Be present
Updated: Feb 22
Present - a focus on the now
I recently read a book called - Every time I find the meaning of life, they change it - by Daniel Klein and as I was going over the last few pages, the whole book came alive.
I realised how we are all lost in the endless possibilities available to us. Our purpose in life is in fact much simpler than we think it is. All the dreams, goals and objectives we've set ourselves are only a byproduct of our purpose, which is, to be present:
To live in the now by detaching ourselves from the habitual thinking patterns that stretch us between the past and the future.
Living in the present will naturally bring about introspection because all our attention will be focused on the now (not on all the baggage we carry and certainly not on the fantasy of how our lives will play out in the future). We have to realise that both the past and the future are illusions. The past is simply a recollection of all the things we want to remember (whether they be positive or negative), and the future is a created dimension filled with fears, and uncertainties and sprinkled with a lot of imagination. Neither of these two 'dimensions' actually exist.
Wait a second then. If the past doesn't exist, and the future doesn't exist, what are we left with?
We're left with the most valuable dimension that could ever exist. The now.
Work on yourself, now.
Improve your outlook, now.
Do the best you can do, now.
Apply yourself in your studies, hobbies, and vocations, now.
Be disciplined, honest, intentional, extra(ordinary), meticulous, resilient, accountable, brave, gracious and present. Now.
Whether you want to run successful businesses, whether you want to create social impact by teaching younger generations, whether you want to become an artist, musician, poet, actor etc., or whether you want to be a blogger based out of a beach in Southeast Asia, you have to focus on the now, and you have to actively prompt yourself to be your best version in all your interactions.
Not because you want to prove something to someone from your past.
Not because you're chasing that dream job, or that great paycheck in the future.
Be the best you can be because that is your duty. Whether you like it or not.
The tax you must 'pay' for the opportunity you get, to live on this Earth and to pursue all your dreams, is to live in the present and to make a positive contribution by ensuring your thoughts, words and actions are all aligned.
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1. Commit to living in the now. Right now
2. Understand that your purpose is to be the best version of yourself, in all areas of your life
3. Ask yourself how often you think of the past and/or future
4. Focus on bringing your attention back to the present, again and again, until the present becomes the only place you operate in
D