The Lie of Be Present

'I need to be more present'
'live in the present moment'

Have you ever had these thoughts?
Have you ever struggled 'being present'?

Athletes talk about it,
Life coaches talk about it,
The entire personal development community talks about it.

'Be Present'

What does that even mean?

When do you think about the past?
When do you think about the future?
When do you think about anything?

NOW.

Right now, this very moment, is the ONLY moment that exists.

Try go to the past,
Try go to the future.

We act like it is another location in time and space, but it's really just a thought, that you're having right now.

The present moment is not something you get to, or force yourself into.
It is quite literally, the only thing that exists.
This moment, right now, is the only intersection of time and space that exists.

Everything else is a thought.

So tell me, how are you going to be more of that which you already are?
What do you really mean when you say 'I need to be more present'?
Because it simply can't mean being more in the present moment, as we've already pointed out.

I get it: It's the thoughts, it's the distractions, it's getting hung up on the past, or overthinking the future.

But what you may now realise, is one of the biggest distractions from being ENGAGED in the present moment, is THINKING about being in the present moment, and TRYING to be present. THAT is the problem.

Every thought you have, every distraction you face, every action you take, every effort you make, ALL happens in the eternal moment of NOW.

Perhaps you now understand that you cannot be anything BUT present.

At least now you are one step closer to properly defining the True problem you are facing when you say 'I need to be more present'.

Why do you want to 'be present'? What's the reason? What's the goal?

If it's not being present, what is actually preventing you from that thing?

There are many mental barriers that could be preventing you from what you want, whether it be peak performance, productivity, or engagement with your kids, but 'being present' is not one of them.