The Gift That Keeps On Giving

Ever wonder if it is a coincidence that the word to describe the moment happening right now is called 'the present'? You know; the present as in a gift. I'm sure (as you probably are too) that out of all the sounds that can be made to coin a word; there would have been a different one chosen to describe the here and now if there was no connection to something precious given to you. Being aware of the present is definitely a gift.

The present is the gift that keeps on giving. It is always on. The tape is always rolling. It is simply forgotten most of the time because of where our attention is placed. When you are at the right vantage point, you are able to see and feel the power of the present moment perspective.

Lots of people take the present for granted. They are looking forward to a future pleasure or reminiscing about a past one. Many are also dreading future pains and or regretting past ones. Any and all sense pleasure you have experienced is so fleeting and temporary, that after you have experienced it, you can easily forget them. They become like a dream you are trying to remember. This goes for pain as well. People often bury painful memories.

The one thing that you can enjoy on a continuous basis is the joy of your presence. Unlike trying to remember a past pleasure; you can get every single benefit of the joy within by remembering that it is there. When you are remembering pleasure, you are in the past, which is only an idea. When you remember the peace within, you are in the present and the rewards are incomparable to a memory. You know it now. You experience it now.

You remember the past. You re-experience your presence. For the present to even be seen as a gift, definitely requires a reduction or elimination of egoic thought. Acceptance of the present moment is the key to unwrapping the gift that it is.

For more detailed ways on how to accept this gift, read What Is Really Good? and stay tuned!

"I'm Just Happy To Be Here!"

Have you ever been watching TV or listening to the radio and you hear, "I'm just happy to be here!” from one of your favorite stars or accomplished people. Chances are; you have heard this phrase spoken many times by many people in your life.

Have you ever noticed that it is always people on top of their field that you hear saying this? It is not a coincidence. It is not just something to say that sounds good in an interview. It is not a feeling gained after having gotten to the position they are in. It is actually the feeling that got them there.

When you realize the more adaptive and flexible you are to life situations; the further you will get in anything you set out to do; then it makes perfect sense why these stars and leaders in their fields made it to the level that they did.

'Being happy to be here' brings with it the power to move through obstacles. It is acceptance of what is. It is the ability to be without stress because you remain in the present moment. Stress only exists for you when dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. Stress is basically resistance to what is.

Don't take my word for it. Use your own sense of knowing. If somebody is unhappy doing what they have to do while approaching a goal; would they become happy just because they reached their goal? Chances are they would be happy for a brief period and then go back to feeling the way they usually do.

Being happy just to be, is the way to be.

What is ISness?

This may sound like an odd question to some, but it is simply asking what is it to be in existence right now. What is it exactly to be in a state described by the verb is? What is isness?

Well is is the third person singular of the present tense of be. The fact that is is a verb that requires no action sets it apart from most other verbs. To be described as is is simply to exist. To simply exist requires no story, labels, judgment, or conclusion. Also, is is only ever accurately used in the present moment. In other words; is=now as was=the past and will be=the future.

The reason for the question and resulting english lesson, is because we all have that element of isness in our lives. To be more precise; life is. Life can never be in the past. Life can never be in the future. Life only exists in the present moment as isness. Everything beyond that is a construct of the mind. If there is anything in your life that can not be described as is, it is not real at the moment. No matter how sure you are of it being a was or a will be, if it is not an is, then it is an idea that is not happening now.

Can you feel the isness of the moment? Can you feel the isness of your awareness? Can you feel the isness of all that you perceive? This "isness" is a still and silent all pervasive presence. It is only noticeable as you become still and silent yourself. This is a stillness of the mind. If you are not tuned into it, you miss it almost altogether.

To illustrate this all pervasive isness, picture this scenario.
The whole world is and always has been submerged. The sea level is above that of the highest mountain peak on earth. We are around because we evolved and breathe in water as fish do. If we had never ventured to leave the ocean floor, would we know what it is to be wet? Would the concepts of wet and dry even exist to us?

If you can picture that scene, you may have an idea of what I'm referring to. The isness of our lives and our reality is always there and all pervasive just like the water in the scenario. It takes a certain amount of self awareness to acknowledge that which can not be detected with the five senses. Still the mind though, and you can feel the presence. You can feel the isness.

What's Done Is Done

People often carry around stress due to regretting something about the past. People also often hold up particular past incidents as the reason for current circumstances and their resulting unfulfillment.

When you really stop to think about it; all of that dissatisfaction and regret is created by no one but the person who experiences it. It is really only the idea of things not being right that causes all the stress.

As far as the past goes; it is just a story. This story could be any infinite amount of situations to bring you to the current state of things. The story is not important. As a matter of fact it is worthless. It is the raw experience that is important. The experience is what people truly know. Everything else is added interpretation. Everything else is relative. The fact that they perceived or observed what they did is absolute. The fact that the situation or circumstance was witnessed is then interpreted, coloring their experience and writing the story behind it.

The classic hip-hop lyric by Rakim stating, "It ain't where you from. It's where you at," is an absolute truth. What is important is right now. The past is a memory. It is just an idea. Only the present moment can affect change.

If you can with draw your attention from the constant stream of thought and fully acknowledge right now; you will have a totally new experience. You will feel the fact that today is a new day.

Stay tuned to the blog and stay tuned to the present moment!