How to Live in the Present Moment

[Jonathan Mead]

I recently wrote about this in my blog. I'd be interested in hearing everyones thoughts about what the obstacles are that keep us from living in the present and how to overcome them. Any comments on my article would be greatly appreciated as well.

"Sometimes you smile because of your joy, but sometimes your joy can come from your smile" -Thich Nhat Hanh

[JOHNSHED]

Echart explains it well. Echart Tolle - The Power of Now.

[JOHNSHED]

Just read your Blog....It was talking to me and made absolute sense.GREAT.

[supertom]

Its easy when your in nature, it hard to be anywhere but the present moment, so when i move house im going to make a nice garden where i can sit.

[LifeCrisisGuy]

Hi Johanthan, I visited your blog post. I left a comment there. There I said:

Hi, I agree that we should live in the present, not the past, because what is real is the present. The past was gone and will never come back. But I think we should also plan for the future especially if we want to have a better future. The future will be real and will become the present. No one wants the future to become a bad present and a bad past with regrets.

Good post anyway. But I think as we live on, life is more complicated than what we think it is. The present is real, but what will become or determine what the present will be is the future. So, we do actually need to think about the future too. I guess, what you're saying is to enjoy the present. Then, I agree.

[Jonathan Mead]

Originally Posted by LifeCrisisGuy

Hi Johanthan, I visited your blog post. I left a comment there. There I said:

Hi, I agree that we should live in the present, not the past, because what is real is the present. The past was gone and will never come back. But I think we should also plan for the future especially if we want to have a better future. The future will be real and will become the present. No one wants the future to become a bad present and a bad past with regrets.

Good post anyway. But I think as we live on, life is more complicated than what we think it is. The present is real, but what will become or determine what the present will be is the future. So, we do actually need to think about the future too. I guess, what you're saying is to enjoy the present. Then, I agree.

Thanks for reading and thank you for the comment. I would say that even if you're intending the future, you're doing it in the present. It's important that we remember this, then we can direct the future-present in any way we like. Becoming more aware of the present can only help this because you'll become more aware of the thoughts you are intending now. =)

[supertom]

i just read about this in "new earth" tolle says enthusiasm shows that your living in the present moment while working on a goal.

[Travors]

Hi Jonathan, I really liked you post. The part about music for meditation is a fantastic idea and one that had never occurred to me before. I read some good advice on Living in the moment in "The Monk who sold his Ferrari", I'd really recommend that book to anyone who wants to focus more on now.

I also wrote about focusing on now in my own blog recently, it's here My post is about how to stop worrying and projecting and therefore bring yourself back to today. you might like!

[Joely]

Originally Posted by Travors

Hi Jonathan, I really liked you post. The part about music for meditation is a fantastic idea and one that had never occurred to me before. I read some good advice on Living in the moment in "The Monk who sold his Ferrari", I'd really recommend that book to anyone who wants to focus more on now.

I also wrote about focusing on now in my own blog recently, it's here My post is about how to stop worrying and projecting and therefore bring yourself back to today. you might like!

I love your article - short and sweet. I especially love the Mark Twain quote.

[Travors]

Originally Posted by Joely

I love your article - short and sweet. I especially love the Mark Twain quote.

Thanks Joely! Yes it's a great quote, really captures the futility of worry.

[Angela]

That is a nice article, and I love the photographs you use in your blog.

The thing is: you are always living in the present moment, no matter what you do or focus on. The present moment is all we have, ever. So "trying to live in the moment" is a funny thing to do -- like trying to breathe, or trying to pump blood through your body.

I think being really vital in the moment, for me, means surrender surrender surrender. Letting go of whatever there is to let go of that has me fighting with the moment, arguing with reality. All the memories, worry, denial, irritation, shoulds, and judgements -- they're always going to be there for me to give up. They're not going to just stop showing up in my head until, finally one day they will for good! My job is to be alert, and not get fooled into thinking those things are Who I Am, and to surrender, and then surrender, and then surrender.

I am looking forward to reading the rest of your lovely blog. (d'oh! that's the future! happy anticipation is so much more fun than worry. )

[z1freeride]

Originally Posted by Angela

That is a nice article, and I love the photographs you use in your blog.

The thing is: you are always living in the present moment, no matter what you do or focus on. The present moment is all we have, ever. So "trying to live in the moment" is a funny thing to do -- like trying to breathe, or trying to pump blood through your body.

I think being really vital in the moment, for me, means surrender surrender surrender. Letting go of whatever there is to let go of that has me fighting with the moment, arguing with reality. All the memories, worry, denial, irritation, shoulds, and judgements -- they're always going to be there for me to give up. They're not going to just stop showing up in my head until, finally one day they will for good! My job is to be alert, and not get fooled into thinking those things are Who I Am, and to surrender, and then surrender, and then surrender.

