Look Back, Let Go, Be Positive, Move Forward

Around about now people start talking about New Years resolutions, i tend not to as for me if you want to change something in your life you need to do it in the NOW and not on a random date. So this is my alternative,  a review.

Take a step back to the same time a years ago, can you remember what were you expecting of 2012?

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Eat, Drink but Stop and Think!

What is it all about?

Now at this time of celebration let the eating and the drinking begin. The time to celebrate and give gifts to those that we care about is upon us, though the way that we celebrate it will vary. For some it will have been the pagan festival of Yule on December 21st, for some Christmas Day on December 25, for others the festival of giving is on January 6th, the twelfth night, when the Wise Men were said to bring their gifts to Jesus.

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Happy Thanksgiving

What will you be doing this Thanksgiving?

In a world of gratitude this is the best time of year. A time of mellow fruitfulness and harvest festivals. The barns are filled with food and we relax into the warm fire glow of dark cosy evenings. This was always the time of story telling and craft making, a time when people get together and enjoyed each others company. Being thankful for all that you have and, all that you will have, raises your mood and increases your sense of wellbeing and happiness.

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Is happiness more important than money?

Today on-line carried out a survey in Singapore. 1,500 people responded making it Asia’s most comprehensive psychographic study in terms of the number of respondents, geographical coverage and insights into 16 key topics: Beauty, communication, education, entertainment, fashion, food, health, kids, love, luxury, media, money, sports, technology, travel and vehicles.

One of the key findings in the study revealed that 75.4 per cent feel that happiness is more important than making money.

Ok, so would you rather be rich or happy?

I love surveys like this one because they go to re-prove that money doesn’t make you happy. Psychologically we all know this to be true, so why are so many of us obsessed with becoming rich? I have been doing a straw poll of those I have met today and my instant findings are that when people are talking about happiness they mean feeling secure with nothing to worry about. We seem to collectively have the belief that if we have money we will then be happy, because at a deeper level we feel that it would give us security, meaning that we would then have less to worry about.

Well, I have worked with many very rich and very unhappy people and very poor and very happy people. I know you can be poor and miserable and rich and happy. But try this for size…

In the present, in the here and now, at any given time or point, we are both safe and secure. Check it out as you read this. Are you safe, are you secure, do you have anything to worry about right now this minute?

If you keep worrying about the future you will forever have an anxiety syndrome. If you keep worrying about the past you will be in a depressive syndrome. If you do both you will be anxiously depressed. It doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor, young or old, healthy or infirm if you live in the present you can find happiness.

Live in the present and be happy now

Take care

Sean x

photo credit

Laughter is the Best Medicine

I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose.
Woody Allen

How can you tell when you’re really in the moment? Well, it’s hard to say, because when you’re in the moment the last thing you’re worried about is whether or not you’re actually in the moment. Does that make sense?

Jim Carrey is a funny guy. There’s a great stand up routine that he did early in his career when he says that the only time his trouble leave him behind are those precious few moments during a sexual orgasm. I’ll let you decide whether or not you agree with him.

One other route to your present? Laughter. Think back to the last time that you really laughed at something (or with someone). Fantastic, wasn’t it? You can’t quite put your finger on what was happening but, hey, who cares? It was fantastic!

I try to laugh as much as possible. It’s so easy! My Dad force fed me Marx Brothers movies when I was a kid. I’m a big Mel Brooks fan. Curb Your Enthusiasm, Seinfeld, Brass Eye and Alan Partridge.

My friends are VERY funny. You probably wouldn’t agree as we’ve spent nearly 20 years honing our routine–trouble is it only works if you’re ‘in the know’. Our poor wives and girlfriends stare blankly at each other as we men roll around on the floor in stitches.

Go forth and laugh! Trawl the archives of YouTube for your favourite comedian or actor and laugh like no one is watching.

Morning Focus or Morning Inspiration?

I have a confession to make: I don’t use the mediation files that come with the ‘starter pack’ that we encourage our readers to download once they have purchased a copy of our Live in the Present book.

Why not Ed, I hear you ask? Well, I’ve thought long and hard about it and I think I’m finally coming close to answering that question. First of all, let’s look at the definition of the word ‘meditate‘:

2. To think deeply or carefully about (something)

Now, that allows me to leave behind the notion that meditation is about shutting off your mind completely, rather it allows you to shut off your mind to all but one thing.

I like to be inspired. I have no trouble relaxing, unwinding and generally not worrying about things (just ask my poor wife who despairs of my laid-back nature). Heck, I NEED inspiration to gear me up for the day ahead. I work alone most of the time so I haven’t got the benefit of a team of people and a shared energy source when working on a project (aside from my bi-weekly LITP meetings with Sean & Rie).

