{"id":141,"date":"2011-05-25T01:00:02","date_gmt":"2011-05-24T13:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wisdomhealthprosperity.com\/selfimprovementmastery\/?p=141"},"modified":"2011-05-25T01:00:02","modified_gmt":"2011-05-24T13:00:02","slug":"grasping-the-extraordinary-power-of-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wisdomhealthprosperity.com\/selfimprovementmastery\/grasping-the-extraordinary-power-of-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Grasping The Extraordinary Power Of Now"},"content":{"rendered":"<!-- Easy AdSense V2.99 -->\n<!-- Post[count: 1] -->\n<div class=\"ezAdsense adsense adsense-leadin\" style=\"float:right;margin:12px;\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\"><!--\r\ngoogle_ad_client = \"ca-pub-8279754544979895\";\r\n\/* self improve3 *\/\r\ngoogle_ad_slot = \"2464079329\";\r\ngoogle_ad_width = 250;\r\ngoogle_ad_height = 250;\r\n\/\/-->\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\"\r\nsrc=\"http:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\">\r\n<\/script><\/div>\n<!-- Easy AdSense V2.99 -->\n\n<p>If you\u2019re into <a href='http:\/\/www.gurdy.net' target='_blank'>personal development or self improvement<\/a>, you\u2019ll have some feel for the importance placed by many experts on being focused in the here and now.  Ekhart Tolle\u2019s \u2018<a href='http:\/\/www.gurdy.net' target='_blank'>The Power of Now<\/a>\u2019 extols the virtues of what might be described as presence of mind.  However, Tolle, together with other <a href='http:\/\/www.gurdy.net' target='_blank'>personal development<\/a> \u2018gurus\u2019, doesn\u2019t either adequately explain why \u2018Now\u2019 is so important or, indeed, offer practical advice on how to be more \u2018all here\u2019.  <\/p>\n<p>First off, now is the only place and time that actually exists \u2013 the past is something you learn from (although psychology confirms that most of us don\u2019t learn but subconsciously live there) and the future is something that will only transpire the way you want if you\u2019re prepared to be focused and effective in the present.  In addition, quantum physics suggests that the universe only exists now \u2013 and it proves that universal energy responds to our energy \u2013 now.   In other words, it is crucial to be present.   Being present will give you \u2018presence\u2019 \u2013 the true sign of all successful people.<\/p>\n<p>The big problem is that normal people are not present.  Our subconscious is focused in our childhood, whilst our conscious mind is plagued by useless thought \u2013 thoughts tending towards negative self-doubt and worry.  Consequently, it\u2019s hardly surprising that research suggests that the normal person is just one percent present.  If this is the case,  you are hardly likely to elicit much response from a waiting universe.<\/p>\n<p>In short, it is imperative that you become more present.  But how?  Being present means being focused on where you are and what you\u2019re doing now.  Many people, according to lots of surveys, are not focused on what they\u2019re doing, preferring instead to do what they\u2019re doing whilst thinking that they don\u2019t like what they\u2019re doing!   In addition, most of us haven\u2019t understood the simplicity of what focus is.  Focus means paying attention \u2013 nothing more.  It means tuning into the reality of the moment, using the only mechanism that\u2019s available to you to do this \u2013 your five senses.   These are your only interface with the world.  Yet we pay no attention to what our senses are telling us, we\u2019d prefer to let our subconscious put its own spin on reality.  We all use our preconceived ideas to make sense of now and, as a result, make utter nonsense of it.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ve got to re-learn how to pay attention.  We were all experts at it when we were young children.  The  effortless way to relearn is to set some time aside to re-focus one sense at a time.   I suggest that you find somewhere quiet to sit tomorrow morning.  Close your eyes and notice how all the sounds around you become more defined.  They\u2019re not, of course, you\u2019ve just started paying more attention.  Notice what you\u2019re feeling in your body \u2013 feelings that you would not notice when you\u2019re normally inattentive.  Next morning you might spend a few minutes noticing how your body\u2019s responses when you breathe.  Five minutes each morning will considerably affect your ability to pay attention throughout the day \u2013 you\u2019ll be more focused, more present, more in tune with what\u2019s going on and the opportunities the moment offers.<\/p>\n<p>And you can start measuring your presence by reference to your results.  