Become an expert in being present.

Become an expert in being present There isn't much time otherwise.

By: Christopher Jay Agudo

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Stick around to the end, i can assure you that the title is what you are about to read (it's just in-depth & will have you in contemplation)

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CONTENTS:

Part 1: Why we don't have forever and recognizing time is of the essence.

Part 2: We have become unaware and so distracted.

Part 3: How to take back your power of awareness and being present.

Part 4: Why part 1 is so important to all of this.

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Part 1:

Why we don't have forever and recognizing time is of the essence.

You know something...

we don't have forever.

The life we each individually live, on average, is comprised of up to 85 to 100 years and that is on the longer stretch. It is also entirely possible for it be short lived at only 65 to 84 years (that is more likely in today's day and age, unfortunately). I guess it just depends on your genetics and how you conduct your life via your health.

You may be thinking, "oh that's quite a lot of years, plenty of time to do tons of stuff." Sure, depending on your beliefs and point of view, a full life lived from adolescence to elderly age can seem like quite a long time, it's all relative, right? Maybe it can feel like "forever" for some of you, but if you actually think about it, really take the time to contemplate it, our life spans are merely but a couple seconds within a never-ending clock of eternity.

The next time you see an elderly person, think to yourself for a moment and realize that he or she was once a child, a teenager going through puberty, an adult, a person that has reached their 50's and then some. This elderly person (anywhere from 65 to 100 years of age or more) that you will eventually cross paths with has exhausted all of their younger years and even mid-range years. That elderly person is now, well, elderly.

"Where has the time went? How did they get 'old' already? Is that going to happen to me? I'm only 27 years old."

Yep. Before you know it... you are going to be elderly too and 8 times out of 10, if you were to ask an elderly person if their life has gone by slow or fast, they will almost always tell you, "fast." Some wishing they could go back in time to do things differently. Some regretting not having done a certain thing or having a certain experience.

This is why we don't have forever and must at the very least recognize that time is of the essence. It's good to admit and not be in denial, we all go through the aging process, that is perfectly normal and healthy. With this being said, we must come to terms with the idea that if we don't experience something in the moment, when that moment passes, we can never return to it. As the days flow by, weeks flow by, months and years, we will not be able to do any differently what we have already done. Unfortunately, many will have regrets and reflect back on what they wish they should have done differently.

Because when we are old and gray, will we be happy about our past, or sad? Only you can determine that for yourself and it is recommended to do things now that will contribute to your happy memories later on in life. Time is of the essence. This is why it is so important not to let life pass you by, not to become distracted, unaware and mindless. Not to let the days, weeks, months, and years slip by you without being aware and present. This leads us into part 2...

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Part 2:

We have become unaware and so distracted.

It seems many of us have been on autopilot for most, if not all of our lives, whether we are aware of it or not, whether we like it or not. As if we are programmed robots just existing. However, this is not our fault. Nonetheless, we were born and have reached our current age (whatever that may be for you). From the very start, indoctrinated and forced into society with no say of our own. Our minds have been fed the whole spectrum of what society wants for us. On top of all of this, we have been given things like television, as 1 of the countless examples, that allow us to let loose and just become mindless and entertained for hours on end, day in and day out.

Through all of our years, we have knowingly or unknowingly been conditioning ourselves and fully in the practice of not becoming aware and present. On average the attention span of the human is so incredibly short, let us say 1 to 3 minutes, maximum, that if someone or something doesn't captivate us in those initial 180 seconds, we move elsewhere with our attention.

...

(let me put some words in bold to keep the attention span of some reluctant readers to keep them engaged)

Have you seen it?? Well, have ya'?!?!

When someone is walking and they are not staring ahead of them, yet they are staring at the cell phone in the palms of their hands?

DISTRACTED I SAY!!!

BLASPHEMY!!!!

HOW DARE THEY DISREGARD THEIR SURROUNDINGS AND THE BEAUTY OF REALITY ALL AROUND THEM!!!!!

I'm sure you have seen that. I have certainly seen that and unfortunately I can claim that I have been that person. I have. I have totally done that before. Phone in hands, staring at it, texting, watching a video, or doing something else with my cell phone while walking. I've done this to the point of walking into a glass door (ouch).

