the moment!
One of the greatest levels to achieve in personal development is true presence. To know what you want and to actuate yourself into achieving it.
Why should I care?
Being present means to show care when others express themselves, to truly say what you mean instead of answering by autopilot, and to do things with real energy. To be present means to bring creativity or even curiosity to what we’re doing which lends itself to enhanced productivity and energy over time.
How can we be present?
We can be present by first accepting where we are and where we’ve been. Then, realizing that all that truly exists is this moment, right now. Everything in our lives has led to this moment. We can choose to champion our time or live lost in either the past, future or delusion. Reality based thinking takes us further faster and involves actually noticing our thoughts and feelings.
Where do we start?
With small moments of presence! Focus on the breath for half a minute and watch as thoughts go by. Don’t identify with the thoughts. Instead, let them pass like leaves in the wind. Now we are present with our thoughts and mind.
Then what?
Notice where you feel the breath. Allow yourself to feel emotions as they come up with thoughts. What about when we’re not sitting in silence?
Notice what happens when you apply this awareness to real life situations. To be present with family and friends or just in general is to truly live.
Where can I see how this will benefit me?
One really easy way to see the benefit of this is to head to an amusement park with others. In moments of exhilaration, everything else stops and we are really there, enjoying ourselves together. Do you feel good in the moment when the past and future fade to present you with where you are now?
Building this presence into less exciting events can be a challenge. It takes time to build the skill, like any other skill. However, we’re doing it for more than just ourselves. Presence will flow into the people around you. Think of the butterfly effect. Notice how you feel after sitting and watching thoughts pass for half a minute. I’ve read that some famous and successful people sit quietly for 10-15 minutes twice daily. The list of celebrities who meditate includes Oprah Winfrey, Ray Dalio, and Jerry Seinfeld. A quick lookup reveals dozens more. The cool thing about this all is that this is one thing that I see an immediate result from in addition to knowing, based on research, that there are awesome long term benefits, like the increase of grey matter in the brain.