When we are fully present in the "now" moment we are completely aware of ourselves , our bodies, our surroundings, and the sensations we experience.. In the now moment we feel more alive and connected with everything. Communication becomes easier, and our intuition becomes a powerful voice we can trust. Synchronicities start fitting together like a puzzle pieces, and we experience the wonder and mystery of life. Being present is an ongoing daily practice. To get present we must let go of our attachments from the past and our expectations of the future.
The first step in letting go of our past is for us to be willing to heal and fully accept what was. We can't change our past, but we can change how we relate to it. When we are creating our future we must be willing to accept different possibilities than the ones we desire. It is important to be engaged in the constructive planning of our future, which we do with our intention, vision, and thoughts. All this planning will simply remain intention, vision, and thoughts unless we take action in the present moment. As we take action in the now to realize our visions, we must stay present and be open to new possibilities of how our visions will manifest. Paying attention to the here and now frees us from both the past and the future. How much time is wasted daily as we relive past encounters and anticipate futures outcome? Live in the present moment with awareness. Integrate life for ourselves.
Mindfulness bring us more "in the present-moment" and enable us to be less caught up in the experiences of the past or the imagination of the future. The simple words of Thich Nhat Hanh take us back to the immediacy of present moment: If I'm incapable of washing dishes joyfully, if I want to finish them quickly so I can go and have a cup of tea, I will be equally incapable of drinking the tea joyfully. With the cup in my hands I will be thinking about what to do next, and the fragrance and the flavor of the tea together with the pleasure of drinking it will be lost. I will always be dragged into the future, never able to live in the present moment. How often do our minds stray from the present moment to the past and future? There are two mental neighborhood we all frequent which put our equanimity at risk. The first is The Past. How much of our thinking time is spent dwelling on what could or should have been? Playing and replaying conversations, arguments and previous events. Re-awakening those old familiar and entirely destructive feeling of desolation or bitterness. In just a flash, however, we can be in the other dangerous suburb, The Future, where plans and anticipation lie waiting for us. The Past is not a reliable place to be, because our memories are flawed. We may spend hours at wonderful party, but, if two drunken guests get into vicious argument towards the end. We are likely to remember the event as complete disaster.
We are very bad in predicting how we feel in The Future. On one hand we have the tendency to overestimate the impact of positive events, believing that a different relationship or new career will result in permanent contentment. On the other hand, we underestimate our ability to bounce back from negative or traumatic events such as the death of someone we love, bankruptcy or a bitter divorce. The one where we tend not to spend so much time with is paradoxically, the one which holds the greatest potential for happiness : The Present.
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