You've probably heard people talk about how they "live life in the here and now," or "live in the moment." Upon hearing phrases such as these, what thoughts come to mind for you? Do you think the whole idea of living in the here and now, or in the present moment is too unrealistic, impossible or downright ridiculous? Does the idea baffle, astonish or intrigue you?
Up until quite recently, when I heard others discussing the empowerment and confidence that living in the present moment brought them, I found myself thinking, "Well, that's great for them, but that philosophy could never work for me." Somehow, in my own mind, I'd equated life in the present moment as some sort of cop out or get out of jail free card. I considered it to be irresponsible or careless to simply live for the moment. Have you ever seen it in that way?
A few months ago, I had a very disturbing encounter with someone, which left me fearful, and on edge. I dreaded having another brutal confrontation with this person. I became pretty paranoid over the incident, and had a desperate wish not to ever hear from the other person ever again.
Sometime after this encounter, I was again reminded of the "life in the present moment" philosophy. This time, given my fear and paranoia, I began to wonder if it really had some merit after all. So I tried a little experiment. I wanted to see if I could attempt to live life in the here and now for a whole day, just going with the flow, and taking life's circumstances as they came. I learned a lot from my experiment. Though it was not a total success, I was able to discover a number of extremely wonderful benefits from focusing on the present moment. Here are a few of my discoveries.
Living in the present moment assisted me in decreasing my worry and anxiety. When I focused on the present moment, without dwelling on my past or envisioning my future, I discovered that my anxiety level lessened considerably, and my worries seemed minimal. I was able to focus on the tasks, situations and circumstances at hand instead of dwelling on yesterday's mistakes or tomorrow's issues.
I became more motivated. As I concentrated all of my energies on the here and now, I became motivated to give one hundred percent of my attention to what I was currently working on. I finished tasks more easily, with less effort and in a way that made me very content. My work was really up to my standards, since I was giving it complete and total concentration. That was a terrific discovery, indeed.
Life's lessons had a greater impact. For instance, while concentrating on the here and now, if I experienced an inspirational thought, an intuitive nudge or an "ah ha" moment, I found it easy to pay attention to whatever that God, Spirit, my Higher Self, was trying to tell me. Because that moment had just occurred, and I was so intensely focused on my present, I couldn't simply shrug it off or come back to it for later pondering! I learned that each special inspiration was there to teach me something, and I was able to learn and integrate these great little lessons more easily and effectively through being in the present moment. And since I was focused on, and grateful for these inspirational, intuitive and thought-provoking moments, I received more and more similar experiences - the law of attraction in action!
Finally, focusing on the present moment allowed me to enjoy life's little pleasures all the more. The happy songs of birds outside my window, the chatter of a squirrel in a nearby tree, the lilt of classical music pouring from my stereo speakers, became all the sweeter when I gave them my full attention. The sweetness of life's simple beauties became more and more evident to me. I grew to appreciate life more, and to cherish its wonder.
My experiment lasted only 24 hours, so just imagine the results that can occur if we attempt to live in the present moment all the time? Needless to say, I'm no longer skeptical about the "here and now" philosophy, and make it a point to cherish each golden moment with which I am presented. May you, too, learn to enjoy the magic and wonder of each moment of your life, may they teach you all they have to teach, and may you be richly blessed by life's precious little discoveries!
Copyright © 2007 Kim Loftis.
Kim Loftis is a certified life and spiritual coach, devoted to assisting her clients in leading happier, more peaceful and more fulfilled lives. Please visit Kim's website Heartsong for her comprehensive list of coaching services, upcoming teleclasses, free inspirational newsletter, and much more. Kim would be delighted to assist you!
