As human beings,
We have this incredible capacity to think.
Now while this does have many advantages,
It does mean that we also spend a lot of time thinking about things other than what we're doing in the present moment.
And it's this disconnection between our awareness and our actions that creates a problem.
For thousands of years,
Ancient wisdom has pointed to the power of being present in the moment.
Because happiness is only ever in the present moment.
We don't experience happiness in the future.
We don't experience it in the past.
We only experience it now.
Our experiences are always now in the present.
So when we let go of worrying about the future and the things that are going to happen,
Or ruminating about the past,
The things that have happened,
The things we should have done or would have done,
Then we come to rest in the present moment.
Our mind becomes quiet and happiness emerges.
It's the natural result of coming into the present moment.
Ramana Maharshi said,
You need not aspire for or get any new state.
Get rid of your present thoughts.
That is all.
There was a study done at Harvard University that reconfirmed what this ancient wisdom was saying.
That a wandering mind is an unhappy mind.
The study demonstrated that people who were more present in the moment,
Meaning paying attention to what they were doing,
Were happier than those who were thinking about things other than what they were doing,
Regardless of what they were thinking about.
So while negative mind wandering did indicate more unhappiness,
Even those whose mind wandered in a positive direction were still less happy than those who were present in the moment.
So what does this mean?
It means that if you're doing something as simple as washing the dishes,
If you're doing it mindfully,
Really paying attention to what you're doing,
Then you're happier than someone who's washing the dishes but thinking about something else.
Even if that thing you're thinking about is pleasant,
Maybe you're planning your next holiday or meeting your girlfriend,
Your spouse,
Your children.
Those who are more present in the moment doing the dishes are happier.
So a wandering mind is an unhappy mind,
But a mind that is present is naturally happy.
Now what's important here is that this goes well beyond just positive thinking.
Positive thinking does have its benefits.
Being able to shift your mind from negative thoughts to positive ones will shift your mood in a positive and constructive direction.
But positive thinking still relies on you thinking about something.
Whereas happiness doesn't actually require thinking.
Yes a thought may trigger you to feel happy,
But that experience,
That feeling of happiness is independent of thoughts,
Even the thought that triggered it.
The thought that might trigger it is just a trigger.
It helps you to get there.
Happiness is a natural state.
So what this study demonstrated as with ancient wisdom is that happiness is not something we can seek.
We don't create it.
Happiness is a natural result of quieting your mind.
Now I'm going to challenge you to prove this for yourself because you don't want to just take someone else's word for it.
You want to know it.
You want to know the power of being present for yourself.
So you're going to take an activity like washing the dishes and you're going to do it mindfully,
Being present.
Now if you don't necessarily wash your own dishes,
You probably have a dishwasher.
So you're going to do that mindfully.
So really paying attention to what you're doing.
But first you're going to start by doing it mindlessly,
Letting your mind wander,
Actually thinking about something else.
Let your mind wander while you're washing dishes or stacking the dishwasher.
And then at some point halfway through,
You're going to bring your awareness back to what you're doing,
Connecting your awareness to your actions.
And notice how you feel differently.
Feel the texture of the plate when you're scrubbing it.
Feel the food.
Listen to the water,
The sounds,
Smells.
Stacking the dishwasher,
Place the plates mindfully,
The cutlery,
The sounds.
Again,
Let your senses absorb you into the moment,
Into what you're doing.
And really notice how you feel differently than when you were doing it mindlessly.
So this is the key.
Doing it for yourself,
Feeling the effects,
Then you know it for yourself.
Feel the power of being present in the moment.
Now remember,
The power of you being present in the moment is even bigger than you.
Because when you're present and that happiness emerges,
You anchor that happiness,
Sense of joy and peace into the world.
And that ripples into the lives of your family,
Friends,
Workmates,
Strangers.
You bring it into the world and the world needs more of that.
So practice this being present and bring a little more happiness and joy into the world.
