A life changing experiment.

Trust The Now

After a long conversation with my friend last night who is not really into any of the things I am and works in a fast paced corporate environment, we both had a moment of clarity.

I have tried explaining the benefits of presence before but there was always a gap in our understanding of the way life works and I was looking for a way of simplifying how to live a life of present moment awareness and how it could work. Especially for someone in his work environment. The good thing is that no matter how stressful, presence can bring you clarity and peace in any situation.

My past explanations were always met with rebuttals like, "I need to thing and scheme my way to the top in order to achieve my goals, your advocating sitting around and doing nothing and thats not going to get me anywhere."

After remaining present in our conversation it came to me and I was able to explain it very simply is a way that made it even more clear for myself. It goes like this.

The way to live a happy, peaceful, suffer-free life is to trust the present moment at all times. Thats it. No matter what your doing, once that voice starts creeping up in your head saying, "should this be happening to me? This just isnt fair! Why is this stuff always happening to me!" All you have to do is trust that you are EXACTLY where you are supposed to be. Unyielding trust, and then comes the MAGIC. What do I mean by magic? Try it and see.

Now it might not come right away, but it will happen. I have had people coming up to me lately asking me how I seem so relaxed all the time in such a crazy world and I have been looking for a way to explain, and this is it. Trust the present moment. Now once you start doing it, your conditioned mind and ego will fire right up and put you in a situation to test you. I knew that would be my friends next question. "So I surrender like you have and then what, what if that leads to something terrible at work?"

Thats when non-labeling comes in. You will be tested but if you can consciously make an effort not to label it as good or bad, you will begin to become free from your mind, and thats the goal. To live life like a modern day shaman. A shaman has a deep inner knowing that wherever he is, whatever situation he is in, he means to be there. He arrives exactly when he is supposed to. Imagine having complete faith in every waking moment of your life that what your doing is exactly what you are supposed to be doing. A while new world will be opened up and life will do a 180. Have patience and you will be hooked. Its not as hard as it sounds.

Thats it. Simple. Two parts. Fake it till you make it.
1. Trust the present moment (no matter what)
2. Don't label situations as good or bad

Try it for a month and I guarantee you will see what I am talking about.

The veil will be lifted.

PS for more info on mindfulness click the NOW thread in my sig below.


[edit on 14-9-2009 by bringthelight]

But how will i wallow in self pity if i live in the now? I need a comparative measure of unhappiness, quantifiable from past experiences

Great thread Sir (/Madam). Have you read The Tao of Pooh? It may be for kids, but i guarantee every adult should read it.

Makes sense... Just remember "No Matter Where You Go...There You Are" , when something like that comes my way I have a conversation in my head that goes "really?.... (insert crappy thing here) now?... :::Takes a deep breath::: ok , I'll play along. I sort of center myself and see the situation for what it actually is to me at that moment It's neither Good nor Bad it simply IS. I'm getting better at it but sometimes something comes at me from left field and I'll get out of character and actually "React" to it. Only In hindsight will I notice the "why" of my reaction. But when I'm "IN IT" sometimes the "Reason" or the "lesson" evades me.

reply to post by bringthelight


Hey, while I feel it is impossible to explain how I live my life, you have a hit a nail close enough to it.

You could have also shortened that whole post and just done this...

This reminds me of Star Trek:Insurrection where a woman, Anij,
tries to teach Picard to "live in the moment".

[edit on 14-9-2009 by Sundreez]

reply to post by PrisonerOfSociety


Well done sir. Great article and I never knew there was so much to be learned from Winnie the Pooh. I loved him as a kid and now I can see why. Thank you for the suggestion!

Another question I know I will get,

"well if i just go around accepting what is, where do i get my direction in life, what do I do next?"

Go with what resonates. Have you ever had a feelig when you read something or saw something on tv that was like, "hey I would really enjoy doing that!"

