This post is by Justin Mazza of www.Mazzastick.com.
Letting go of the past in order to move forward is the first step to re-creating ourselves. When we dwell in the past we are giving up the precious present moment.
I’m not suggesting that you can’t reminisce about the past with your long-time friends or take time for personal reflection. But what I am suggesting is that you begin to notice where your thoughts are and bring them back to the present moment.
It doesn’t do any good to be physically present in the “now” but have our thoughts in some other time and place. We can’t change the past but we can re-frame it to something that is more empowering to us.
The past is long gone and the future hasn’t happened yet, so let’s focus where we actually have some influence.
Being present is a great way to begin to focus on and create our reality. This is how I was able to write this blog post by being present. Had I allowed my thoughts to wander, and if my actions were geared towards something else, than I would have great difficulty writing this post.
Before I wrote this post I did some mental preparation work. I made some tea, (I recently gave up coffee) lit some incense, cleared my head by doing some breathing exercises, and voila, the writing begins to flow.
This is my writing ritual that prepares my body and mind to remain present. For some of you, sitting down and writing is effortless but for me it takes a little prep work to get going. Once I am in “being present” mode I could write for hours.
You will also notice that once you master the art of being present that fears and anxiety begin to lessen, allowing creativity and energy to flow.
I remember working at a really boring job when I was a teenager. I couldn’t stay present to save my life. My mind was wandering all over the place as thoughts began rushing through my mind like a faucet turned on full blast. The flow became almost unbearable to me. I wish I had known about being present back then. Since that time I have observed some habits that cause us to stop being present.
Things that cause us to have difficulty staying present
- Lack of sleep. Lack of sleep and adequate rest is the number one cause of accidents in our lives. Be sure to make sleeping and resting a priority. I know for some of us that this is not a problem.
- Lack of exercise. Exercise is important for more than physical appearance. Exercise get’s the heart pumping which allows blood to flow throughout the body. This will help to make sure that your body can heal and replenish itself effectively.
- Unhealthy diet. We are what we eat, at least on a physical level. I’m not going to get into specifics here but make sure that you are eating foods that are as close to natural as you can get.
- Unhealthy relationships. The greatest pleasures and the worst pains are caused through our relationships. Let go of relationships that do not serve you and nourish the ones that do.
- Stuck emotions. Emotions that are not expressed become stuck in the body and this causes emotional discomfort. It’s hard to be present if we are experiencing emotional pain.
- Lack of variety in life experiences. Variety is the spice of life so it is important to mix it up once in a while. Routines bore me to tears.
- Too many obligations. We don’t have to go to every social function, volunteer for every event, or stay busy all day and night. Lighten the load where you can.
- Limiting beliefs about ourselves. Most of us carry limiting beliefs about ourselves that will diminish our life experience. Learn to let go of limiting beliefs and let yourself fly.
- Uncomfortable environment. This can be our home, our car, our workspace. Create a comfortable environment wherever you spend a great deal of time.
- Too many goals. I’m guilty of this one. Learn to set goals that are reasonable and allow yourself time to achieve them. We don’t have to complete ten goals a day to be happy with ourselves.
These are some things that can cause us to have difficulty staying present. If you have others to add, please do so in the comments—I would love to hear your feedback.
This post by Justin Mazza from www.Mazzastick.com where he blogs about personal development, health and nutrition, and metaphysical studies.
About georgina
Hi Justin,
I’m becoming more aware daily of how important it is to take good physical care of yourself. When your body and environment are peaceful, it is much easier to be in the present moment.
I’ve cut back on watching/reading the news. Loads of information about things I have no control over take me out of the present moment.
Isn’t it wild how much better life is when you’re in good shape?
Hello Amy,
I’m happy to hear that you are taking care of yourself. Taking care of our-self must be our number one priority.
Being careful of what we consume including information is very important for maintaining our well-being. Take care Amy.
Good to see you writing here, Justin! I am very guilty of too many goals! I want to lose weight, get better at golf, become a doctor, pay for that medical education with my online income, and within each of those topics are multiple “sub-goals,” so to speak.
Having tons to do makes it so easy to caught up in it all, and get nothing done!
Hey Graham,
Long time no see.
Thanks, I was graciously invited by Georgina to write a guest-post and I humbly accepted it. I’m a goal setter by nature but I also found out that having too many plates full left me feeling jaded.
Simplify and focus on one goal at a time. Prioritize the most important ones and leave the rest for later. I’m a big fan of writing goals down that can be done at a later date. Try that.
Thank you for this post…it may be one I have to read and reread… I really appreciate it.
Take care,
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for commenting. Staying present is timeless and we can never be reminded of it too often.
Stay present and stay happy.
Hi Justin,
Good to see you here too. 🙂
I agree with all your points. I would say one of my biggest challenges is overloading my head with information.
I am a bit of an ‘information junkie’, always have been so I have to practice meditation every day.
I start each day with an hour’s quiet sitting which helps me to slow things right down and then I don’t even notice the information during the day, it just floats right past me.
~Marcus
Hey Marcus,
Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I believe that we are similar in a lot of ways. When I got my first PC and was able to access the web, I was like a junkie looking to gobble up more and more information.
I had to learn to do what you did and learn how to quiet the mind and body through meditation and other ways like deep breathing.
Another enlightening post here. 🙂 Thanks Justin for clearing things up. I just can’t avoid feeling dismay towards myself because I’m guilty on some of the list you got there. But more importantly, your post has reminded me to try to be always in control with my life. In other words, take responsibility- towards health, relationship, career etc.
So I guess in order to be present we must learn to face reality responsibly.
Thanks so much! Cheers! 🙂
Hi Floricel,
Ultimately we are only responsible for ourselves. As adults no one will do this for us, unless we are fortunate enough to be able to hire someone to, but even then we are still being responsible for ourselves.
Thanks for your kind words.
Thinking about my future keeps me out of the present. I don’t think I have a lot of goals, but the ones I do have, I focus on a lot. Sometimes I dream and fantasize about what things will be like when I accomplish those goals and other times I think about what my future goals will be.
I have actually begun to speak to myself outloud on a daily basis about enjoying the journey to where I’m going. It is starting to help me stay focused on what I am doing each day. Taking a page from the self-help groups…..It’s one day at a time!
Thanks, Kendra
Hi Kendra,
Feeling and imagining what it would feel like to accomplish our goals is the fuel that is needed to get us there.
I agree that too much time in imagination will take us out of the present and leave us ungrounded.
One day at a time, one step at a time, one breath at a time is all that it takes.
You sound like you are well on your way, Good Luck Kendra.
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