With the New Year as a motivator for resolutions and intentions, one of the most common desires is a stress free life. In today’s world it can be difficult to have the space to find our own rhythm, our overloaded schedules may challenge our lives, or we may be plagued by our fears. These are all factors that contribute to a life of stress without presence. Presence is crucial if we want to trade stress for peace of mind.
Being present in the moment is a matter of learning that the moment I’m living is the only real life for me that there is at that moment. Life happens moment to moment. Being present can happen when we understand that there is no better place to be other than where we are at each moment, so stop thinking that you should be somewhere else. Presence happens when we go beyond what we like or dislike, and accept the moment that already “is”. Forget your past and your future, only for an instance, and be in the “now”. Presence is achieved through a contemplative life, in which all that is required is to put maximum awareness on the moment that we are living, so experience every instance of your life as if it were the last one, and presence will be yours. Only by being present in the moment can we find the fullness in life.