Why Being Present Is So Important

We know that meditation and mindfulness are powerful practices to help you to be more present at the moment, but why is being present so important? In this talk, Ben will help you to understand why it's important for you're own well-being as well as for bringing deeper connection into your relationships and interactions.

Transcript

Hello and welcome.

In this talk,

I'd like to discuss why being present is so important.

Now meditation and mindfulness,

They're valuable tools to help you be more present in the moment.

But why is being present so important?

Well,

Because your mind is really in the present moment.

It's usually jumping back and forth between the future and the past,

Worrying about the things you need to do,

The things that are coming up,

Maybe your next work review,

Maybe a speech you need to give,

Or that difficult talk you need to have with your spouse,

Or worrying about how you're going to get your kids to school on time,

Or your mind is in the past,

Worrying about and ruminating on the things you should have done or done differently,

Or the things you wish you'd said.

Maybe in that difficult talk with your spouse,

You didn't express yourself properly and you didn't say what you really meant.

So later on,

You're thinking about it and ruminating on what you should have said.

Or maybe it was a speech that you gave or perhaps during a work review,

Or you're beating yourself up for not getting up and going to that yoga class or the gym this morning when you knew it would be good for you.

So whether your mind is in the future or the past,

It creates this constant stream of thoughts and emotions running through your mind which create,

Facilitate,

And fuel stress,

Anxiety,

Overwhelm,

Frustration,

And a general sense of feeling unsettled.

It might start with a simple thought.

That thought triggers an emotional response,

A reaction,

And those emotions trigger more thoughts.

More thoughts trigger more intense emotions.

More intense emotions trigger more intense thoughts.

Thoughts triggering emotions and emotions triggering thoughts in this vicious cycle that goes on and on and on.

Now I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.

That you can break this cycle.

And the key to breaking this vicious cycle of thoughts and emotions is bringing your awareness into the present moment.

Being present is the antidote to a busy and noisy mind.

So when you are present in the moment,

Your mind becomes quiet,

Peaceful,

And clear.

And as a result,

Your body lets go.

It lets go of the tension created by your busy mind.

And it can actually start to relax.

And now this is important for two significant reasons.

The first one is you.

Because when you can let go of worrying about the future or ruminating on the past,

Then the stories and the dramas that would usually fill your mind,

They drop.

And there's this inner quiet and simplicity.

Because our mind has this tendency to complicate things.

But when we bring our awareness back into the present moment,

Then things simplify.

Life becomes simple.

Or at least our approach to life.

And this might seem like a foreign concept to you if you've never had an experience of quiet,

Of inner quiet.

But when you do learn to quiet your mind and become present in the moment,

And you can learn,

Then your life is naturally filled with a greater sense of peace,

Clarity,

Connection,

And fulfillment.

A fulfillment that comes from inside.

Now in a previous talk here on Insight Timer,

Happiness is Now,

I talk about the connection between being present and happiness.

And I encourage you to listen to this one after you're done here.

Now all this is great,

Right?

The sense of feeling more connected and peaceful within ourself.

But let's go even further.

Let's think bigger.

So when you're present,

It means you are present for others.

Which means there is a deep sense of connection between you and the people you interact with.

And that sense of peace in you will impact the people you interact with.

So for this,

Let's use an example from your own life experience.

Now recall a time when you were interacting with someone.

And they were not present with you.

Now the reason why they were not present or why they were distracted doesn't matter.

We're not trying to judge or label them in any way.

This is just about understanding how that made you feel.

So when we interact with someone,

And we can feel their mind is elsewhere,

It doesn't feel good,

Does it?

It can even hurt a little in your heart,

Or maybe a lot.

Just like your heart closes because you can feel they're not connecting with you.

Now by contrast,

When we're interacting with someone,

And they are present with us,

And we can feel them listening,

It feels good,

Right?

There's a feeling of a greater connection,

And something in our heart responds.

It opens because we can feel a greater sense of depth that comes through that connection.

And it doesn't even matter what the conversation is about.

It could be something as simple as,

Hi,

How are you?

But said with care and meaning.

And we respond to this.

There is a sense of depth that carries regardless of whether that conversation is considered deep.

And that depth comes from connection,

When we feel connected.

And feeling connected comes when we're present in the moment.

So when you're present in the moment,

You not only bring a sense of peace into your own life,

But you also bring it into the lives of the people you interact with.

You know how good it feels to receive that,

Right?

So now you can do that.

You can offer that to others through your presence,

Being present with them.

Now remember,

If we want to create a more peaceful and connected world,

It starts with each one of us inside.

And so when you're present,

You will help to make humanity a little more connected.

So I invite you to see how present you can be with the people you interact with,

With all of the people you interact with,

With your family,

Your friends,

Workmates,

Strangers.

When you're checking out at the grocery store,

If you're going to interact with someone,

Be present.

Take this as a practice or a challenge to be present with the people you interact with.

This is mindful interaction.

And just notice,

If your natural tendency is to be a little disconnected,

Do you find it hard to be present?

Does your mind wander?

Now don't judge yourself in any way.

Just notice,

Just observe.

And then see what you can do to be a little more present with them.

Maybe just listening,

Listening to what they say or appreciating this person in front of you that's speaking to you.

Listen to their voice,

Feel the sound of their voice.

Whatever you can do to be more present or engaging your curiosity towards this person.

Curiosity is a powerful connector and I always recommend engaging some curiosity.

It also helps to engage your heart.

Now meditation is also an important practice that helps train our mind to be present in the moment.

So in addition to being present with the people we interact with,

I encourage you to cultivate a consistent meditation practice.

And in a previous talk that you can also find here on Insight Timer called Understanding Meditation and the Muscle of Your Mind.

I help you to understand more deeply how meditation works and how it strengthens the muscle of your mind or the ability to be present.

Now if you'd like more tips or in-depth courses about how to make meditation and mindfulness work in your life or you'd like to know more about what I do,

Then please visit peacekeeperproject.

Com and you can also follow me here within the Insight Timer app.

And if you found this talk helpful,

Then please share it because there are a lot of people out there who could also benefit from this knowledge just like you.

Alright that's it for this talk.

Thank you for being here.

I appreciate your presence and until the next time,

Quiet your mind,

Live from your heart and together,

Let's make the world a more peaceful and connected place.