This blog is dedicated to documenting my personal experiences in what it means to be present. I aim to share my perspective in hopes of helping others implement lessons I’ve learned throughout my journey into their own lives. As we go through life, our individual experiences are what shape our perspective and how we interpret the world around us. For instance, where we live and what resources we have very well affect how we define any given situation. Many factors such as family, wealth, security and freedom vary amongst individuals based on their environment and the external support system available to them or lack thereof. Life can not be subject to mere textbook definitions as they can be very different from what is experienced day to day. However, the best thing about living in this generation is how we, as a collective, have the ability to embrace modern views and opinions and challenge traditions, ideas and definitions that have been around for decades or longer.
My intention with today’s post is to lay the groundwork for the overarching theme of this blog: Being Present. Many of my thoughts, feelings, self-discoveries and revelations will be discussed and so, it is extremely important to explain how my life experiences have shaped how I define being present. I will begin by breaking down the phrase using textbook definitions and then discuss how these definitions developed further and became applicable to my life.
While reading about my philosophy surrounding what it means to be present, I hope this will inspire others to reflect on their own views. Everyone’s life history affects how they define being present and more importantly, how they achieve presence. It is essential that everyone examine their individual needs and how their life’s experiences have affected their mental state. Learning how to be present for personal needs requires daily effort. Let’s now cover the basic definition of being present.
To gain a better understanding of what it means to be present, it is necessary to define each word: being and present.
The Webster Dictionary defines these words as such:
Being – noun
A member of the human race
One that has a real and independent existence
The quality or qualities that make a thing what it is
Present – adjective
Existing or in progress right now
Present time
Now
As you examine each definition, you must now combine both meanings in order to identify what being present means to you. Many blogs, news articles and books surrounding this topic discuss being present as a general ideology but hardly scratch beneath the surface. This explains why many people find it difficult to achieve because all that is being described is what and not how.
Common Definitions of Being Present
Being present means to be fully aware or conscious of the moment you are experiencing. Your focus is on the space you exist in while not lost in thought or emotion. Here are some common ways that being present is described:
· Not being distracted by thoughts
· Not worrying about the past or stressed about the future
· Connected to the here and now
· Sensation Awareness (sight, sound, smell, taste and touch)
You can see that combining both meanings, being and present, describes how being present is defined and experienced. The being that you are, a conscious human with all your qualities is in touch with the time and space you are possessing. You are only aware of the now.
I understand the current definitions of what it is to be present; however, my aim is to not only define it, but to expand on and share how to achieve it. In my experience, I found it extremely difficult to connect with the general idea of being present. I came to find that being present is actually a mind-body experience with the body at the forefront.
My personal definition of being present means to be fully aware of the moment you are experiencing by means of bodily sensations. Being present is not a state of mind but rather, an awareness of your body. Once a present state within the body has been achieved, we are then able to monitor the mind to make sure it is not distracted with constant thoughts and emotions.
If you face constant uncontrollable thoughts and/or feelings, you may have found being present to be quite a challenge. Our thoughts block our ability to be fully present. If you rely on just the mind to achieve presence, you’ll find it impossible.
Stay tuned in order to learn more about the concepts in how we can be present within our bodies.
Best of all there is a BEE Present Podcast that posts commentary and information more regulary related to the monthly theme of the blog posts. This channel on YouTube is a great way to give more insights on how to define being present and how it should look in our lives.
Peace and BEE Present!!
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