This Week from My Life Sherpa: BEING PRESENT

When we live with one foot in yesterday, and the other in tomorrow, we usually end up just pissing on today.

We need to be where are feet are, at all times. But how? It is easy to be present when life is good right? When things are going well, when we are full of joy, it feels good to be present! We want to feel and experience those times!

It is easy to assume that being present is just a result of life going well. We just need to keep worrying about and working towards our ideal future, until life is “good” again right? Once fixed…then we can enjoy the moment again and be present right!? 

Wrong. Like many things God challenges us with in this world, answers often lie in the problem itself. 

The key to the right future lies in the present moment. Of course we still need to devote time towards future planning and goal setting, but we must block and tackle now. When we stay in the moment, focus on what’s right in front of us, our process suddenly becomes our joy. Our happiness, and the ability to stay in the present moment, is no longer reliant on outcomes. 

Whatever our craft, the key to being a professional lies in the process, not the outcome. It is not the size of our garden that will bring us happiness. It is how we tend to our garden. We must stay present and fertilize the soil that’s right in front of us.

So, if you struggle with being present, if you catch yourself looking in the rearview mirror, or just thinking about tomorrow too much, take inventory of the 4 C’s : Comparing, Criticizing, Complaining, and Controlling. If your are spending a lot of energy on one of these things, call timeout. Self-awareness is the key that unlocks the door to self-improvement. 

We live in a society that breeds comparison, it truly is the thief of all joy (try living in Scottsdale. Home of the $30k dollar millionaire). We don’t just fall to its power when we are at our lowest, like we think,  it’s actually a permanent force that attacks us regardless of our lot in life. In fact, most discover that when they actually have “more” in life, comparison becomes even more deadly. It is a powerful force that will always exist, as long as we are human.  

So like all things in life, don’t look to external things to manage your internal world. Be thankful for your current struggles or losses, it is strength training for the great things ahead. Be present, you are right where you are supposed to be.  Being present is not a result, it’s existence resides in the process.

Klarity Lifestyle Company

“Simple Living for Complex People”

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