LIVING IN THE PRESENT MOMENT OR WEARING BLINDERS AND SHUTTING DOWN

If you've never heard the term: Live in the Present Moment, you may have been living under a rock. This has been a buzz phrase for many years, especially in the healing arts and spiritual counter culture circles.

But what does it truly mean to live in the present moment? Does it mean you should ignore putting money away for a rainy day? Does it mean you shouldn't save for the house of your dreams? Does it mean you shouldn't visualize your hopes and dreams? Does it mean that the Law of Attraction is hooey because the LOA is all about what you are manifesting...does that mean you shouldn't manifest? Does it mean you shouldn't have your resume updated if you're unhappy at work?

Many who subscribe to the concept of Living in the Present Moment, put on blinders – similar to the blinders that are put on horses in parades; blinders to keep the horses from being spooked by the crowds on the sidelines. Many of those who subscribe to this are only able to see the pavement one step in front of them. Many of those who use this technique live moment to moment and therefore are also living pay-cheque to pay-cheque – never planing for the future...living in such a way that anything out of the ordinary in their lives “spooks” them, just like the aforementioned horses would be spooked by sudden movements in their peripheral vision.

So what does it truly mean to Live in the Present Moment? Where did the majority go wrong?

Not unlike trying to make the Law of Attraction work for you, there are hidden and subtle techniques that make Living in the Present Moment more effective – and these are often lost in the meaning between the words (as happens often with written or spoken word). So lets dive deeper...

Living in the Present Moment is about finding balance – the balance between planning the life you dream of, planning for the home you want to buy, planning your next vacation etc. And letting go of the expectations – not holding on to the “attachment” of those plans.

Let's look at an example...planning your next vacation. You need money, you need time off work, you need to select a destination, you need to pack, you need transportation to the airport, etc.

Item by item, we can use living in the present moment: plan to save funds for the travel; Live in that moment, plan for that in your mind, picture in your mind the exact amount of money you need – be in that moment and know in your heart and soul, in that moment, how much you need. Then let go and move on with the planning. Select a destination; again, be present – where do you truly want to go? Be in that moment, visualize, FEEL yourself at your destination...then let it go. Next, you'll need time off work – be fully present when you are at work for a few days, watch your boss, pay attention to your boss' mood – good mood? Bad mood? By being present, you can time your ask when your boss is feeling positive and you are more likely to get the time you want off work. After that packing; again, be in that moment – focus on what you have in your closet and drawers, focus on how big your suitcase is vs. how many pairs of shoes you want..be fully present as you pack – no distractions, no music, no TV – just packing...see, now you're getting the hang of this. Once on your vacation, it's all about truly being there – no phone, no emails, no social media, no distractions from the “other” side of your life – it's all about absorbing the energies of a new place, absorb the flavours of a new place, take smaller bites of food and chew longer, savouring the calm.

The reality of Living in the Present Moment is it's all about being present in that moment – being aware of your surroundings in that moment, tapping into the body and the mind and your emotions right then and there as you type your next blog, as you pack your suitcase, as you decide what to purge on a clean out the house day...It's about breaking down your tasks, breaking down your day, into little snippets of time, so that you can be present in those snippets of time.

Living in the Present Moment isn't about putting our heads in the clouds and meditating all day in the hopes that our dreams will suddenly manifest. Living in the Present Moment is all about being present in our day to day lives...in small chunks of our lives, broken down, like small morsels of food – easier to digest, easier to comprehend and easier to enjoy.

Hypnosis, hypnotherapy and counselling are great methods to develop new pathways in your brain to allow you to live your life to the fullest, in the present moment...