LIVING IN THE NOW

seeking self enlightenment

Date: 10 June 2008

self enlightenment exercise no. 9

In the privacy of your thoughts,

Think of something in the future, that you worry a lot about.
Think of something in the past that you regret.
Think of something in the future you wish to happen.
Think of a time in your past, you wish you could return to.

Now try to focus on the present moment, as it is in your life right now.

Notice how wishful and regretful thoughts try to distract you from appreciating the present moment.

NOTES
The actual experience of life can be completely missed by dwelling on thoughts about the past and future.

Please post a comment or question below, about how you got on with this exercise. I will gladly post a reply.

If your thoughts tend to focus too much on the past, you might want to listen to this audio meditation.
http://www.meditainment.com/regret/

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nice post, it's so difficult to be 'in the now' in day-to-day life, thanx for reminding me to make it happen :)

# By Will | 16/06/08 21:06

Yes, keep reminding yourself to live in the now. Ironically, you will actually find that you become more effective in planning for the future and learning from the past.

# By Richard | 01/07/08 14:07

An excellent exercise Richard. My thoughts are too much in the past at the moment which makes it difficult to focus on the future or even the present. Read this exercise and you are so right remind myself to start living in the 'now' there is so much to learn from living in the now. Thank you.

# By Teresa | 10/07/08 20:29

That is a really great excersize, there is also one that asks you to think of ten years past, then ten years from now, and boy when I did that I most certainly thanked my stars for the NOW. Yes those things that run thru our mind are so distracting, and what is sad, is that most people think that is their true mind and get stuck with these thoughts. Really like the blog.

# By Rita | 14/07/08 14:00

You can say that again! I find myself worrying about the future and wallowing in nostalgia almost constantly! One thing I've also discovered is that I've conveniently forgotten the less than enjoyable aspects of my past years. Someday in the future, I may well be looking back on these present times and wish I could return HERE. Not a good way to live!

# By Elly | 28/07/08 14:18

Hi Elly,
Interesting what you say about how the past is sometimes remembered better than it actually seemed at the time. Yes, there is a 'rose tinted' aspect to nostalgia.

# By Richard Latham | 28/07/08 14:41

Living in the Now, the power of being present feel the cool breeze after a storm, feel the warmth of a sunny day. How refreshing after every dark nights there is the Sun waiting to cheer us up just for today. An abundant life, a happy life, joy and laughter is a matter of choice. Memories are like pages in a book. The Future are the unwritten pages. Today we can make a difference.

# By Lucy | 05/08/08 04:23

Thank you Richard for riminding me that life really is living in the now. I spend so much time on either end of the scale, ( i am learning to reduce my time there)When i am in awareness I feel the peace and serenity of being with oneness.
Hmmmm.

# By Rhonda | 18/10/08 06:35

There is no time in the past I would return to. I am very happy in the moment - always have been and always will be.

The now builds the future to come and spreads out like a complex cobweb infront of us of opportunity and adventure.

I also never regret the past. It is by our mistakes in the past that we most learn - and it is the past that has made me who I am today.

This very second we get the chance to start again. Every second. How fabulous is that.

Dot xx

# By Dot | 21/10/08 11:06

I could easily think up things from the past and the future; however, when I then returned to the now, it was easy to remain there. I'm not sure if that is because I have learned to train my mind where I generally want it, and that is on right now, which is the only moment I really have. I'd like to think that I could do it not because I was forcing and directing my mind, but because 'the now' has become more a habit...a repeated exercise. Good stuff. Very important to remember when I get disconnected to the present because I want something restored from my past or I'm worried about loss in the future.

# By Joe | 25/05/09 00:58

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