I spend a lot of time working with people, businesses, and corporations to get them interested in the present. At the end of this article, I'll talk about why I think this is important in business and in my own life.
A guy named Eckhart Tolle wrote a book called "The Power of Now," which was one of the books I used to sell at my centre in Bournemouth. People who came to classes, workshops, and consultations at the centre would often tell me how great it was and give me tidbits of information about what it was about. For a number of years, I would sometimes think, "Yeah, I really should read that book," but I kept putting it off (yes, I realise the irony in this!) But I'm already convinced of the power of the present moment for a few reasons:
My first reason is that there is only this moment.
I think this is by far the best reason to pay attention to what is happening right now. Yesterday doesn't exist except as a memory, which we all know isn't always accurate. When you lived yesterday, it was now. Tomorrow doesn't exist either, unless you make it up. When tomorrow comes around, it will be now. Since it's the only thing there is, it's a good idea to get to know it. Try doing the following...
- Sit down with your feet flat on the floor and your back straight (spine straight, hands on your thighs or at your sides, breathing comfortably.) Let yourself notice the different sounds, sights, smells, and feelings around you, whether your eyes are open or closed. Now is the here and now.
You're right. This is the present moment, and there are many good reasons to stay as much as possible in the present (in addition to the first reason I gave.)
My second reason is that you're going to get a lot more of it.
If you stop for a moment, you'll realise that everything you do in your life happens in the present. The more at ease you are with the present, the more at ease you will be with those future gifts.
My third reason is that you are in the present.
If you're not sure, look at your hands. The only time you have hands is right now. Rub your fingers together and feel what it's like to be here right now. Because that's where your hands (and the rest of your body) are, so...
My fourth reason is that you can only do something in the present.
You can wish you had done something yesterday (a lot of people do; they regret that...), but yesterday is gone, so it will just stay a wish. You can make plans to do something in the future, but when you do it, it will happen in the present. Right now is the only time you can do something.
My Fifth Reason: You probably want to enjoy yourself wherever you're going. If you make it a habit to enjoy the present, you'll be even better at enjoying the future.
From running with my younger brother, I learned some amazing things. When we ran, trained, and ran races together, he always enjoyed the race and talked about what was going on around us, but I always had my eyes on the finish line. So much can and has been said about how important it is to enjoy and take part in the journey rather than always thinking about what will happen next. Try this one out, too...
- Place the tip of your tongue gently against the roof of your mouth just behind your front teeth (continue to breathe easily.) Imagine that you are holding a tiny drop of oil between the tip of your tongue and the roof of your mouth.
I got this idea from Eric Robbie during a training he did with Michael Breen. I tweaked it a bit and found that it is a great way to stop your internal dialogue. Turning off your internal dialogue is a great way to stop thinking about the past or future and focus on the present. This is especially important if you want to be able to figure out what people are thinking from the signs they give you. Maybe I'll write another article about that conversation I was having with myself.
"The only way to live is to treat each moment as if it were a unique miracle, which is exactly what it is."
— Margaret Storm Jameson
So, how do you connect what you've learned and what I've said to your business or everyday life?
Life and business seem to move faster and faster these days. People have a lot of things to do with their time, so they need all the help they can get to get more done. One of the most common "challenges" that people want help with when I do corporate and business consulting is staying focused and making progress on important business goals or life goals.
As I've looked into why people don't pay attention, I've found that they are often not in the present. Instead, they are thinking about what will happen tomorrow, what happened yesterday, or going over a list of things they need to do later. So, they don't pay attention to the present.
I used to work in Central London, in a place called Victoria. If you've ever been there during rush hour, you know it's a busy place. I find it interesting that you can tell who is paying attention and who is thinking about the past or future. People who are thinking about their day or worrying about what will happen tomorrow are the ones who bump into other people or go in the wrong direction. People who are aware of what's going on around them and are interested in what's going on are balanced, poised, and quick, like a panther.
When you focus your attention and energy on the present, you can get things done faster, solve problems better, and enjoy the process more than you might think. So, thirdly, try to connect with the present moment more and more each day...
- Take a moment to calm down and centre yourself before starting something important. Then, figure out what you want to do, and then start.
I hope the best for you and hope to interact with many more people here in the present.
