Maria Gonzalez Blog
Mindful Leadership

Awakening Only Happens in the Present Moment

The only possibility we have to awaken, is right here, right now.  It can only happen in this moment.  That is the key reason that this moment is sacred…this moment and every moment.  But, so often we wait for this moment to pass and long for a future time or for the past.  In so doing, we miss life.  The past is merely a memory.  And the future, at this moment, is but, a fantasy.  So, all we ever have is this moment, right “now”.

In fact, it is our resistance, the pushing away or the craving for something different, that causes us to miss the moment.  Once this moment is gone, it is forever gone.  So, if you are with your family, friends or colleagues and you are not really here, you have missed this opportunity, forever.  You may suddenly realize that you no longer know the people around you…and all because you were not really there with them.  You weren’t present.  You were in your head.

So how do we awaken?  It can seem so illusive.  But it is not!  We awaken by being committed to paying attention to everything, moment by moment.  It requires being both present to what is going on around you in this moment, and to what is going on within you, so that your attention is not derailed by emotion.  To do that, notice when emotion arises during an interaction and make sure not to get locked in your head with unnecessary chatter.  Just come back to this moment and notice the emotion.

When you are walking outside, just notice your environment, the buildings, the nature, the sounds.  Just be right here, right now, and when you notice you are distracted, come right back to the moment.  Do this gently and with patience.

In time, you will notice that you are able to penetrate deeper and deeper layers of the present moment…and that is what it is to be Awake.