So rather than spending a quiet 5 minutes in the morning in silence I like to listen to some energetic music or watch a short video such as the one about (click here to see it). I’ll usually then be able to hit the ground running for the day and plough through my design work before lunch time.

There is no right or wrong way to live in your present. This is just one technique I use to make the most of my time.

How about you? Do you meditate regularly? Let us know in the comments below.

Split of a Second – Where your Present Lives

I’ve had a couple of brushes with nature in the past few years but this takes things to a new level.

Split of a Second is a short film that highlights once man’s pursuit of the moment. I’ve spent a lot of time in the Chamonix Valley. I know the very spot that he jumps from quite well. Not once did I think about doing what he does.

Still, there are lessons to be learned here for all of us:

  1. The simple act of being outdoors will nourish your soul. When was the last time you went for a walk or bike ride?
  2. Physical excursion is a great way to find your present. When was the last time your heart was beating faster than is should be?
  3. Fear can be a positive. As he says in the film ‘Fear is both positive and negative. It creates momentum…’
  4. There is as much joy in the lead up to a big event as in the event itself. Enjoy the process of creating your future by making the most of every step.

When I am about to jump, there is no past. There is no future. There is only the present moment.

What are you going to do today to find your present? You don’t need to throw yourself from the nearest mountain, dressed like a bird, but you owe it to yourself to make the most of right now.

 

Learn to be Grateful and Live in the Moment

Today is a Gift So Be Grateful

You think this is just another day in your life? It’s not just another day – it’s the one day that’s given to you TODAY. It’s a gift and the only appropriate response is gratefulness.

We’re big on gratutude at Live in the Present. We all have day to day issues to deal with but, ultimately, I think that can ALL be overcome with gratitude.

How? It’s remarkably easy. Like the video says, ‘Look at the sky!’ Nature is a great place to start. There is so much wonder to behold in our world. Every morning the sun rises. ‘But it’s cloudy, Ed!’, I hear you say. Well look at the clouds! They are AMAZING! Clouds are full of water. YOU are full of water.

What are you grateful for right now? Let us know in the comments or let us know via Twitter and Facebook.

Ed x

In the Moment

This New Yorker cartoon made us chuckle.

You may be in the moment, but which moment? Take a peak at our new book for ideas on how to live in the present.

How to Live in the Present

Living in the Present

The place that I really feel in the present is when I am meditating. The immediacy of the current breath is my now. The history of the pervious breath and the expectation of the next beach are lost in the intimacy of the present one. But that sense of being in the moment comes with me, from the meditation cushion, into my life.

The immediacy of the current breath is my now.

The mindfulness of each moment whether walking, eating, working, talking, is magical. My mind, like your mind wanders and my task is to keep it on track. The life long process of learning leads to the goal of being the best version of me I can possibly become and I hope that this can also become your goal.

When I work with clients I know that those who find mindful approaches to their problems will overcome them. The anxiety of what will happen disappears when we live in the moment. The depressed attachment to the past disappears when we live in the moment.

How to Live in the Present

Those people who learn to live in the present are free of both the past and future. They are effective thinkers, empathic feelers, and the positive doers, that make life a joy to be a part of. Most importantly they find their own fulfilment and happiness.

This is my work and my life and the subject of my book ‘Live in the Present’. Together with Ed and Rie we run live in the present, creating products and resources that enable people to overcome obstacles, define their purpose and create their own happiness and fulfilment.

We are not alone there are lots of people engaged in what I have come to call ‘The Work’. Human consciousness is undergoing a renaissance as we begin to realise that life is not fixed, we have the ability to change and can become whatever we wish to be, once we understand the process. The starting point of all change is to be in the present and to let go of all negative association to the past and the fear of the future and enjoy this wonderful journey from birth to death that we are all on.

There is only one task in life and that is to find our own fulfilment. Fulfilled people are inspirational to others. Fulfilment and happiness are infectious. Fulfilment is never selfish it is the highest expression of humanity. The fulfilled parent teaches their children to find their own fulfilment. The fulfilled leader inspires a happy society, company or organisation. Fulfilment comes from mindfully living in the present.

The compassionate desire of the fulfilled mind is that all beings should be happy.

Live in the present, find yourself and, create ‘the you’ that you really desire.

Be happy, with love

Sean x

P.S. If you live locally come and see me today in Waterstones, Liverpool 1 launching my new book Live in the Present from 3pm (I’ll be giving a talk between 6.00 – 6.45) 7.45pm.