How often do you think about who you once were, or who you’ll one day become?
That may sound like a deep question. Perhaps it’s a question you are far too busy to consider. But, if you spend time thinking about past events involving yourself or others – you are not experiencing the fullness of who you are now.
If you spend time worrying about what might happen next or how someone else might influence your future – you are not experiencing the fullness of who you are now.
Who we are now is always unfolding. The truth of who we are in this moment is different from who we once were. Who we are now isn’t the same as who we will inevitably become.
Our evolution takes place on a daily and moment-to-moment basis. Whether we choose to stay present with ourselves or not, it doesn’t stop our evolution – but it does shape the quality of our journey.
When we embrace who we are in this moment, we view life with a fresh perspective. When we stay in the power of who we are right now, we allow ourselves to witness the unfolding of our lives. As a witness, we get to taste the moments we are in. We get to fully experience the magic and magnificence of life itself.
Embracing who we are now doesn’t mean we won’t still be busy or experience the full spectrum of human emotion. When we embrace who we are now, we receive a feeling of ease and flow in all of our moments.
We experience ease when we stop taking ourselves out of the now with distracting stories about who we once were. We are in flow when we dance in partnership with the moments before us. We move with life when we let go of what’s out of our control.
When we embrace who we are now, we say yes to being willing and open participants in the dance of life. As willing participants, we get to fully experience the richness of the moments we are in. Our moments become gifts instead of fleeting opportunities we miss.
Being with who we are now can be tricky. Our minds can easily wander and default to old thought patterns that take us out of the now. But with practice, we can allow ourselves to bask in the pure joy of now more often.
Here are 3 powerful practices I use to get back on my path and embrace who I am right now. Give them a try and see what unfolds for you.
1. Focus
As you read these words, see what happens when you allow yourself to be here right now reading these words. It’s a subtle yet mighty shift when you bring your focus to right now. When we steer our focus to make this subtle shift, right here and now has a way of settling into our bones.
My dear friend Yasu-san introduced me to the word ima – it means now in Japanese. In 2014, I attended a TUT Adventure in Bali with Mike Dooley’s amazing group. He introduced us all to his longtime friend Yasu-san. Every morning, Yasu-san would lead a group of us through a Qigong practice. The practice was all about experiencing presence. Those mornings helped me feel the fullness of what it’s like to be here in the now. Throughout our time together, Yasu-san taught me how to travel the distance from my head to my heart.
The distance is short, sometimes it feels impossible to access and sometimes you might forget. But it’s always worth turning your focus toward making the journey – the journey is ima.
2. Perception
Our perception is the lens we view ourselves and the world through. Where we choose to put our attention can cloud our view or make our view crystal clear. How we choose to perceive ourselves has a funny way of shaping how we are received by others. How we view life transforms our view of life.
Our views shape our thoughts, feelings and actions. If our perception is clouded by our past experiences, mistakes, hurts, etc. it’s challenging to be open to what’s right in front of us now. When our lens is filled with worry and fear, it’s hard to breathe in the beauty that exists in this moment.
In order to embrace who we are right now, we have to ease up on replaying our past judgments. We have to release our incessant worrying about the future. A better option is to focus on deep intentional breathing and settle into the idea that we are safe and held.
Who we are right now is exactly who we are meant to be. All is well and life can be much simpler than we make it out to be. Less is more when it comes to sustaining a crystal clear view.
3. Alignment
Embracing who we are on a moment-to-moment basis comes when we align with who we are right now. Alignment is about knowing how you want to feel and knowing how you want to be in the world. Stay in your knowing. Simply focus on keeping your lens clear so you can feel how you want to feel and be how you want to be.
The trick is to not overcomplicate that which is perfectly simple and natural. Know how you want to feel and then feel that. Know how you want to be and then be that.
Resistance, the past, the future and fear are the blocks that keep us from embracing right here. Align with right now and then align with right now. Keep aligning with right now. Ima, ima, ima – you’ve got this.
