Be Here Now. The Art Of Living For Today.
Every year, roughly 1% of your life is gone. Forever.
You won't get it back, nor will it resurface sometime in the future. It's vanished. How bleak and depressing is that?
Yet, the same is true for the future. For all you know, you don't have one.
Life is both short and long, but when you live in the past, or the future, you miss the present.
When you live for today, everything else falls in place. Ask yourself this question.
Marcus Aurelius, a practitioner of stoicism, reminded himself each day to,
“stop whatever you're doing for a moment and ask yourself: Am I afraid of death because I won't be able to do this anymore?"
It's a powerful question to ask yourself. As you get clarity on what it means to you, you'll begin to reshape your goals and execute them in the present.
It's a part of your best week ever.
"The present moment is the only time in which life truly unfolds. You cannot re-live your life in the past, nor can you live your life in the future," says Patrick McKeown in his book The Oxygen Advantage.
Most of humanity is stuck in their head. Some days I feel as though my brain has held me hostage.
It puts the coals on my ADD fire and lights it with a torch.
Don't spend your whole life stuck in your head. Be here fully.
"When the future arrives, it is the now," and take Patrick's advice and ask yourself, "how can you relate to the reality of life if you are too busy focusing on memories, worries, and what-ifs?"
You can practice bringing your attention to the present moment by merging with our surroundings.
You can connect with your surroundings by tapping into the power of your five senses — sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell.
Each is powerful.
When you're walking in the park, notice the trees and how the wind gently touches your skin. Smell the dew in the air. Feel the inhale of air through your nose, invigorating your lungs and body.
Do this with everything.
As you watch your kids play, see their smiles, and listen to their heartfelt laughter.
You must avoid the automatic behavior of analyzing, judging, labeling, and comparing everything you see.
Discard all of it.
Remove yourself from any thought. Look around. See things as if it was your first time seeing it.
Listen to the sounds that surround you. Don't analyze. Listen.
Feel the weight of your body. Feel the temperature against your skin. Feel the clothes hugging your body.
Bring in all your senses.
Take a breath in, and smell the fresh air. Feel the temperature in your nostrils.
Taste the air.
As you live your life like this, "now you are free from thought," says Patrick. "You are like a child, sensing the world around you for the first time."
Practice living in the present, and over time it will become more automatic and natural.
Don't let life escape you. Be here now.
Anytime I'm trapped in my head or living in the past, or future, I tell myself,
"BE HERE NOW!"
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