8) Presence
The Nine
On The Shortness Of Life
Seneca [Translated by John W. Basore]
We are really not good at staying present. All of us! Yet we still waste time, living via a history that is no longer ours or via a future that we cannot predict! We can only control this moment. And this one, and now this one…and so on.
This is not easy and takes huge amounts of practice. People spend their whole lives getting present only to be distracted by the past or future. This adds an enormous amount of stress, anxiety, fear, judgement (see above), along with a whole host of poor health opportunities. And that’s just the future! Those who spend big chunks in the past bring guilt, shame, anger, regret and gobs of other feelings that keep licensed therapists and psychologists busy for their collective lifetimes. Getting present is critical to moving forward. This moment we are in now can be wonderful or terrible, happy or sad, a win or a loss, a light or dark moment. And we are living it! That is an amazing gift we step over constantly.
Be big. Be cool. Be hippo.
Ready to get started?