You\u2019ll find yourself more responsive to situations and people that they might otherwise fail to notice or avoid completely, you\u2019ll be more open to doing things that you wouldn\u2019t otherwise do.   And, on the basis that the one thing that has your life stuck in a rut is the fact that you rarely do anything different, bold or courageous, this can only be a good thing.  Through your presence you will not just be open to new opportunity \u2013 you\u2019ll actually create your own opportunities.  The net result is that, at least, your life moves forward \u2013 in the right direction.  At most, your life will never be the same \u2013 you will achieve effortless and measurable, happiness and success.  <\/p>\n<iframe src=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/like.php?href=http%3A%2F%2Fwisdomhealthprosperity.com%2Fselfimprovementmastery%2Fgrasping-the-extraordinary-power-of-now%2F&amp;layout=standard&amp;show_faces=true&amp;width=450&amp;action=like&amp;colorscheme=light&amp;height=80\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border:none; overflow:hidden; width:450px; height:80px;\" allowTransparency=\"true\"><\/iframe><div class=\"addtoany_share_save_container\"><div class=\"a2a_kit addtoany_list\"><a class=\"a2a_dd addtoany_share_save\" href=\"http:\/\/www.addtoany.com\/share_save\"><img src=\"http:\/\/wisdomhealthprosperity.com\/selfimprovementmastery\/wp-content\/plugins\/add-to-any\/share_save_256_24.png\" width=\"256\" height=\"24\" alt=\"Share\"\/><\/a><\/div>\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\"><!--\nvar a2a_config = a2a_config || {};\na2a_config.linkname=\"Grasping The Extraordinary Power Of Now\";\na2a_config.linkurl=\"http:\/\/wisdomhealthprosperity.com\/selfimprovementmastery\/grasping-the-extraordinary-power-of-now\/\";\na2a_config.onclick=1;\na2a_config.show_title=1;\n\/\/--><\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"http:\/\/static.addtoany.com\/menu\/page.js\"><\/script>\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019re into personal development or self improvement, you\u2019ll have some feel for the importance placed by many experts on being focused in the here and now. Ekhart Tolle\u2019s \u2018The Power of Now\u2019 extols the virtues of what might be &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/wisdomhealthprosperity.com\/selfimprovementmastery\/grasping-the-extraordinary-power-of-now\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"addtoany_share_save_container\"><div class=\"a2a_kit addtoany_list\"><a class=\"a2a_dd addtoany_share_save\" href=\"http:\/\/www.addtoany.com\/share_save\"><img src=\"http:\/\/wisdomhealthprosperity.com\/selfimprovementmastery\/wp-content\/plugins\/add-to-any\/share_save_256_24.png\" width=\"256\" height=\"24\" alt=\"Share\"\/><\/a><\/div>\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\"><!--\na2a_config.linkname=\"Grasping The Extraordinary Power Of Now\";\na2a_config.linkurl=\"http:\/\/wisdomhealthprosperity.com\/selfimprovementmastery\/grasping-the-extraordinary-power-of-now\/\";\na2a.init('page');\n\/\/--><\/script>\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[221,193,351,630,1274,324,461,1277,1471,1472,289,525,1375,1874,1476,392,1477,465,1021,1473,1474,539,1475],"class_list":["post-141","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-self-improvement","tag-conscious-mind","tag-focus","tag-gurus","tag-many-people","tag-mind-power","tag-paying-attention","tag-personal-development","tag-place-and-time","tag-power-of-now","tag-presence-of-mind","tag-psychology","tag-quantum-physics","tag-self-doubt","tag-self-improvement","tag-simplicity","tag-subconscious","tag-successful-people","tag-surveys","tag-thought-thoughts","tag-true-sign","tag-universal-energy","tag-universe","tag-virtues"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/wisdomhealthprosperity.com\/selfimprovementmastery\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/wisdomhealthprosperity.com\/selfimprovementmastery\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/wisdomhealthprosperity.com\/selfimprovementmastery\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wisdomhealthprosperity.com\/selfimprovementmastery\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wisdomhealthprosperity.com\/selfimprovementmastery\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=141"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/wisdomhealthprosperity.com\/selfimprovementmastery\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/wisdomhealthprosperity.com\/selfimprovementmastery\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=141"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wisdomhealthprosperity.com\/selfimprovementmastery\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=141"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wisdomhealthprosperity.com\/selfimprovementmastery\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}