How about this? Have you personally ever gotten accustomed to a certain route that you always take to get to work, or to get to the grocery store, or to get to wherever? Gotten so accustomed to it because you have taken that route 100,000 times over and over? You can take that route with your eyes closed, pretty much.

What about this? Have you ever gotten use to a certain location because you have been living there for quite some time? Roads become easy to drive, buildings become familiar, even people, etc. THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN ONE DAY YOU MOVE TO A NEW TOWN OR CITY. The new environment is SoOoOoOoOOo foreign. It can be confusing and even daunting at first. Then time passes, months, years and you once again get use to the location because of living there for quite some time.

Yeah, that is super common amongst all of us. What happens is, our brains sketch that route/geographical location into the part of it called the "hippocampus" that deals with spatial memory. So if you travel a certain route enough or live in a certain place long enough, it becomes natural. It's all about repetition.

This leads us to a really big dilemma that many typically experience, which is...

Even though we become familiar with an area or route, because we have traveled it over 100,000 times, we have yet to notice that flower that has been in that one part of the sidewalk just chillin' as it has always been there waiting to be appreciated by those which walk by it.

Look, we have become so unaware over time and have formed the habit of being distracted, as well as conditioned ourselves to not being present in the moment, that it can make for missed opportunity of actually experiencing the richness of life all around us, always around us.

Another prime example is taking the route to work (like you read earlier) and having done so for years, but because we have become mindless, unaware, one-directional and not present in the moment, like programmed robots, we have never noticed the graphic design t-shirt company situated on the corner of main st and 150th, next to the street light. The brick and mortar storefront has been there for years but we have never noticed it because we are not present in the moment and guess what... we needed a good graphic design t-shirt company months ago and that store would have been the best option, but we went elsewhere because we never noticed them before. (tsk tsk tsk)

It is super unfortunate and this way of being has plagued many of us for quite some time now. Why not take a moment to observe your surroundings? Be present. Be aware. Observe and appreciate all that is around you. No matter where you are. You are alive, take in the vast variation of life around you. It is like exercising your brain and awareness-mental-muscle. IT gives you greater perspective and allows you to become more informed about where you live, where you visit, where you go, pretty much wherever you are, at any moment.

"But how do i do that, Chris? All I know is my cell phone when I am out and about and i find taking the time to observe and do what you have been saying to be boooringg. I wouldn't know where to begin."

Hey, you aren't alone. Many people feel the same way. I can admit I use to feel that way too. But then I realized I am wasting life by not taking it all in and appreciating every aspect of it through my being in the present moment. That we only have a finite amount of time to exist and not being aware and present, doesn't allow me to soak it all in. Then it became easy for me. Check in to part 3 below and I will do my best to answer your question that is above this paragraph.

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Part 3:

How to take back your power of awareness and being present.

So you want to become aware. You want to be present. You wish no longer to be one-directional. You don't desire the idea of being a programmed robot that has been on auto-pilot for most/all of your life. You want change. You want to recognize and notice your surroundings. You want this new fresh breath of air that makes you feel more fulfilled by taking in the richness of life all around you, that has always been around you.

Congratulations.

You have completed the first step necessary to doing just that. You have granted yourself the desire to want to be present and aware. That is the most important step, the first initial step.

Let me get right into. Without further ado.

To further the process, you need to understand that if you don't find something fun, it is going to be exponentially harder to actually do, because time is of the essence and doing things you don't enjoy doing seem like a waste of time. So you need to instill within your mind the idea that being present and being aware of your surroundings (people/places/things) is FUN. You get see what you hadn't seen before and this fills in your memories with new experiences. Also, if you don't find doing this fun, and you don't really have the drive to want to be aware and present of your surroundings, it could be said that you shouldn't even do it. However, if you can muster the desire and joy in doing it, it becomes a breeze.

If you think about it, it can only help you gain more information about your surroundings anyway. You don't have to put time aside to adventure to be present and aware, you can just be more present and aware on your way to work, taking that one route you always have. Or just being present and aware on your way to the grocery store, in the grocery store and because of it, finding a new product on a shelf you never noticed, etc. You know what I mean, you can practice this during your routes you already take.

