I recently participated in Interactive Health’s webinar on “The Power of Mindfulness” and it reiterated a theme that’s been in my heart, “living in the now.” This message has resonated with me because that’s what we’ve been talking about at my church recently. So, hearing it again, through a secular medium, was emphatic. I bet the idea of being present seems almost impossible to most of us; well, at least for me, it does. Our minds are constantly wandering back and forth. We focus on the past. We think of what we could have done, or said, or what we did do or say. This leads to feelings of regret, guilt, and shame. We focus on the future, wondering whether we’ll get that new job, or that raise, or whether that relationship will ever get better, and the list could go on. This results in feelings of fear, anxiety, and depression. But here’s some advice, how about just be present? Live in the now! This quote by Bill Keane helps put things in perspective, “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present.” Being present isn’t about being careless or mindless or totally ignoring the past or future. It is about channeling our focus and awareness effectively. We acknowledge the past to understand what is and use the present to shape what will be.
So, how can we be present?