Like learning to play guitar, or break out the art set. You have this feeling and you get a rush of energy but we usually fail to act on it. Resonation is a feeling that is can happen from reading something, remembering something, a random thought, hearing, seeing, whatever. It is something that just feels right and agrees with you. Instead of ignoring it, DIVE IN 100%. If you want to start playing the piano, go on youtube and there are how to's on just about evry song out there. You could literally master a song on the piano with the aid of youtube in a week if you wanted to.

Cant figure out your next move at work? Coming from a place of presence instead of a place of fear for survival, it will be made clear to you what the right move is. Get into a relaxed state, meditate on your breath for 20 mins and then contemplate.
Go with what resonates and trust it when you get there.

Does a life with no more worries sound good to you?

The past is history, tomorrow is a mystery hence then all we have is the present, that is why it is called a gift

Originally posted by EyesWideShut
Makes sense... Just remember "No Matter Where You Go...There You Are" , when something like that comes my way I have a conversation in my head that goes "really?.... (insert crappy thing here) now?... :::Takes a deep breath::: ok , I'll play along. I sort of center myself and see the situation for what it actually is to me at that moment It's neither Good nor Bad it simply IS. I'm getting better at it but sometimes something comes at me from left field and I'll get out of character and actually "React" to it. Only In hindsight will I notice the "why" of my reaction. But when I'm "IN IT" sometimes the "Reason" or the "lesson" evades me.

That is a very astute observation. When we are "IN IT" we are literally unconscious. We can not see. Being conscious is like being lucid in the dreaming world. We can start to shape and create our own reality. Keep with it, it gets easier.

I learned something simialar as a teen that has stuck with me all my life...so far.

"whatever you are doing is the most important thing in the universe"

The present momemt is the only thing you have any control over. BTW that doesn't mean you can't plan for the future.

Living in the present is all but impossible. It is NOT possible to live anywhere else. As experience and logical reasoning suggests that if you travel to the future or past, they become the present because you are experiencing them. That is the consequence of a 3rd dimensional mindset. We can only experience the present as a single moment in time, on a continuous and streaming timeline.

Living in the present holds very true even for a 4th dimensional mindset. Cause in the 4th dimension, time is irrelevant and all time exists as a single point of experience. The concept of a linear timeline blurs into one point of eternal experience. The forever now that is all the NOWS that have ever been experienced.

Good thread!

[edit on 14-9-2009 by Mr. Toodles]

Everyone has made very good points about living in the now and surrendering to it. It really is all we have. The thing is, a lot of people think that they cant do it or its not for them.

I am here to challenge you, any takers?

Be sure to report back with any experiences or questions.

I know it sounds hard but its not. Give it a shot for a week even. Im telling you it is magic! You will literally start to enjoy every moment like you have just arrived at your favorite vacation destination, thats the best way I can describe it.

I just need one person to give it a shot. Then the testimonials come and more people try...help me spread happiness!

Originally posted by bringthelight

I am here to challenge you, any takers?

I would love to take your challenge, but fortunately I have been living my life this way for the better part of 6 months.

I do "slip" on occasion and revert to living in the past and the future, but coming back to the present is becoming easier as I go along.

Thank-You for putting this into words that most can understand, as I have been unable to at times.

Living in this way WILL improve your life 10 fold..

I am proof

You know what, you are absolutely correct.This is the way I live my life and have done for a very long while.Its funny, though, I never really realised how much until I read this thread.

I live in the here and now, I try not to worry about the future, as I just know that the future will be whatever happens, and hopefully life will throw lots of opportunities my way. I got out of the 'rat race' a long while ago and I am so glad. I don't have to stress out about getting to work and deadlines etc, I just relax and let life happen, and I am a much happier person for it. I hve let go of most of my issues from the past, you cant change it so why worry about it?

