BEING PRESENT

Honestly, I feel like my ego kept me stuck in old patterns and unhealthy cycles of experience because it needed to know what was going on at all times to feel a sense of security. Did you know the ego would rather know what to expect than to explore something new?

This seems bizarre to me - but years of repetition because of the ego has shown me that it is not only true but it is often what prevents us from being consistent with new patterns and it is also a breakable habit. Of course this required that I get comfortable with being uncomfortable. 

For me this looked like not running from my feelings - being present. Being present allows us to connect in real time with habitual behaviors allows us to understand the why behind these behaviors which allows us to make a choice to change that behavior in the moment - setting off a domino affect.

You can catch yourself right in the moment when you are about to repeat something that is no longer in alignment with the vision you have for your life. 

Ok, let me give you something more concrete to relate to. One habitual habit I noticed in myself is the need to hurry up and finish EVERYTHING! It's like my mind just didn't believe it has time. Well rushing everything is not a good idea. When we rush we miss details, we make mistakes, we create this on going internal anxiety feeling like we are running out of time, and rushing honestly prevented me from truly enjoying life. 

I mean I found myself rushing to finish eating - before I even got started, rushing to get where I am going even though I had no scheduled time to arrive, rushing to finish my chores, you name it, I would rush. Looking back at it - it is almost like I felt like if I didn't rush I wasn't going to get these things done. 

WHY:

So we discovered that the ego can be one of the things thats stops us from being present and this is because it is trying to keep you safe from yourself. What does that mean? Well for me my feelings show up more when I am present. Thoughts, I am trying to avoid show up, truth shows up and then we have to address all these things. 

An elder once said to me - "I'm just trying to get through the day." This was the way she lived her life and its the way many people in her generation do live their lives. They've seen so much trauma and felt so much pain they learned to tune it all out and get through the day as a way to cope. I inherited some of that as well. 

So why are we just trying to get through the day? Because we don't want to feel, we don't want to address things, we don't want to see the truth - we've talked about this in the STEP ONE: AWARENESS post. Becoming aware through the power of presence means we have to make a conscious decision. We have to take accountability for what is showing up in our lives and let's face it we are not eager to put one more thing on our to do list. 

But here is a secret I discovered - not being present and burying things so we don't have to deal with them - never ends well. Also on the positive side of things - yes being present with our thoughts, feelings, and truths is uncomfortable at first - but it saves you time, energy and money in the long run. You make less mistakes, you don't engage in relationships that are not in alignment with the more you deserve - wasting time on the wrong connections, and you are more conscious about how you spend your money. 

One of my favorite books on the subject of being present is: The Power of Now By Eckhart Tolle. 

REFLECTION: 

On a scale of 1-10 how often would you say you are present through out the day? What does this look like for you? Are you actively listening to people when they talk to you? Are you thinking about other things while you are carrying out your everyday tasks?

WHATS NEXT:

Next let' talk about progress vs. perfection.