The Magic of Being in the Here and Now
It has been said that life is experience. It is indeed the only place where life exists. In recognition of this, to really get something out of the experience, it’s necessary to commit one’s self to being in the here and now as opposed to living the effects of the past. If you can distinguish the difference, then you have the keys to personal effectiveness, achievement and happiness.
How do you do this? Let’s start with an analogy…
Remember when you were a child, and your earliest walks in the park? You may remember that during those walks everything around you was so clear—the beauty of nature, the unexplored and the great unknown—and how it made you feel so alive and in the here and now. Then, as you grow, the next few times you didn’t feel quite so alive, because you got the idea that you’ve ‘seen those things in the park before.’ Then, as time went on, you felt even less invigorated by the experience than previously, for the same reason as before, and so on. Now, by the time you have reached adulthood, you don’t pay that much attention to the beauty of the surroundings while walking in the park—you’ve seen it all before! This ‘seen it all before’ feeling means you are no longer truly present, or feeling truly ‘alive’ with life in that moment.
However, something can happen that allows you to see things in a different light. It might be that you’re in such a good mood, or it’s a beautiful carefree morning, or for no reason whatsoever, you suddenly find yourself blissfully in the here and now while walking in the park. Notice this when it happens!
Because you’re in this state, you look around and notice things you hadn’t seen before. The shades of green on a grassy verge, the leaf venation on the different trees come right into your attention in the moment, then you distinguish the different birds surrounding you. You hear things that you may not have been aware of before. In other words you realize you had not ‘seen it all before’ because living in the here and now means seeing some of the infinite details in things you hadn’t observed before.
Now we can take this further. It’s not just about seeing things in the park, it’s about being mindful of life in general. When making an ongoing commitment to being in the here and now you have the keys to personal effectiveness. It is an opportunity for achievement because:
1. It allows creative moments to
happen: For example, when fully present, you see a project you have on the go in a different light, which allows you to bring something new into existence and into being.
2. It gives rise to realization or insight: Insights or realizations in the moment enable you to go on to achieve things that you would not have been able to do without those realizations or insights.
3. You may recognize something new: You may observe something new that was not distinguished before (attention to detail) by others. By observing something new it could mean seeing things in a ‘new light’, prompting a whole new direction.
4. Creating a clear head without thought or distraction can allow the self to be peaceful, calm and healthy: An example of this is in the benefits of meditation as a commitment to being in the here and now.
5. Just be in the bliss, the beauty, and benefit what life has to offer!
So, what could you get out of renewing your commitment to yourself to being in the here and now?
yogaesoteric
June 2, 2017