Being in Your Now

Being in Your Now

 

A group that I was in recently asked why we should be in the moment, in the now. How to get there and how we stay there in our day-to-day life. Some of the responses were things such as, why is this important/” and “it's too hard”. The one the really made me realize that the group was not “getting” the concept was when someone said, “I have to get out of the now to let my mind rest and to stay sane.”

 

The fact is that staying in your now will do just that, allow your mind to rest and keep you sane. Think about it, if you are not into what you are doing, who you are with and/or where you are at any given moment what is going on in your mind? For most people the mind is bouncing back and forth between what you wish you had done, what you feel you should have done in the past and what you are going to do , how you are going to do it and with whom in the future. Because of this unfocused state, what you are doing at the present moment is not done well or correctly, and this gives you something to grind on and worry about later while trying to do something else. Do you see the cycle here? This will create stress, fear, apprehension and distress; all leading to some sort of dis-ease in your biology. This thought state also makes time seem to drag out to uncomfortable duration and keeps you unhappy in your present and fretful about the consequences of your past actions and apprehensive about future plans.

 

Now, if you are attending to what you are doing right now, in this minute, you have no agitation or upset. You are focused on right now. In this way you become consciously aware of the joy of time well spent in purposeful activity. You will be assured that you did your best and you will actually find joy in the moment (because you aren't worried about all the other stuff) You will notice things that passed you by before because you were distracted, you will enjoy even mundane tasks more because of your focus and you will not feel spread too thin. These feelings will occur spontaneously because your mind is free of tormenting “wish I had”, “I should have”, “gosh I could have”, “why didn't I” type thoughts. Nor are you plagued by the “what is next” thing encroaching on your mind and, you find peace.

This is why and how meditation works, as your mind becomes quiet, your body becomes peaceful. When you learn how to live that way all of the time, you begin to live in peace, grace and understanding dawns upon you.

 

Next question is how do I do this “staying in my now” thing? It is an inherent trait; you are born with this ability. Watch a child at play how many times does Mom have to call before the child realizes there is something going on outside his now? In actuality you, as an adult, do it more than you think. Remember a time when you were doing something that made time seem to stand still? You were doing it then. Just become consciously aware of what you are doing, where you are doing it and with whom, even if it is just yourself. That is being in your now. Yes, it is a process; yes, you have to work at it a bit and truly all you need to do is to remember it. Anything you have ever done required the same investment to make it a part of your daily life. Learning to walk, talk, drive and yes to think. This is just a calmer, more productive, satisfying and peaceful way to do the thinking.

 

I congratulate you on your decision to pursue this path and I wish you Love, Light, Laughter and Bright Blessings as well as new things to grace your path. Chessie

 

© Chessie Roberts 2011, all rights reserved