The Present



Welcome to the Nomad Show!

This is a podcast for you, if you find yourself in a new place, geographically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually or otherwise. 

This is a show about philosophy, psychology, spirituality, and motivation. 

Together, we will ponder human nature from the perspective of the nomad, the sojourner, the immigrant, the traveler, the wanderer. 

Maintaining a stable internal state when your external geographical state changes seems great doesnt it?

Today, we’re going to explore the concept of mindfulness and staying in the present. This is definitely not a topic to cover in a 5 minute podcast episode, but we will try our best. 

Mindfulness has permeated the world of psychology over the past few decades. It has been popularized and sensationalized so much that I think it has lost its true meaning. 

Im not gonna lead you in a session of mindfulness meditation, or take you on a hypnotic trance or anything like that. I would just like you to consider a few things that could potentially improve the way you think about yourself, and hopefully improve your thought patterns

Mindfulness- simply put, is a condition of being aware of something. It is the opposite of mindlessness. 

In the field of psychology, mindfulness is described as being aware of your thoughts, feelings and emotions. It is the process of purposely bringing ones attention to the experiences occurring in the present moment, without judgement. 

It is a 2500 year buddhist practice. in the buddhist religion, humans are thought to have a tendency to ruminate about the past and wonder about the future, leaving a huge gap in the present. In present day terms, depression comes from worrying about the past, and anxiety comes from worrying about the future. 

I have to admit, this is something that really difficult for me. I am a chronic worrier. I worry about the past, the future and everything in between. I think about past conversations and worry about future events and forget about the present. In the present, the worries of the past and the future are absent. If we realize deeply that the present moment is all we have and make the now the primary focus, then we can fully experience the gift that we have been given. The past and the future are functions of our thoughts. The present is what you are experiencing right now. 

Eckhart Tolle talks a lot about this in his book, the power of now. 

One concept in mindfulness that I found to be really profound is the concept of the soul as the observer self. That part of you that can observe your thoughts and emotions as separate from who you are has been described as the “soul”. 

Activating that part of you that watches over everything you think, feel and do can be very helpful. You can then observe a negative thought or feeling and non judgmentally tell yourself: “its ok, it will pass, wait it out.” 

You can step away and detach from your thoughts and emotions and step into this peaceful space. 

This is an amazing mindhack that has been very useful to many people. 

bringing yourself back to the present moment, away from thoughts of the past or the future could be a daily practice that leads to more full, joyous and wholesome experiences. 

This is a practice that required deliberate effort. its not just about meditation, although that helps. I find it more helpful to anchor your thoughts in the present, constantly bringing yourself back to the moment whenever you find yourself worrying about the past or dreaming about the future. 

Matt 6: 
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a]?

If you want to to be something or achieve something in the future, be it a doctor, lawyer, engineer, nurse, teacher, millionaire, billionaire, whatever it may be; you can map it out and plan for it, but don’t worry about it. While living everyday in alignment and in pursuit of your actualized self, smell the roses, enjoy the journey, and stay in the moments that matter.

This has been another episode of the Nomad show. I hope you enjoyed it. 

For show notes, visit thenomadshow.com, follow us on  twitter @nomadshowtweets

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