Personal Growth Planet Blog

I’ve heard before messages counseling us all to live in the present moment from wise ones such as Eckhart Tolle and others. These teachings make a lot of sense to me– but rarely do I truly do this for any length of time.

But, after a recent breathwork session led by our dear friends Paula and Christopher Easton, I decided to really put this idea into practice.

At the session, Christopher Easton reminded us to “respond in the present moment.” The very next day– still glowing from my breathwork experience– I began my radical experiment.

For 1 week I would live more of the time in the present moment.

If that challenge doesn’t sound all that radical to you, I’m betting that you’ve not actually tried this for an extended period of time.

In theory, living in the present moment may seem like no big deal. But, have you ever observed your thoughts and all of the places that they tend to go?

For me, there is a lot of planning that often goes on.

I plan out what I want to do that weekend, or a series of weekends.
I plan out what I will wear to an upcoming special event.
I plan meals, ingredients and cook times.
I plan out time frames within which to get chores done.
I plan out time frames within which to do fun stuff with my family.
I plan out articles that I intend to write.
I sometimes even plan out what I will say to my husband, my kids, friends or other family members about a particular topic.

Phew, that’s a lot of planning.

Even if you’re not a planner like I tend to be, it’s quite likely that your mind runs a thousand miles a minute about things that aren’t going on right now.

Let me back up… There is nothing necessarily wrong with planning or thinking ahead. Sometimes it makes sense to think through how you might most effectively get done what you want to get done in a full day, for example.

It can be wonderfully fun– and powerful as well– to envision your dream vacation, dream home, dream job or dream relationship. This can actually help you manifest that dream, whatever it is.

It is also certainly okay to remember a past event. Reminiscing about a romantic date with your partner or even tapping into the sadness of a difficult memory can be inspiring and even healing– as long as you don’t become stuck there.

But when any of us spend the bulk of our time planning, dreaming or focused on the past, we miss so much of the rich stuff that’s going on right now.

As boring or even difficult your present moment might seem to be, if you open up to it, you’re apt to find more to appreciate. From that place of appreciation and presence, you can have a happier and more fulfilling now.

I’ll be the first to admit that my radical experiment was not the easiest undertaking for me. The 1 week has stretched into 2 weeks now. I’m realizing that this living in the present moment stuff truly does require deliberate practice.

So I am continuing on. Here are a few of the a-ha moments that I’ve had so far that keep me going with what I intend to be a new way of living….

#1) My day-to-day life is clearer and more vivid.
I am focused in on the person with whom I am talking, the music I am listening to and the flowers that are blooming when I am present. It can be like lifting a veil– everything is crisp and vibrant.

#2) I can choose which aspects of my present moment I will concentrate upon.
So what if my son is grumpy, my shoulders ache and my cat is irritating me– I can recognize those things and maybe even doing something about them. But I can also consciously choose to focus upon the parts of my now that bring me greater ease and even joy.

#3) I can return to the present moment at any time.
No matter how far away I get from the present, I can always bring myself back. I’ve found it useful to say the words “right here, right now” to myself when I realize that I’ve drifted off to the past or the future. Along with a deep breath, these words have become my signal to re-direct my focus to the now.

#4) I can more easily hear my inner voice and know what I truly want to do.
Without the clutter of thoughts about the past or the future, voila, that wise and honest inner voice of mine can come through loud and clear.

#5) I feel more energized and alive.
It is amazing to me how much more relaxed and energetic I feel when I hone in on the present moment. Rather than letting myself get bogged down in questions about how I will get everything done or why did I do things that way, I look at what’s going on for me now. It is literally freeing.

I take another step in my life as it is at this moment. I inhale and I exhale. I appreciate, I cry, I laugh, I sing, I yell, I talk, I hug. I am. Right here, right now.

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Tags: appreciation, Eckhart Tolle, present, present moment, Relationships, Relaxation