Think about it, Most people you know are probably either stressed out planning for the future, or stressed out thinking about the past. You are so right, people need to let go and just enjoy the here and now. stop existing and start living.

reply to post by bringthelight


I'm going to try this. I'm going through a situation right now... since we're not using labels, I'll just call it that. A situation. To be precise, a break up. Anyway, I've spent the past few days wondering about what could have been, what could happen in the future, what should have happened in the past and blah blah blah. I have been VERY depressed and stressed myself to almost my breaking point and haven't even eaten since the day before yesterday. My appetite is gone.

So, I will be your guinea pig and will report in every now and then.

And I feel odd putting this here on ATS, but for all you praying people or people that send healing energy or light or whatever... I need all I can get! I promise to try to my best to just focus on the NOW though. We'll see how it goes.

I hope this works at tax time, when I haven't saved any money because I didn't need to "right then". Think they'll let me slide since the taxable income was earned in the past?

Sorry, had to. This is actually a great thread, and a wonderful mind-set. I've been fond of telling people that the world won't look any different, unless you look at it differently.

Those of us who are constantly lamenting over the past, and paranoid about the future (the second one applies to most of us, here on ATS), completely miss the present altogether.

While I began this post with a comment that seems to detract from the spirit of the thread, I have to admit that letting go, does indeed work out, at least for me. I'm not a religious person by any means, and I don't use the word "faith" in a religious context here. However, when I'm faced with a difficult situation, if I have "faith" that everything will turn out fine, more often than not, the universe has an amazing knack for putting everything just the way it needs to be.

This concept can trace its roots back to the old saying "Everything happens for a reason". I look back on events in my life, that caused turmoil and anguish for years. But now, I sure am glad these things happened to me, because I am here only because I was once there.

Great thread!

Originally posted by gemineye
reply to post by bringthelight

 

I'm going to try this. I'm going through a situation right now... since we're not using labels, I'll just call it that. A situation. To be precise, a break up. Anyway, I've spent the past few days wondering about what could have been, what could happen in the future, what should have happened in the past and blah blah blah. I have been VERY depressed and stressed myself to almost my breaking point and haven't even eaten since the day before yesterday. My appetite is gone.

So, I will be your guinea pig and will report in every now and then.

And I feel odd putting this here on ATS, but for all you praying people or people that send healing energy or light or whatever... I need all I can get! I promise to try to my best to just focus on the NOW though. We'll see how it goes.

Thank you Gemineye, you are very brave. When you are in what your brain calls a tough time, the moments you spend in the present will be magnified because you will appreciate it more. Stay with it my friend and be sure to u2u me with anything you feel is too personal and I will do my best to help. I look forward to hearing about your journey. Stay present

** Also a big thanks to the people who chimed in with testimonials. It will help give motivation to those brave enough to surrender and break free of many years of conditioning done to the brain.

reply to post by bringthelight


Ok, I'll post a little update.

I've been trying my hardest to stay in the "now" and I do feel a bit better. Until today, I had been sleeping as much as possible just so I wouldn't be awake to think. I mentioned earlier that I hadn't been eating because my appetite was gone. Tonight, I went out and had a nice meal with my sis. It was the first time I had really been out of the house to do anything besides go to work since the whole "situation" started. There was one day I even left work early because I was so down.

In order to stay in the present, I've literally had to remind myself of what I'm doing at any given moment, to keep my mind from wondering. I stood in the shower earlier, mentally repeating to myself, "I'm in the shower, I'm in the shower..." LOL! Sounds a little nutty but it worked! When I catch my mind wandering I jump back to the present and I do think it's helping.

Will continue to update!

reply to post by gemineye


Question for you: Have you heard, read, or seen anything lately that has really caught your attention. Something that when you though about doing it or getting more into it, filled you with energy and excitement? Something that resonated with you on a deep level?

If you haven't yet, keep your eyes open and stay aware. Something new is ready to come into your life to fill the space and create an amazing change with in you. Don't let it pass you by! Dive in head first and you will be truly amazed at the outcome.

ps - keep up the good work! When you brought yourself to the present in the shower it took effort, and that the more effort or energy you put in, the more magic you will begin to see.

[edit on 19-9-2009 by bringthelight]