Being in the Present

What does it mean 'Living in the Present'? Does it suggest that we should have no concern for the future or that our past is irrelevant? Does it mean we have to forget about our goals and dreams and accept all that happens now in the present??

These are natural, sensible and enquiring questions to which the answer is a loud and clear NO! To live in the present is not about having to forget the past or give up on your goals and dreams, or that you passively consent to anything that comes your way.

Living in the moment is about learning to let go of attachment to or aversion to things that have happened in the past without projecting them into our future. It is about creating and defining goals and working actively towards them without worrying about how we will achieve them or imagining what happened before can happen again. If we can create and define our goals and dreams. and trust wholeheartedly that if we work towards them they will manifest without us worrying about how, we are in the present even though we are working towards the future.

The first thing to understand while attempting to live in the present is that our minds are often full and not always focused on the goals we have set, this is quite normal. What we need to train ourselves to do is to be aware of what is happening in the present moment. When we find that our minds are no longer focused we need to bring ourselves back on task, whatever it might be.

Living in the moment is a skill that can be learned so don't give up if it doesn't come to you easily, please persevere. The more you encourage yourself to live in the present, the moment, the more in control and happier you will be with your life.