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The Benefits Of Now

Take a moment to reflect on this question: Have you ever been lost in the moment?

Can you remember what it felt like?

  • What were you doing?
  • Was it doing something you enjoyed?
  • When was the last time you had that feeling?
  • Do you remember how you created that feeling?

What if you could manufacture that feeling throughout your day?

Could you be happier more consistently?
Could you feel more accomplished?
Could you feel more fulfilled in your actions?
Could you have more energy?

Would that be of interest to you?

If so then read on to learn how it could be possible.

Being grounded in the now allows you and I to enjoy our life experiences rather than resist them. It’s a fundamental shift of working with your light instead of your darkness.

In many ways being grounded in the now allows our mind to rest and not run amuck on us.

When you’re not present your mind begins telling you stories of the past and trying to project them onto your present moments. If it goes unchecked it can creates fear, worry and anxiety.

However time stands still when you’re in the moment. There is no room for the past when you’re fully in the present and this can provide you (and those around you) with a multitude of gifts.

Some of the benefits of staying grounded in the now are:

Closer relationships -When you’re fully present with people, they feel that you’re really paying attention to them and their needs.

You’re contributing to their significance and that who they are matters. They feel connected with you when you’re fully present. Have you ever had someone looking around the room or paying attention to other things when you’re trying to have a conversation with them? How did that experience feel? I’m betting you didn’t feel important. And you certainly didn’t feel significant.

People who are conscious of influence understand this. Being present with people helps in building trust and conveying value.

Better results in your work -Imagine how much more productive and creative you could be in your job, business or career if you were fully present while doing it? Could this create more cash flow? I believe it could.

Could the act of being present impact your ability to fully engage in the tasks at hand without any distractions, worry, anxiety or fear? I bet so!

You may even find yourself taking so called business risks where before you may not have.

By not being present you allow your stories to take up residence. All you may have seen before is what worry and fear projected. This is what kept you frozen from action.

Without fear and worry present, you’re able to project onto the world what you’re present to create. (Read that again)

Some may call this being in the flow. I call it being present and it can be manufactured. I’ll share with you how.

Increased Health and Energy Imagine how much more you could get accomplished with more energy? You could significantly reduce stress and anxiety because you’re not living in the future or the past.

Yes there are benefits to positive expectation of say, a deadline for a project, but when you experience anxiety over that deadline that’s when your energy gets sucked out like a vacuum cleaner. It’s also a clear indication you’re not living in the now.

If you keep your attention in the body as much as possible, you will be anchored in the now. You won’t lose yourself in the external world, and you won’t lose yourself in your mind. Thoughts and emotions, fears and desires, may still be there to some extent, but they won’t take you over.”-Eckhart Tolle

So as you see you open up possibilities of:

  • Increased energy to enjoy the things in life that matter to you most
  • More access to your creativity and increased work flow which could increase your income as well
  • Healthier and happier relationships that have you feeling fulfilled and overall happier

Before we talk about accessing those benefits it’s important to understand what lies behind the theory of Now.

The Theory of Now

One of our biggest causes of suffering and pain is our attachment to the past or our expectation of the future.

It’s because we’re not present.

As a child we’re not worried about tomorrow or yesterday or even 5 minutes ago. We’re only interested in the now. Time stands still for us. Now I’m not saying we should all act like children however there are lots of important things we can learn from our childhood selves.

Think back to when you were a child.

As a child you only wanted to have have fun. Or when you were hungry you wanted to eat. Or when you were tired you just wanted to lay down. Or if you were upset you cried

You did what you felt most in the moment. This is when you were the most authentic.

  • Since then you’ve been conditioned not to show weakness
  • Since then you’ve become domesticated or hypnotized by the expectations of others such as your parents, teachers, bosses, advertisers or a spouse
  • Since then you’ve been conditioned that you have to be realistic with your expectations of others and the world around you or worse, yourself.
  • Since then you’ve been taught to have to prove yourself to the opposite sex because that’s what they do in the movies and TV

Much of this isn’t you being authentic. Much of this is you showing up in ways that are anything but you being fully present. Acting out of expectations of others (whether it’s a person or an organization) isn’t an authentic presence, it’s the shadow result of domestication.

