Engage in the Moment for More Effective Living and Business

Attention! Are You Living In The Present?

So many people seem to be pre-occupied with the past and what is going to happen tomorrow and lose track of right now. This moment is now is so very important for several reasons that I have noted here. Learn how to engage in this moment more and how it can lead to much more effective personal and business success.

As you read this article, know that one of the things I spend lots of time working on with individuals, corporations and businesses is getting them engaged in the present moment. You’ll see that the reasons I think this is important in business as well as personally are drawn upon toward the end of this article.

Tune In To The Power of NOW!

The centre I used to run here in Bournemouth used to sell a wide range of books and one that I used to stock was a book called ‘The Power of Now’ by a guy called Eckhart Tolle. I really recommend you read it.

Lots of people that came to classes, workshops and consultations at the centre would often tell me how great it was and give me snippets of information about its content and for a number of years I would occasionally think, “Yeah, I really should read that book,” then kept on deciding that I would wait until later (yes, I am fully aware of the irony in this!) Nevertheless, I am already sold on the power of the present moment, for a number of reasons:

Firstly then, only this present moment exists. The past has happened, you cannot change it, the future is yet to occur, it is not tangiable — only this moment exists.

I think this is by far the most compelling reason to put your attention on the present moment. Yesterday doesn’t exist, except as a memory, with all the unreliability we know to be true of memories and the creative distortion of your mind; when you experienced yesterday, it was now. Tomorrow doesn’t exist either, except as an imaginary construct; when you experience tomorrow, it will be now. And as it’s all that exists, it’s a good idea to experience it as richly as you can. To do this, have a go at doing the following:

Welcome to Now: Your Introduction to This Moment

Sit with your feet shoulder width apart and flat on the floor, in a comfortable, balanced and aligned position with your hands and legs uncrossed. With your eyes open or closed, allow yourself to become aware of the different sounds, sights, smells and sensations around you. Notice the ones within you too. Say hello to the present moment; this is it.

That’s right. This is the present moment, and there are a number of good reasons for keeping your awareness in the present as much as possible.

Get Your Fill Of This Moment

Let’s carry on… Secondly, there is a lot more of this moment in store for you. I mean a lot more now to experience.

If you stop and think for a moment now, you will realise that all the experiences of your life do take place in a present moment and are going to continue to take place in a present moment. The more comfortable you are with the present moment, the more comfortable you are sure to be with those future presents. How is your brain enjoying working that out?!

Answer This: Where Are You?

Thirdly for now then, the present is where you are. As you have just found out and introduced yourself to this moment, you can know that it is where you are at.

If in doubt, look down at your feet. Your feet only exist in the present moment. Wiggle your toes, feel how it feels to be in this moment. Because it is where your feet (and every other part of your body) are located. Which leads me nicely on to…

Action Stations Please!

Fourthly, the present is the only time you can take action. All the action that you take is of course happening in the now.

You can wish you took action yesterday (so many do…), but yesterday no longer exists, so it remains a wish. You can plan to take action in the future, but when you take the action, it will be in the present moment. The only time you can take action is in this very second.

Do You Want Some Real Enjoyment In Your Life?

Fifth up for today is: Wherever you are going, I am guessing that you want to enjoy it when you get there, am I right? Therefore, get into that habit of enjoying the present now and you are then even better at enjoying then when you get there. You are well practiced at enjoying this moment!

I took some amazing insight from my running experiences with my younger brother. When we ran and trained together and competed in races, he always enjoyed the race and commented on our surroundings whereas I always had my eye on the finish line. So much can and has been said about enjoying and engaging in the journey rather than always focusing on the future. Have a go at this one too….

Another Engaging Technique For You:

Gently place the tip of your tongue against the roof of your mouth just behind your front teeth and breathe comfortably. Imagine you are holding a tiny droplet of oil between the tip of your tongue and the roof of your mouth.

I originally got this idea from Eric Robbie on a training he did with Michael Breen and I tinkered around with it a bit. It is a great way of turning off your internal dialogue or at least quietening it down. Turning off your internal dialogue is an excellent way of allowing yourself to focus on the present.

“The only way to live is to accept each moment as an unrepeatable miracle, which is exactly what it is — a miracle and unrepeatable.”

Margaret Storm Jameson

Get your Business in the Now More Often:

So, how do you relate this knowledge and my rantings to one’s business or day to day life?

Business and life today seem to operate at an increasingly faster pace. People have lots of demands on their time, and naturally need every advantage they can get to be more effective. When I do corporate and business consultancy, one of the most common ‘challenges’ that people want to deal with is being focused and making progress on important business objectives or life goals.

Getting Focused

As I’ve investigated how people avoid being focused, I’ve found that, they are often not centred in the present. Instead, they are thinking about what’s happening tomorrow, or what happened yesterday, or running through a list of things that they need to do later. As a result, their attention is not in the present.

I used to work in Victoria in Central London and if you have ever been there during the rush hours, it is a hectic place. What I find interesting is that you can tell who is engaged in the moment and who is thinking about their day or the next day. Those people whose awareness is within their heads, mulling over their day or dreading what’s in store tomorrow are the ones bumping into people or veering off in wrong directions. Whereas those people whose awareness is outside their heads and engaged in their surroundings are those that are balanced, poised and agile, like a panther!

When you bring your attention and energy into the present moment, you can accomplish things more quickly, solve problems more effectively, and enjoy the process more than you might expect. So, thirdly, have a go at connecting with the moment more and more in your days…

Prior to your Business Task:

Before starting an important task, take a moment to centre yourself, notice your breathing and relax. Then, get clear about what you want to accomplish, then begin.

I wish you all the very best and hope to engage in the present with many more people here to benefit yourself personally and your effectiveness in business.