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Our minds are great tools. We can solve a lot of practical problems using our minds. Unfortunately, we forget that our minds are just tools. And like every tool, they are useful only when they are needed. However, we cannot stop our minds. We keep thinking even if we don’t need to. Our minds create countless thoughts every moment, mostly negative.

We can argue that creating negative thoughts has its roots in our evolution. The history of mankind is full with terrible events. It can even be beneficial to anticipate negative events and take precautions. We fasten our seat belts to protect us against the possibility of an accident. As soon as we fasten our seat belt, we don’t think about an accident and enjoy our ride. However, we can’t let go of all the negative thoughts with a simple move like fastening a seat belt. We keep thinking until we become obsessed and our thoughts start to hurt us more than they benefit us.

The Noise in Our Heads

Most of us cannot even imagine stopping our minds for a while. We cannot stop the noise in our heads. Suppose that you’re living in a noisy environment all the time. How would you feel? That’s exactly how it is in our minds. Our minds create thoughts constantly and we believe in every thought our minds create. Most of the time, our thoughts are not consistent. They contradict each other, but we believe in them anyway. We don’t realize that our minds provide us with possibilities.
We believe that our thoughts are facts. This is a delusion.

Is there a way to stop the noise in our minds? Yes, there is a way and it is living in the present moment. All of our thoughts are either about past or future. The present moment is never the subject of our minds. When we focus more and more in the present moment, our minds slow down. They don’t create as much noise as before.

Slowing down our minds sounds negative at first hand. Why should we give up using our minds? Actually, we are not using our minds. We are abusing our minds. We don’t give our minds the rest they need to recuperate. We keep our minds busy with all kinds of negative thoughts that don’t benefit us or anyone else. As a result, our minds don’t perform their best when we need them.

How to Live in the Present Moment

How can we live in the present moment? By focusing on the present moment and letting go of the thoughts about past and future. That doesn’t mean to stop planning. Planning is a practical activity that happens in the present moment. We use our minds as a tool while planning. However, believing all the scenarios that our minds create and then worrying about them is the exact opposite of living in the present moment.

Here’s an example. Suppose that you’re writing a book and you’re worrying about how the book will be received by editors, critics, and readers. You wonder if it will be a bestseller or a failure. You’re worrying and making expectations about future. How can you write a book while your attention is not in the activity of writing the book itself? Living in the present moment means focusing completely on the activity of writing the book, not about worrying or making expectations about the future of the book. Which option will result in a better book? Focusing completely on writing the book or worrying about the future of the book?

Here’s another example. Suppose that you’re hurt by something your partner said yesterday. He didn’t notice that he hurt you and you didn’t make it clear that you were hurt. But now you keep thinking about the instance. Your resentment is growing. What is better for your relationship? Thinking about past and resenting what happened? Or living in the moment and telling your partner that you’re hurt?

Deeper Issues

These are two practical examples and our lives are full with practical examples like these. Living in the present moment can make a big difference in our daily lives. What about deeper issues? What if the event that we resent happened years ago and we can’t find a way to recuperate now? Or what if we have fundamental worries about the future and we can’t come up with a solution now? In this case, acceptance is the key to live in the present moment. Accepting the events that happened in the past. Accepting that the future is uncertain. Accepting the facts, accepting what is, not fighting it, but surrendering to it.

Living in the present moment is the exact opposite of what we are taught. Since the day we are born, we are conditioned to worry about the future and think about the past. Our brains are wired to ignore the present moment. Learning to live in the present moment requires breaking those wires and establishing new ones. This is not easy.

Learn More

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle is a spiritual guide that challenges our conditioning. Eckhart Tolle explains this challenging topic in an easy to understand language. He presents the text in questions and answers, which makes it easy to find the answers to your questions.

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle is an insightful resource to learn more about living in the present moment and practicing it in your own life.

Click here to read sample pages, editorial and reader reviews of The Power of Now.

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