It’s probably one of the hardest things to master for a human being, but, paradoxically, it can be explained in very few words.

Being present is to realize that your mind has nothing to do with your true self. Your inner self is something more profound, something that cannot be properly articulated.

When you stop identifying yourself with your mind, your past and your future, when you simply feel your inner self, that is when you become present and complete.

Hilariously enough, it is overly hard to stop doing these things and be completely present in the moment. It takes time and willingness to truly master this trait and be able to live in the present 90% of the time. Human beings generally live in the present only 10% of their life.

Realizing that right now is the only thing you have and the fact that your true self is chiefly complete right now represents the core things that bring us happiness.

That’s why some people like extreme sports, because these kind of sports make them seize the moment fully and put a halt to their wandering mind and thoughts, just focusing on the moment right there.

In order to start learning specifically how to live in the present, I recommend you the tremendous book “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle. Also, check his stuff on Instagram and YouTube.

Why should you indeed start focusing on living in the present?

1. You’ll find your true self

You will slowly but surely start not to identify yourself with your thoughts any longer and fully realize that your mind creates the majority of problems, not you. It is like a disease. It’s not you, per se, it’s your mind. Something different,but, paradoxically, a paramount part of you.

You’ll accept yourself as you are. You’ll realize that your mind wants increasingly more things that actually never brings you happiness. It wants more than this, more than that, better than this one, so on , so forth. Having said that, less stress in your life will make you happier and cheerfulness-filled because you know that the most important moment is now, not the future, not the past. Only right now.

“There are only two days in a year that nothing can be done. One is called yesterday and the other is called tomorrow.”

—Dalai Lama

2. You’ll achieve your goals more often

Indeed. Put it into perspective. Of course you have to let your mind wander from time to time, but it should not be the majority of time. Connecting yourself with something deeper than your sheer thoughts is the fulcrum that renders creativity and productivity possible.

Think what you have to achieve and get practical. Stop wandering and pondering afterwards. Within life, it’s not that you don’t know how to do some things, is that you don’t want to take action. We are usually so absorbed in our own thoughts as we either get overwhelmed by them or we grasp them as the actual reality.

Not to mention, whether one is too much in the mind rather than in the moment, there are baleful effects even when the thoughts are positive, not incumbently negative.

“Research mainly shows that while goal vizualization is important, after a certain point our mind begins to confuse it with actual progress.”

– “Ego is the Enemy” by Ryan Holiday

Everybody knows what it takes to be successful, but very few become so. Why? They never live in the present ,but actually with the illusion that in the future they will become this and that. They identify themselves with their seemingly success-filled future and already regard themselves as billionaires, NBA basketball players, lawyers, so on, so foth.

Living in the present allows you to fully focus on what you have to do right now and get the process of getting successful going. Otherwhise, there are only dreams, dreams that the mind thinks are actually real. Your mind is not yourself, is only your mind. Use it, indeed a very useful tool, but realize fully that the most important moment is this one right here, as without knowing how to value it, your mind will become your enemy.

3. You’ll never feel overwhelmed

Did you have days when you are not productive whatsoever and then days when you do just a lot of things and feel truly overwhelmed? Myriads of people too, but don’t worry.

It’s only because of the mind, because of the fact that you’re not living in the very present. Realize that your mind wants more, more and more. It’s not your true self ! When you do nothing whatsoever and you’re not productive at all, it’s because you’re constantly feeling guilty in respect of that.

The first step is, according to Eckart Tolle, acceptance. Accept the fact that you’re procrastinating right now. Funny enough, try to enjoy it! Come to the grips with the fact that you should endeavor to feel that moment in order to become aware of it. Acceptance, awareness, then you will be able to change and take action!

When you find yourself procrastinating, just enjoy it. Be lazy and fully enjoy it. Seize the moment fully and this will allow you to finally get practical and get productive. You want to continuously procrastinate because you are not living in that moment !

The single most effective way to achieve your goals and keep the momentum is to, I know I already said this myriads of times, live in the present moment. Focus on this moment and make the best out of it. It does not matter what the outcome will be, you can’t control it, but you can control your effort from the moment right here. Don’t think that much or don’t think at all what might happen , what you have to do, what problems you might deal with, what bad experiences you had.

One has to think, ponder and analyze, but whether it takes more than 10% of his time, problems might arise.

The present moment is, you’re not going to believe me,happening right here and right now. Do your best!

By the way, my pictures actually had a purpose. Surprisingly, I posted them because, I figured out that focusing too much on becoming more present, reading a lot about this art, listening to Echkart Tolle’s podscasts, does not make me become more present whatsoever. I listen to them at exactly the wrong time. When? When I go for a brisk walk in the park or somewhere surrounded by nature.

Instead of being in the here and now, bombarded by the positive energy of nature, I am in the mind listening to Eckhart Tolle, bombarded by his truly impressive,profound knowledge.

It’s not that I don’t love what Eckart Tolle is preaching. The fact is that,I , metaphorically, missed the forest for the trees.

Whilst nature encloses me, it’s the perfect time to master the art of presence. I must be in the here and now, not in the mind.

Feeling the nature,rather than filling my head with knowledge, at that specific perfect time.

via ODD SCHOOL