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.

Money, money, money

Money is a powerful motivator.

Often when I say to people ‘what would make you happy?’ money comes into it somewhere. If you then say how much do you want, most people say ‘a million’. An odd number really. Most people do not need or want a million. What they want is ‘enough’, so how much is enough for you?

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When it isn’t working

When you talk to people who achieve what they want from life, very few will tell you that it is easy. There will always be issues that get in the way and will need to be worked with, overcome or avoided. I am using the word ‘issue’ deliberately, I could have used problem, crisis, disaster and so on.

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Let the mad people be mad

Here are two principles that stop us moving forward. The first is wanting or needing to change other people. The second is to be angry with, or about things that we cannot change. Both of these will create feelings of frustration and often resentment that will keep us locked into negative mind states forever. The Serenity Prayer explains this perfectly.

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The path of intention

When you say something do you mean it?

My teacher would tell me that the road to hell was paved with good intentions. In this sense the word intention assumes that we have Pan’s aims or ideas that we never complete or fulfil. If we take the opposite view and believe that we will compete what we set out to do than the word intention describes what will be, it implies determination.

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Be Mindful

Being Mindful is the reality of living in the present. To be mindful is to be totally aware of all that is happening, of all your actions and to be in control of all that you are thinking and feeling. Most importantly, to have an awareness of the effect that you have on the world and all those that you interact with.

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Attitudes and Gratitude

If you think about it being happy and being grateful go together. You cannot be happy if you are experiencing feelings of ingratitude. Equally if you are feeling happy then gratitude for what ever you are experiencing underpins feelings of happiness.

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Love yourself

Loving yourself is a good starting point. Go to the mirror look at yourself in the eyes and say ‘I love you’.

Most people can’t do it. Or if they do, it is with a laugh and a good dollop of disbelief. Self love is so important. Not in the arrogant self obsessed sense but in the honest self appreciation of who you are, the fact that you exist and, the confidence in who you are and, who you will become.

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The Anchor to the Past

The past holds us all back. Well, that is not strictly true. It is not what has happened to us that holds us back it is our attachment to past events that is the trouble. This attachment is just like the chain on an anchor that is wedged into where we have been and is impeding our ability to move forward.

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Why live in the present?

Well have you ever tried to change the past?

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could? Of course it is crazy to think like that. We can never change what has happened as much as we might like to. Yet many of us go over and over the past imagining how life would be if it had been different, if things had or hadn’t happened, as though changing the past would change who we are now.

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