Present Moment
Awareness
“The mind is a wonderful servant, but a terrible master.”
- Proverb
Consider
this statement: The only moment that truly exists is this exact moment in time.
It may sound highly philosophical and of little practical relevance, but not
only is the statement a fact, recognition of it as a fact can greatly improve
your life. The past no longer exists and the future has not yet occurred.
Therefore, only the present moment in time exists. “So what?” you ask. “How can
that improve my life?” This is how: The vast majority of suffering and
unhappiness in people comes from their negative and self-limiting thoughts
about the past and the future.
We
regret things we have done or didn’t do in the past. We resent others for
things they have done to us or should have done but didn’t do for us in the
past. And we limit our self potential based on how we have acted or performed
in the past. But there is literally nothing we can do to change the past. It is
irrational and counterproductive to spend time creating negative thoughts and
emotions about it.
Similarly,
we preoccupy ourselves with thoughts of worry about what might happen in the
future- “What if I get a call on Friday afternoon from a partner to work over
the weekend?” “What if I don’t make partner when it’s my time to be considered?”
“What if I don’t collect enough fees from clients at the end of the year to
satisfy my partners?” In the same way,
many of us spend time and energy looking forward to some future point in our
lives where everything is perfect and we are happier, richer, thinner or
healthier. As with the past, the future does not exist. Therefore creating
negative emotions around what is essentially a fictitious story we have created
in our minds, serves little to no healthy purpose. But it is this type of
mental chatter- these worries about things that do not exist- that create
stress, sap our energy and ultimately keep us from feeling balanced, fulfilled
and happy.
Present
moment awareness, also known as mindfulness, is the cure to this condition, which
causes so much of our worry and mental suffering. Mindfulness is focusing on
and thinking only about exactly what it is that you are doing at this moment
without judgment. It is not allowing your brain to give any attention to the
persistent thoughts of worry about the past and future that plague the vast
majority of people. Similarly, mindfulness is the act of experiencing the
present without passing judgment about it. For example, when you are eating an
apple, you are focused on the sweet taste, its crisp texture and its juiceyness. You are not thinking about anything other
than that apple. And you are not categorizing your experience of eating the
apple as good or bad. When you are in a work meeting, you are intently focused
on the person or people with whom you are meeting and the content of what is
being discussed. You are not thinking about your weekend plans or how many more
days are left until your next vacation.
Mindfulness
is a discipline. It takes practice and persistence to see results. But as you
develop the discipline, you will find the fog in your mind caused by the swirl
of so many thoughts, many of which are negative, start to lift. You will gain
clarity when there are not so many thoughts and judgments swimming around in
your head, the level of anxiety you experience will decrease and more joy will
flow in.
When
applied to your life generally, being in the present moment means enjoying and
appreciating your life today. It may be cliché, but it is true that “happiness
is a journey, not the destination.”
Learn to appreciate your life exactly as it is right now. It will never
be perfect, but even on the worst days, all of us have countless things to be
grateful for. This does not mean that
you shouldn’t have goals and aspirations.
It only means, at any given moment, “be where you are at”. When you
train your mind to be present, your world becomes free and fun again. A day
spent in the park with your child will remind you of when you were a carefree
child. It doesn’t matter that you may have a brief due or an important client
meeting in the morning. Each event in your life is given attention in its own proper
time and place. Being present maintains the boundaries between events and allows
you to appreciate the uniqueness of each event.
Present Moment Awareness in Action
A
related tool for eliminating worry and bringing clarity to your mind is meditation.
It can significantly reduce stress and fatigue while helping to bring clarity
and focus to your thoughts. Try it by sitting in a quiet space that is not too
hot or cold. Wear comfortable clothing. Or if you are wearing business
clothing, make yourself as comfortable as possible by undoing the top button on
your shirt and/or slipping off your shoes. It doesn’t matter if you sit in a
chair, on the floor or even lie down. The key is to be comfortable but not fall
asleep. Next, close your eyes, relax and take a slow, deep breath in. Focus
only on the act of breathing. Clear your mind of any thoughts other than how it
feels to be taking in that breath of air. Comfortably release your breath and
continue to focus only on the act of breathing. Because our minds are trained
to constantly be busy, thoughts will invariably enter your mind. Each time one
does, imagine releasing the thought as if it were a helium balloon floating off
into the distance. Gently but firmly steer your attention back to your
breathing. The key is to be patient with yourself yet persistent in your effort
not to ponder or build on any thought that comes along. Always return your focus
to your breathing. In the beginning, 5 to 10 minutes of meditation will be a
challenge. Through time you will develop the ability to hold your mind silent
for longer periods. As this happens you will look forward to and even crave the
next time you take a break from all the mental chatter to meditate. One further
comment about meditation- There is no minimum amount of time you must do it for
it be effective. Even if you only have 5 minutes between client calls or 45
seconds until the stop light turns green, clearing your mind of thoughts and
focusing on your breathing is a very effective way to reduce stress and
anxiety.
Reality Check?
Now
that you are starting to get a feel for what the 7 P’s of Prosperity are about,
allow me to take a brief detour to address a thought that is probably running
through your mind. You are thinking, “These concepts are fine in theory but
unrealistic in real life.” In response, I would say the following two things:
first, the 7 P’s of Prosperity are ideals to work towards. Of course, no one
will ever be able to achieve them perfectly at all times. We all have moments
where life overwhelms our plans, goals, efforts and intentions. And sometimes
we are just not in the mood to act healthy and balanced. This is real life and
we are human. But, that does not mean that we shouldn’t set our goals and make
progress towards them. The 7 P’s of Prosperity are not an all or nothing
proposition. Any time you are practicing them, even if it is just for a minute
or two, you are improving the quality of your life. Second, if there is only
one thing that you take away from this article, let it be this: “In order to
change your life, you must change the way you think." So, if you think
that the 7 P’s of Prosperity are unrealistic, that is precisely the trap this
article is intended to prevent you from falling in. “Unrealistic” is what the
logical voice coming from the left side of your brain is saying about you
taking time out of your busy life as a serious lawyer to focus on frivolous
things like the 7 P's of Prosperity. But, that voice (a/k/a your Ego) is not
interested in your happiness. It is not concerned about helping you live a more
balanced and fulfilling life or your long term success as a lawyer and person.
It is only interested in its survival and keeping you safe from embarrassment
and the uncertainty of leaving your logical world. But if you are ready to
dismiss that voice, or at least set it aside for a while each day, you will
soon begin to understand that "realistic" is whatever you decide it
to be. In other words, if you are going to make a meaningful change in your
life, you are going to need to redefine what you consider to be “realistic”. If
you can do that, it is then that the 7 P's of Prosperity will start to make a
positive difference in your life.
“I know but one freedom and that is the freedom of the mind.” ~Antoine de Saint-Exupery
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