Be present! I heard about this phrase in one of my entrepreneurial courses that I took a year ago. I didn't get the essence of this phrase until lately. At that point in time, I understood it literally.
I started to generate a different understanding after I participated in one of my study group sessions in town. The facilitator drew a simple chart on the whiteboard. It looks something like this. Past ----------->Now------------>Future To be able to be present is when we let go of the past and forget about the future desired outcomes. First thought came to my mind was how can I let of go of my past because all the big and small decisions are based on my past experiences? If I disregard my previous experiences, what should I rely on to live my life? Second thought was "What!? You ask me not to set goals for myself? Then how should I know where to go and what to do next?" Tons of doubts and defenses against it when I started to reveal the true meaning of be present.
Something that I read lately has stunned me indeed. My dear brain represents my past! The reason is our brain is full of memories, and all those memories are moments that we experienced in the past. My brain and I have been living for 30 years and I always pay high respect to it. For a person who believes in logics and science, it is really shocking to learn that my beloved brain might not as important as I used to think.
Then if not brain, what is it? If not past and future, how am I going to make my daily or life decision? I became panic when I started to THINK. I love Peaceful Warrior so much simply because it illustrates this concept so well. "Dan, where are you?" I am HERE. "What time is it?" NOW. Let me use this example to illustrate further. Dan who was the gymnast in the movie cannot perform to his highest potential because he lived with his past glories and worries (his past) and was aiming for his Olympic gold medal (his future) whenever he practiced or even lived his life. He had never lived a single moment at the present until he met Socrates at the gas station. The key thing here is that he had not enjoy himself truly when he did all the movements on the rings. His mind was full of garbage of the past and the future. You probably heard people said this before; it is the process and not the results. Every single moments during the process should be enjoyable! In real life, how many of us has really live in the moment.
Follow your heart! This is the answer. Your heart is the future. The voice from our heart will guide us to where we suppose to go. Making any decision that is based on your heart will lead us to happiness and fulfillment although there might be challenges on the way. It is not easy to follow our heart because we are so used to use our brain to think and analyze. Once I said "follow your heart", what pops up in your head? ".....ya, but......" Our brain is an interesting machine; it constantly generates a lot of fear in us when we want to try something that has not happened in the past or are uncertain. This is simply because our brain is full of past experience. Things that are out of its control, it makes us feel our nerve.
Be present and follow your heart Today!
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2 comments:
It's amazing. I was thinking about the same issue about past present and future the other day. Not sure if you've watch 麦兜故事之菠萝包王子. some people may find that cartoon a nonsense, but i realise the message it wants to say is how the family of McDull, his dad can't let go of his past, his mum is always worried about the future. And only him, he stayed at the present. And I do realise sometimes, even when alone, I kind of am preoccupied in my thinking about stuff, and missed out the pleasant view infront of me, there and then. Nice blog entry :)
Lai San
hehehe...... Everything happens for a reason! There is no coincidence. Why you found out the big philosophy behind 麦兜 and not others because you are watching it with your heart!
One of my friends shared that the flowers in our garden are moving constantly. I didn't mean it moves from one spot to another. The flowers open and close their petals slightly in every second. Do you believe that? If so, why many of us cannot observe that? ......because we are never be at present. I will let you know when I am able to see that.
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