Click Into the Present
by LaRue Eppler
first published on Oct 29, 2007
After days of being on the road, I found my body tired beyond explanation. On top of that I woke up with what appeared to be a stomach virus. Need I say more? My physical body was not feeling well. God, where are you, I wondered to myself! I can’t hear you (my whisper), and then it spoke. ‘Remove your focus from the future (and the past) and you will find me right here in the everlasting present.’ Just hearing those words brought relief. I felt tears of relief! Peace soothed me from the inside out, as if a gentle stream washed through me. My mind became quiet and still. That familiar feeling of ‘all is well’ washed over me and stabilized me in the eternal Presence, once again. Oh, thank God, I’m back in touch again! I felt whole, at peace, and complete; the way of being that has become so familiar to me. It is my natural state and yours too.
Because I have had the experience of walking with the Whisper in my day-to-day life for many years now, it is very painful to feel disconnected from the Whisper. Quiet frankly, it is fearful! Here’s the truth. We are never disconnected from the Whisper, it only appears that way.
When the mind is focused on the future, it is attempting to gain control over the outcome of some situation or event. Have you ever noticed that the mind often projects the worst possible outcome? In the present there is nothing to fear. All is well right here, right now. When we lack closure with someone or something from the past (it could be something as insignificant as that pile of undone laundry) attention becomes stuck there. In either case, you are not present, and the ability to discern the voice and sensations of the Whisper feel anesthetized.
Just like with a cell phone, when there is interference you don’t hear what the caller is saying accurately. We often fill in the missing words with our imagination and that can lead to a misunderstanding. The message becomes distorted. The same is true with the Whisper when our attention is stuck in the future or the past.
So, was I actually cut off from the Whisper? No. Like a radio dial, I simply tuned into the channel of fear. I turned my dial to the future or the past. When I turn the dial back to the present, I felt peace once again.
So, how can you turn your dial to the present? How can you remove your focus from the past or future and firmly plant it in the present?
It is important to know that when you are feeling fear, you have placed your focus (your thoughts) on the future. Perhaps you have a situation that needs resolving like how you are going to pay your bills, resolve a conflict with a loved one, or get that promotion.
It is impossible to feel guilt or fear when your focus right here in the here-and-now. So, anytime you feel the feeling of guilt or fear, that feeling is the signal to return your focus to the present.
Are you wondering how to remove your focus from the future or the past and place it in the present? I knew you were, so here’s a very simple practice that you can train yourself to use, and it works well!
Step One: Ask Three Questions to Click into the Present
Simply become present by focusing. Ask yourself three questions.
1. Who am I?
2. Where am I?
3. What am I doing (or being) right now?
Give yourself a moment to contemplate the answer to those questions one-by-one, pausing between each one.
This process works when done with sincerity and when you truly desire to become present. To become present means to let go of and remove yourself from the past or future and embrace the beauty of NOW. If you are going through the motions and do not take a sincere pause genuinely connecting with the questions, it is likely you will not click into the present.
Step Two: Intensify Being Present with Your Environment
a) Look around your environment and begin to become interested in it. Drop any judgments (good or bad) about what surrounds you and just notice. Let your eye naturally land where it wants to. Whatever your eyes land upon, become more curious about it. Look for something you haven’t noticed before. Keep doing this and notice at least 8 things that you haven’t noticed before.
b) Find another object and do the same until your entire focus is on the object. When you are so focused on the object that no thoughts remain in the past or future, you are here in the present. Alive with what is!
NOTE: You may need to repeat ‘step b’ with several different objects until you have brought all of your attention back to the present.
Step Three: Relish the Moment
Now that you are firmly in the present, express gratitude for how wonderful it feels to be present in this beautiful moment.
Drop us a note and let us know the results of this three step practice. Or let us know if you have any questions. Stay tuned for next week’s feature article where you’ll find another simple practice for calling your energy back to the present.