I am looking forward to reading the rest of your lovely blog. (d'oh! that's the future! happy anticipation is so much more fun than worry. )

I think it's possible to not be living in the moment. I've seen people put way too much effort into thinking about the past (Napolean Dynamite football guy) which can lead to regret or on the flip side extreme nostalgia. And there's a lot of dreamers out there who fantasize about the future but nothing ever gets done.

[ticktockclok]

I agree with the others. You're always living in the present moment. What you have to do is direct your thoughts to be in the present moment.

[Angela]

Originally Posted by z1freeride

I think it's possible to not be living in the moment. I've seen people put way too much effort into thinking about the past (Napolean Dynamite football guy) which can lead to regret or on the flip side extreme nostalgia. And there's a lot of dreamers out there who fantasize about the future but nothing ever gets done.

Sure, we think about the past and our future to the extent that we aren't really present to what's going on Now. Our attention and intention is somewhere other than here & now. Regardless, Now is all we've got. All that worry and regret and nostalgia and anxiety is happening right now in the current moment, and we try to cram the past and future into it. But it doesn't work, as you say. Nothing ever gets done. Old pain sticks around. I think you and I are saying the same thing in different ways.

[eblight]

It's amazing how much energy goes into worrying about the future and often regreting the past. All these thoughts make stories that can play constantly in our heads. I notice that when I am focused and present in each moment how effortless life is. When I am worrying about something, that is, out there in the future somewhere my energy lowers and I can become quite listless and lethargic.

[Jim11]

Jonathan - Your article was pretty good. I've heard most of the stuff before, maybe because we've read some of the same things, but I like your version of it.

Thich Nhat Hanh quote - have you read much of his? I like his stuff. Peace is every step was the first book I read on mindfulness.
what other books have you found particularly good?

[Jonathan Mead]

Originally Posted by Travors

Hi Jonathan, I really liked you post. The part about music for meditation is a fantastic idea and one that had never occurred to me before. I read some good advice on Living in the moment in "The Monk who sold his Ferrari", I'd really recommend that book to anyone who wants to focus more on now.

I also wrote about focusing on now in my own blog recently, it's here My post is about how to stop worrying and projecting and therefore bring yourself back to today. you might like!

Thank you Travors! Stan Richardson is a great artist to listen to for meditation. I was turned on to him from a recommendation from Tina Su @ Think Simple Now. She has a lot of fantastic articles as well as a "meditation 101".

Originally Posted by Angela

That is a nice article, and I love the photographs you use in your blog.

The thing is: you are always living in the present moment, no matter what you do or focus on. The present moment is all we have, ever. So "trying to live in the moment" is a funny thing to do -- like trying to breathe, or trying to pump blood through your body.

I think being really vital in the moment, for me, means surrender surrender surrender. Letting go of whatever there is to let go of that has me fighting with the moment, arguing with reality. All the memories, worry, denial, irritation, shoulds, and judgements -- they're always going to be there for me to give up. They're not going to just stop showing up in my head until, finally one day they will for good! My job is to be alert, and not get fooled into thinking those things are Who I Am, and to surrender, and then surrender, and then surrender.

I am looking forward to reading the rest of your lovely blog. (d'oh! that's the future! happy anticipation is so much more fun than worry. )

Thank you Angela for your kind words. I'm new to this whole blogging thing so your comments mean a lot to me. It's true that the present is always have and that it's all we're ever in. However, our attention is what to me, really makes the difference. When our attention is on the illusion of the future or past, we're not really living in the now (although we are). It seems like a contradiction, but you know what I mean. =)

I think you might like my newest article as well, if you haven't read it: Smile, Life is a Miracle. I just wanted to let you know that I always love hearing your responses to threads here as well, you always have something thought provoking and insightful to say, it really brings a positive energy to the forums.

Originally Posted by Jim11

Jonathan - Your article was pretty good. I've heard most of the stuff before, maybe because we've read some of the same things, but I like your version of it.

Thich Nhat Hanh quote - have you read much of his? I like his stuff. Peace is every step was the first book I read on mindfulness.
what other books have you found particularly good?

Jim: For me, it's kind of like a constant reminder. It's easy to get caught up in worrying about the future or regretting the past. Writing that article really helped me gain more clarity on the situation. I think you can often find the best way to really learn how you feel about something is trying to teach others about it.

I have read Peace is Every Step, it's a wonderfully insightful book and I often read a passage or two before bed to help remind me to be mindful. I haven't read any of his other book (yet). If you have any recommendations, I'd love to know what some of his other good books are.

[evrgrn3]

I think what keeps us from living in the present is the desire for more than what the present is bringing us. If you are having an absolutely great time -- great fun, celebration, hanging out with friends, intimate moments, etc -- there is no problem staying in the present.

But when it gets a bit boring, or scary, depressing, or even just in a pondering mood it becomes easy to think to the past for a better memory or begin to wish for the future for what it may hold.

But who is to say what is good and what is bad...is not every moment pure unto itself? So, I believe the trick is to redefine what is good vs. what is bad. Accept each moment as its true potential, and the need for future and past start to fade away.