This is when we live in fear of losing our social masks. We use our energy to keep up the image of what others expect of us. It’s nearly impossible to keep up the human lie and deny ourselves of who we actually are without taxing ourselves emotionally, spiritually and physically.

Humans are born in truth, but we grow up believing in lies. One of the biggest lies in the story of humanity is the lie of our imperfection. It’s just a story, but we believe it, and we use the story to judge ourselves, to punish ourselves, and to justify our mistakes.“-Don Miguel Ruiz

How to Be In The Now

So how do we become more of who we really are? How do we stand in our power instead of our pain?

How do we access closer relationships, more fulfilling work and increased energy?

I have one suggestion and it compliments diet and exercise for an improved outlook on your life. If you’ve not made a practice of quieting the mind then this may be new to you and will require you making it a new habit.

Outlined below are 5 steps to quieting the mind and being in the now as a habit. Eventually it’s a way to just be. Consider it as guiding your self to a more centered and empowering self.

Here they are:

  1. Every day for the next 2 weeks make it a point to take 10 to 20 minutes first thing upon waking to be centered and really focused on your bodies inner energy.
  2. I normally start at the crown of my head and work my way down to my finger tips and then down to my toes. I become fully centered and focused in a matter of 10 minutes. You may take longer and it’s Ok. You also will probably get mind chatter but just lovingly let it go. This quiets my mind and allows my focus to just be on stillness and energy.
  3. For the first 3 days set an alarm via your watch or phone to remind you every hour to experience your bodies energy. Then after your 4th day gradually set it out for every 2 or 3 hours.
  4. Every hour you’re reminded take a few minutes or even just a moment to be centered or aware of your body and it’s energy. (It’s ironic I know, to re-mind yourself to be out of your mind and more in tune to your body)
  5. After 2 weeks notice you find yourself more consistently centered, more relaxed, less reactive and more responsive.

I know you may think it sounds nuts, but this process is no more nuts than the momentum required to drop unwanted body fat, implement a new savings plan or the momentum required to start a business.

I can’t help but acknowledge the quote again from Dan Kennedy-โ€œRaw power (creativity) must be harnessed, organized and directed in order to create value.”

Yes this will take some effort but there are results that are just damn well worth it.

The more consciousness you direct into the inner body, the higher its vibrational frequency becomes, much like a light that grows brighter as you turn up the dimmer switch and so increase the flow of electricity. At this higher energy level, negativity cannot affect you anymore, and you tend to attract new circumstances that reflect this higher frequency.“-Eckhart Tolle

Go Into The Now

So right now as you step away from this blog post:

1. Take a moment to focus on feeling your bodies inner energy. I don’t care if you’re at work or just at home and the kids are gong nuts in the background. Start from the top of your head down to your fingers and then down to your toes. It may take you a few minutes or it may take you more. You may hear the head chatter (your mind) but it’s Ok, just let it go.

2. Now take a minute to set your watch alarm/phone alarm or whatever you may have for 1 hour from now and in an hour just focus on your bodies healing energy for a moment. It doesn’t have to be for long, however once you’re done reset your alarm for the hour.

Although all spiritual teachings originate from the same Source, once they become verbalized and written down they are obviously no more than collections of words-and a word is nothing but a signpost…All such teachings are signposts pointing the way back to the Source.“-Eckhart Tolle

Call me a crack pot or share with me what works for you. Either way it’s cool. I don’t consider any of this per say spiritual teaching. I just think it makes for good health. ๐Ÿ˜‰

If you donโ€™t do this, you could run the risk of prolonged stress, more fear of what was or what will be and possibly more anxiety if you’ve been experiencing it. What could all that lead to? I’ll let you decide (That’s called your story that pops up by the way, now come back to the present)

However if you accept this gift of 2 weeks you open up possibilities of increased energy, more access to your creativity and increased work flow which could increase your income as well as healthier and happier relationships that have you feeling fulfilled and happier.

Are you willing to be present for the next 2 weeks? If so let me know in the comments below or share with me your thoughts.

Oh and be sure to share this post with your friends please. ๐Ÿ™‚