Being in the "Here and Now"
All of one’s power lies in being in the moment. How many of us waste countless hours thinking about the past or worrying about the future. If you try to shut your mind off from thinking, what are you trying to do, but turn off the past or future. Have you noticed how time flies when you are absorbed “in the moment”? And what happens when we watch a great movie – we become so involved with the plot and the characters that we forget where we are. Any activity that accomplishes this state of mind we consider to be a relief. We find this relief when we go to the movies or watch a sporting event live or on the television.
Many executives are often worried about things or events that are out of their control and that are normally associated with the future and sometimes the past. Depending upon the health of the organization or department they worry about everything from meeting payroll to increasing employee performance to getting more sales and, of course, the big dog, a better bottom line. When you worry about an event that has already occurred (the past) or an event that might occur in the future you are wasting valuable mind energy that could be applied to a solution for a problem at hand. Mark Twain once said, “I’ve been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened.” When you learn to be in the “here and now” you will have clearer thinking, more inspiration and therefore, better and quicker decision making capabilities.
Imagine having the power to turn off your mind to the past/future. This is what the great meditators are able to accomplish. They can get into a “here and now” state on demand. The not so great meditators, like me, need more time to get there. There are many tools and techniques that can help us achieve the “here and now” state of mind. I have found focusing on the breath to be a good technique as well as doing a mantra. A mantra is a repetitive word or combination of words that you repeat silently over and over again.
Transcendental meditation uses the Sanskrit mantra, “Om Mane Padme Om”. I prefer something in English that has meaning to me. For example: “I Am Healthy, I Am Wealthy, I AM Happy, I AM Love” and the one I should use more often – “ I AM Patient.”
The idea of using a mantra to help you to achieve a state of being in the “Here and Now” is to use a mantra on a regular basis to connect us with a loving thought or at the very least, a positive thought. If you find yourself getting anxious or angry at an event that has already occurred, then use mantra to control your mind. This helps train your mind to react with love, or at the very least have no reaction to a negative event which allows for a calmer mind.
In business when you find yourself getting upset with a manager or employee you can use a mantra to control your emotions and avoid unnecessary conflict or poor decisions. Mantras are also great for overcoming irrational fears. The idea is to give yourself a mantra that is the opposite of your fear.
It is best to create a mantra that is positive and does not use the word “not.” What you are trying to do is create a different neural pathway than the old past impression that keeps playing. Neural pathways are like grooves in the mind, and the more you stay in that groove the deeper it gets. The good news is that if you create a new groove, a positive one, then the old groove will atrophy. There is a secret to the success of using a mantra or positive affirmation and that is to see yourself in the new state of mind and then feel yourself in that state and finally most importantly – believe you are there. The most powerful methodology to accomplish this is to use the “I AM” technique. An example might be (pick your fear) a fear of flying. I’m not talking about someone who will never set foot in an airplane, I mean someone who tends to freak out a little bit or even a lot, but they will get on the plane and fly. Begin practicing your mantra by imagining yourself in the plane while you are at home and repeat “I AM a fearless flyer and I love to fly.” Then when you finally take a trip, you’ll be ready to run that mantra through your head, at the airport, boarding the plane and during takeoff and landing. If you are freaked out the entire time you are in the air, then that’s going to require an examination of the root cause of the fear for which a spiritual solution can be applied. The beauty of spiritual solutions is that you can discover the root cause and an antidote without ten years of therapy.
A mantra is a great technique to help you get into the “Here and now” state of mind. It is extremely powerful in helping you get through your fears, making better business decisions, or just to relax and put you in a meditative state. Try it for yourself, but be sure to remember those grooves can run deep and it will take some effort to create a new neural pathway. Good luck and if you would like help, email me.