How to be Present

You might think that where ever you are, you are present. Is that what we mean by being present?

How often has your attention been somewhere different from your body? No I don’t mean some sort of “Out of body experience.”

When you’re thoughts are not where your body are what have been the consequences?

Sometimes letting our minds go to places or thoughts that leave our bodies behind is good. Like when I write these blogs. I suspend my awareness of the chair upon which I sit, and the sounds around me. (OK, my wise guy doesn’t say these blogs aren’t good, but at least they are a great diversion from your reality.) That diversion lets my mind focus on typing and what I type.

When I get into a novel or TV show, I am not present. That allows me to clear the noise that has been accumulating in my mind. It is sort of a resetting pause for my mind.

Are there better ways to reset our minds?

When we let a novel or TV show reset our minds we are letting our human choices direct our minds. How does the universe choose to reset our minds?

How can we let the Universe reset our minds?

This is what the various forms of meditative practice do. They silence the “Monkey chatter” and let other things come into our minds. Often we are not conscious of what these are. That is proper since our conscious minds are only a small part of our brain. Our brains are constantly being assaulted with signals from our body as well as our consciousness. These signals send impulses thru our brain that connect and touch on other neurons. When we silence the flood of impulses our brain gets to restore its normal balance.

Once rebalanced, our brain can let the normal flow of the world around us in without the filter of our recent past.

Have you ever mistreated someone because you were preoccupied with something that happened to you just before you met them?

If so, you did that because your brain was set to respond to the prior situation. If that situation had persisted then your next thoughts and actions would have been appropriate. But if your current situation changes suddenly your brain may not shift to respond to your new circumstances.

How can we leave one situation behind and prepare ourselves for the next? How can we become present again?

First, we need to alert ourselves that the situation has changed. How often do you take the feelings of the day home with you? As we arrive home we need to remind ourselves that the trials of the office belong there. Now we need to focus upon our home.

To refocus upon our home life (or any other new situation) we need to first take stock of how we Aare feeling. Are we happy, sad, angry or tense? It might be better to put on some calming music as we drive home. We do not always need to have the latest news on the radio.

Second, we need to focus ahead. Who will we meet? What will their situation be? Will they need us to listen to their troubles?

To decide how to focus our attention we should ask, “What does the WORLD need now.” We are part of a world which is greater than ourselves. The ultimate need is not mine or the people I meet, but of the whole world. For example, what happens in my mind affects others around me. What happens within the group in which I am sharing will affect the greater world. The greater world will come back at both me and those around me.

How can we get in touch with the greater world?

Getting in touch with the greater world is the stuff of philosophers and mystics. . Yet this is what we, too, will ultimately do. Each night when we sleep we surrender ourselves to the world we are in and each morning we awake to participate in that world again.

How do you want to participate in the world?

When we were children we had needs and sought to have the world provide for us. As infants we cried to get fed, our diapers changed, and loved. As we became adults and parents we provided this for the next generation.

The world is more than just child and parent or parent and child relationships. Yet, both relationships give and receive Love. Is not love what we need from the world too?

As children and parents we gave Love and received love back. So as we enter into each new situation might the best question we can ask ourselves is, “How can I be loving in this moment?”

When were you most in touch with the world?

How can you be more in touch with the world?

What practices can you start to open yourself to the world?

As all Ways, Seek Joy,

Coach Dr. Dave

Note: this is the fourteenth in my blog series inspired by Brendon Burchard’s book, The Charge

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