We got a new dog in February after the passing of Skippy, who was so incredibly obedient from the very first day he rescued us. I had to learn how to train a dog again. One of the most important commands is stay. Trixie wants to please and learned it quickly.
I use a similar command to train myself, stay here. Like most people my mind often goes off to places, times and things other than right here and right now. I tried using another dog command, leave it, to bring me back to the present. It works, but as I said in my post, Remember, https://thishelpedme.org/2023/04/02/remember/ it’s more effective to concentrate on what I want, instead of what I don’t want.
It’s easy for me to worry about the future or be upset about a mistake or personal slight in the past. Reminding myself to stay here helps me come back to now. There are times when I need to plan for the future, or learn from the past, but I make my visits there brief. The creative process of writing is also a balance of being somewhere else and also being present.
In my post Do the Best You Can https://thishelpedme.org/2021/04/01/do-the-best-you-can/, I wrote about the importance of focusing on strengths. That’s made a big difference in my life. However, to really do the best I can, it’s vital that I be in the present moment. That’s the only place I can bring all the resources of who I am to bear.
In the post The Key, https://thishelpedme.org/2024/04/07/the-key/, I said that managing my perception is the key to my life. Being present is important to having healthy perception. Psychologist Ram Dass said, “Ask yourself: Where am I? Answer: Here. Ask yourself: What time is it? Answer: Now. Say it until you can hear it.” That’s what I am doing when I tell myself, stay here. It brings me back to the present moment. Meditation also helps. All of my life is better when I am present. It’s the best I can do in any situation. Nothing more complicated than perception.
May you have enough, now.
THIS HELPED ME 