All articles, tagged with “presence”

A very nice quote appeared in my e-mail box this morning. Perfect timing, because I was just about to blog about this very topic. Check it out . . .

“Don’t let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use.”

This quote comes from Earl Nightingale, a well-known motivational author and speaker who started the Nightingale-Conant Corporation of personal improvement products.

Last night, a student came into his lesson and admitted that he lost motivation to learn his new piece for one reason: he looked at all the pages he had to learn.

Have you had this happen? It’s not uncommon.

If you’ve ever made a “to-do” list with great excitement (or with good intentions), you’ve probably noticed that the excitement wears off quickly when that list becomes overwhelming. Suddenly procrastination, excuses and stress replace your well-meaning intention to get things done.

The reason the list can overwhelm you is because you couldn’t completely foresee the details of your day as you made the list. If you write down 5 things to do, it seems quite manageable. But, the day begins to unfold with unexpected phone calls, work events that demand your attention, childcare, meals, etc.

You get the point.

What can you do?

Focus on the first item on the list and completely engage in it! That’s right, forget about the remaining items on the list until you complete the one right in front of you. Maybe it’s the task that is most important, maybe it’s the one to do first in the day because it needs to be done before you can do anything else. Whatever the reason, you can certainly decide which activity is worthy of your full attention at any moment.

The problem comes along when you start to look over your list and imagine how you won’t be able to do it all. Then you get fearful and stressed. In fact, you spend more time worrying about the ways in which you can’t complete the tasks then actually getting something accomplished.

With our students, we have them practice just 1 or 2 measures at a time with full care and attention, even if it’s a 75 page piece with 800 measures of music.

Why?

Because if you do a good job on those 2 measures the first time, you won’t need to keep coming back to them to repair unfinished business. In fact, if you gloss over those first two measures and miss details, you will later have to unlearn the details that don’t even belong in the music.

I don’t think I need to spell out the life metaphor here.

Just focus on what is in front of you with full care and attention because the success in this moment will lead to success in each subsequent moment. You may even finish all the items on the list because your focus level is high. You’re unencumbered by fear and procrastination when you adopt this principle.

I’m thankful to Earl and my student from last night because I need this reminder on a regular basis!

As readers of this weekly blog already know, I like to share ideas that have helped me to be more creative, calm, happy, enthusiastic, joyful and powerfully centered in the present moment. I share them with the hope that readers may find inspiration for themselves.

We all know that being in the present is the most powerful way to live. It’s more powerful than mourning the past, feeling regret or fearing the future. Being in the present doesn’t mean that you don’t have fond memories or make plans, it’s just that this moment is the only moment you’ll ever experience. So, I’m always looking for ways to make it better.

I’ve learned a lot of great techniques from a variety of books, videos, audio programs and people who are living life to their highest potential. I’m certain that this study played a huge role in a major realization that occurred to me last week. This insight may seem incredibly simple when I reveal it…and it is. But, this powerful realization allows me to “Feel Better Now.” That phrase has become my new reality.

Here it is.

Every day, all of us have things to do that fall under the category of chopping wood and carrying water. That’s an old term for daily chores and requirements that relate to our survival. The survival tasks have evolved over the years, but that term nicely illustrates the errands of the day. You know, I’m talking about washing dishes, driving the kids to music lessons, yard work, working at a job you don’t love, sorting through the mail, etc.

Well, I rarely enjoy chopping wood and carrying water because I always want to be doing “something else.” I have a list of items each day that I desire to do — all of us do.

So, you see, if I’m always wanting to be somewhere else while I’m cleaning cat litter, I start to become impatient. When I’m not accepting or enjoying the moment, I lose creative power (or happiness, or peace, or joy). It almost sounds silly to talk about it even as I write.

But here’s what happened last Tuesday. I had a long list of things to do that day and the grass was long. There was a threat of rain for the next day, so I figured it would be better to cut it now before it got wet and longer. I made a decision to cut the lawn and to try some of the techniques I’ve learned while engaged in the yard work.

As I mowed, I began to notice and appreciate the beauty of the blooms in our flower bed. I appreciated that our lawn looked so green. I kept reaching for things to appreciate in the present moment and even began to say some positive mantras in my head while I walked back and forth with each newly cut row. Thoughts about people I love popped into my head, excitement about the summer weather came up and a general swell of positivity came over me. I was totally in the present as the positive momentum gathered…all this while cutting lawn (i.e. choppin wood).

It gets better.

The yard work felt like it took three minutes (actually, it was timeless). I couldn’t believe I was done. As I put away the tools and the mower, a new idea for a creative project flashed into my head from out of the blue. I was really excited! After I put away the tools, instead of rushing inside to take care of my next item on the “to do” list, I went back to the front yard and just observed it. It seemed to look better than ever and I felt really peaceful.

I’ve read probably 1,000 times or more that the way to live your best life is to be in the now — when you eat, just eat, when you walk, just walk. Intellectually, it has always made a lot of sense. To add to that, I’ve never had a problem staying in the present when relaxing on the beach in Hawai’i or skiing down a mountain. Yet, out of the 365 days in each year, how many days am I in that situation?

Think about it…every day, you’re likely engaged in chopping wood and carrying water. Rather than seeing these activities as obstacles, they become your opportunity to transform, grow and experience life in a new way.

Think about the implications here. Instead of being resentful that you have to wash the dishes, try using that time as a vehicle to increase the power of your focus. By focusing on the present moment, you get better at being in the present. You also get better at focus. Focus brings more effective results to your life.

Rather than scattering your thoughts and attention to everything that enters your mind or your immediate environment, you begin to take control of the direction of your life. Rather than needing external stimuli like television to give you a rest from your thoughts, you get better at directing your thoughts.

This is what we teach when we show people how to practice piano. Never mind that you didn’t practice yesterday, focus on what you can do right at this moment to improve the piece, to enjoy the sound of the instrument, to be here now. Students are always amazed at what they can achieve when they have 45 minutes of undivided attention devoted to the task at hand, practicing their piece.

Oh, another thing . . .

My first student of the day came in one hour after I finished mowing the lawn and said, “Wow, you’re yard looks beautiful. It looks like it could be in a magazine.” I thought that was pretty cool and it added even more positive energy to a day that was continuing to feel good. My positively oriented presence began having ripple effects throughout my day and even to other people.

That’s one way to “Feel Better Now.” Feel free to write to me if you have ways to be in the present. I love hearing about them from other people. You can even post a comment on the blog so others can read your ideas. Thanks!