Once you have the desire and deem this as fun, like I said in the previous paragraph, you don't need to make this an activity out of your day with time set aside. You can just do it on your routes you already take day in and day out. However, if you are feeling adventurous, you can indeed set time aside one day to adventure and travel around your town or city. Perhaps go on a walk or jog. Perhaps drive around and observe the various places as you drive down the different roads. Your choice.

Whenever you do find yourself in the practice of being aware and being present in the moment, become mindful of this. Use your eyes to scan around in a relaxed way to observe your surroundings. Soak it all in. If you hadn't done this before, you may be shocked of the "new" things you will discover that you have not ever seen!

You can even add a sense of gratitude, if you so wish. This is to fortify the feeling/frequency of you being alive. You experiencing life. Actually experiencing it. Seeing all the colors. Seeing all the sights. Seeing all the objects. The people, places, and things all around you.

"But, Chris... that seems creepy. What if people look at you like you are some weirdo looking at things. I don't want to be judged."

That is funny. First of all you shouldn't care what people think of you, because that makes you handicapped and unable to do what you want, being inhibited by others, but... I see what you mean.

When I am present and am aware, wherever I am, I just go about it in a natural way. It's not like my eyelids are peeled open with eyes wide open just staring at stuff and my surroundings like I've never seen anything before. I just take my time walking down the sidewalk, or in the mall, or wherever and just casually look at various stuff. There is nothing odd about that. Many people like to take their time strolling about in town, or in the mall. As long as you aren't infringing upon people's personal space or making yourself a nuisance to others, you will be fine.

I have spent hours before in antique stores just looking at stuff. I have spent hours downtown just walking the sidewalks, going inside stores, finding new places, going to new restaurants, going to new events, walking down sidewalks of roads I haven't before. Sat down in front of a cathedral church and appreciated the beauty of it's architecture. Taken pictures of flowers that I haven't seen before. Drove around the towns and cities I have lived before and explored them when I have lived in them, since I lived in them. Do you see what I mean? These are just a minuscule amount of examples, I have countless examples. Another one is, being at the mall with my family and just sitting down on the bench as they go shop. Being able to look around at the stores and the people while relaxing, sitting.

Do you see what I mean? Instead of living somewhere and not ever exploring it, I explore it. Instead of being at the mall, staring at my phone the whole time, I use my eyes to take in the sights. Instead of going somewhere and being face down staring at the ground in front of me while walking, I look forward and observe my surroundings.

I went on a jog once and encountered this really cool looking tree that was twisted and enormous. I only noticed it because I was present in that moment of my surroundings. If I hadn't been, I would have just jogged right by it without noticing it, as I have countless other times.

Keep in mind that during my being present and being aware, in the moment, I have a sense of gratitude because we are all aging, and I would rather take in all of the sights and surroundings as much as possible before I become elderly and eventually kick the bucket, having not experienced as much as possible.

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Part 4:

Why part 1 is so important to all of this.

So, now you get why it is a good idea and can be worth your time being present and aware of your surroundings and even how to do just that, but...

"Why did you include part 1 in all of this about this idea that we don't have forever and time being of the essence? I'm young and have what feels like 'forever' for me anyway."

Yeah, I use to feel that way too. I remember being in high school 10 years ago and feeling like time took forever to go. One day, I was sitting down on my comfy chair and playing a video game in my room feeling like It would be forever until I was old.

Here's the thing, 10 whole years have passed since then and to me they passed in the blink of an eye. I was 17 then, now I am 27. When I really contemplate that, it's quite insane how fast those 10 years have seemed to zoom by. This of course will be the same for the next 10 years when I turn 37, and the 10 years beyond that for when I turn 47. I understand now that time is of the essence and time doesn't slow down for anyone. It isn't bias, it just keeps flowing. When you come to that realization, you will understand that you shouldn't let your days pass you by without you actually experiencing them. Actually living them to the fullest.

So. If you decide to use your free-will to become present and aware in the moments ahead of you, the days and weeks and years ahead of you, you will be able to experience more life during those times. Trust me, I know. I have been doing this for some time now and I feel like I have noticed more, took in more, soaked in more life and experiences just by doing so.

Time is of the essence and it is so important, don't just waste is by not being present and aware.

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