Truly
living in the present moment isn’t easy, but it is highly rewarding. The best
way to move forward on your own path to “here and now” is to understand the
potential obstacles and plan in advance how you’ll deal with them.
1. Mindfulness takes
ongoing effort.
Mindfulness
takes a lot of work, but the good news is that the longer you practice, the
easier it gets, and the more joyful your life becomes.
At
first, your thoughts will be in chaos, and everything will seem out of control.
Your situation will feel helpless, but the more you focus on being fully where
you are, the easier it will be to find peace of mind in the moment.
Mindfulness
is best practiced throughout your day. It’s not just for when you sit down and
meditate. Focus on being mindful of your thoughts when you’re doing everyday
tasks and it will be easier to remain mindful when things get tough.
2. There will always be
distractions.
When
you’re on your journey to becoming more mindful, it seems as if the universe
starts throwing stuff at you just to give you challenges.
The
distractions could be problems in your life, drama in your relationships, or
old negative beliefs popping up from your past.
These
are great opportunities to practice present moment awareness. They will help
you become stronger, better, and more in tune with yourself. The problems and
challenges we face are teachers in disguise.
They
are there to help you grow and to realize who you truly are.
3. Progress doesn’t
always come quickly.
Progress
may seem excruciatingly slow. There will be times when you attach to things and
situations that you want, which will make it difficult to be fully in the
present moment. It’s impossible to be mindful when you’re dwelling on the past
or obsessing about the future.
We
all do those things sometimes. I’ve experienced it countless times in my own
life. The more I want something, the more I fixate on not having it and wanting
to get it.
Once
I release the attachment and focus on being grateful for what I have in the
moment, my life seems to shift, and progress seems to happen naturally.
4. You may want to give
up.
Like
with any worthwhile journey, you will feel like giving up and throwing in the
towel multiple times.
But
it is during the times when you feel most frustrated that you are often on the
verge of a breakthrough.
Our
lives are very similar to the seasons. We go through cold, dark winters, and
joyful, expanding summers. It all comes and goes. It’s the ebb and flow of
life.
When
you realize that the challenging times are there to help you grow, you will
automatically feel more peaceful and relaxed.
5. Your goals may
challenge your mindfulness.
Having
goals is fantastic, essential even, but when you become overly attached to
them, something bad happens, just like we talked about above.
You
know that you’re too attached to something when you start feeling frustrated,
angry, and negative.
Attachment
muddles our clarity. You’re likely pursuing your goals because you believe they
will make you happy. Remember that when you start letting your goals pull you
into a stressful state of mind. If you focus on the good things around you,
you’ll feel that happiness that you think you need to chase.
This
will make you much happier in the long term, and, of course, right now.
6. You might forget that
the journey is the destination.
Most
people miss the fact that the reward is in the journey. Have you ever noticed
that when you reach a goal, it’s not as exciting as you thought it would be?
Sure,
it feels great to hit a milestone, but if you do not replace that goal with
another one, you will soon find yourself feeling unfulfilled.
That’s
because we are goal-seeking mechanisms. Humans need goals so they can have a
sense of purpose and fulfillment.
It
is in the journey that we learn, grow, and become better. When you’re
practicing mindfulness, remember that there is nowhere to arrive at. If you
focus on what is going on right now, the rest take care of itself.
7. Sometimes you’ll want
to be anywhere but in the now.
Even
the most enlightened masters on earth have to deal with difficult situations
and chaotic thoughts. The difference is they have learned to accept the moment
for what it is.
When
you do this, you become the guardian of your inner space, which is the only way
to feel good inside and find peace of mind, right now.
source
: E-buddhism.com