Well done, you have now started to experience the effects of bringing most of the 9 Elements of The Way into your life. Your energy will be Flowing really well now, and you will have started to create some Balance and Momentum in your life. You may already be sensing that you can live the life you have always dreamed of, one in which you are full of energy and feel fantastic.
Let’s have a brief look at what we have been focusing on over the last eight days.
For the first five days you learned the five Balancing elements, which are Exercise, Personal Space, Sleep, Nutrition, and Environment. These elements help you to become Balanced in your mind, body, and spirit, giving your mind the space it needs for more inspired actions.
Then, for the last three days, we have focused on the three Momentum elements, which are Achieve and Complete, Learn, and Social Connection. These elements help you to live your life to the full, using the energy you have created for taking action.
In addition, all of the elements have been working on boosting your energy vibration from the inside–out; from your inner core, outward into the world in which you live, helping you to feel better and attract higher vibrational energy into your external life.
This leaves just one more element to introduce and, in my opinion, I have left the best until last. This element alone has the potential to have a massive effect on your life, and it encapsulates all of the other eight elements.
Put simply, Element 9 is where children live most of the time, but as we grow older we become more focused in our minds and this wakefulness often slips away.
Being present means living in the present moment as it unfolds, with moment-to-moment awareness. Why is this so important? Well, being present gets you to focus your energy and allows you to connect with what is happening right NOW.
We often rush through what we are doing, looking and striving to get to a better moment, even if we are enjoying the present moment that we are living. If we slow down and truly experience what is happening right now, we will find that what we are seeking is contained within the present moment already.
Whether we notice this consciously or not, we all do it, and it can lead to living unsatisfied lives, forever searching and seldom stopping to be present. Our minds are often full of thoughts about what has happened to us in the past, or about what we are going to do in the future. Whenever you are able to become present in your life, it becomes so much richer, because you are fully present with what you are doing. You begin to see the detail rather than just the surface layer of everything.
Being present is so important because there is only the present moment: this is where we are all the time, everything else is either past memories or imaginings of the future.
To make sense of why it is so important, let’s take a look at what happens when we are not present.
Our mind is somewhere else. That’s it! A part of us is somewhere else. We are not fully present in our life. We live life through a veil, clouding our experience of what is happening now.
Sometimes a startling event can catch us and bring us into the present moment, such as a beautiful sunset, a full moon, or a rainbow. I vividly remember once seeing a whale lift its tail out of the water, bringing me immediately into the present moment. A rare sight in nature, such as this, awakens all of your senses to that moment, and the image is clearly imprinted in your mind. All these special things have the ability to stop your train of thought and bring you into the present.
If we could learn to focus our attention in the present moment I believe we could enjoy more vivid lives, ones where we see the beauty in every moment. This type of present awareness creates the special moments that make up our lives. How many special moments do we miss every day because our minds are somewhere else?
It is amazing what beauty we miss when we are not fully present in our lives.
The sun on our face as we step out the door, or the fresh morning air meeting our breath. The smile on someone’s face or the sparkle in their eyes.
These are the things we miss because our minds are already thinking about our journey ahead. This frequently happens with the people we love; often, we are only partially listening to them while thinking about something else left to do, or constructing our reply before they have even finished speaking. We are so conditioned to doing that we miss the full experience of being with them.
We are not fully present with what we are doing for a variety of reasons. We live in a fast-paced world, which means we are always thinking of the next thing we need, or think we need, to do. So, while doing one thing we are almost always somewhere else, our minds caught up in thinking about what we will do next instead of what we are doing now. In The Way we call this ‘rushing.’
When we are not rushing, we are usually seeking something to fill our minds, so that we can get a break from the chatter of our minds. Or, we fill our time doing something because we are not used to being present with ourselves.
‘Just doing nothing… don’t even try to do nothing… just being.’
You might say, ‘Well, I am present, I am aware of what I am doing already.’ But for most people, most of the time, their mind is either in the past or in the future, and therefore very rarely fully present. It is not until you start practicing this awareness that you realize how often a part of your mind is almost always somewhere else. Buddhists call this present moment awareness ‘mindfulness.’
My preferred way to teach myself new things is by taking one small step at a time, and then by repetitively practicing or layering until each new thing becomes grooved inside me.
Once practiced and experienced, a belief becomes knowing. You have already experienced being present, as it has been weaved into the last eight days, in the exercises and into all of the elements. This has gradually helped you to become more and more present, and more and more connected to how you feel without consciously thinking about it.
Being present plugs you into life and, because your mind is not consumed with repetitive thoughts, space is created for inspired thoughts to rise, generating Momentum in your everyday life.
I don’t want you to view all thoughts as being negative, because once you are Balanced in mind, body, and spirit you will find that repetitive negative thought patterns will lose their energy and fade.
A thought can only exist if we pay attention to it. Being present makes you conscious of some conditioned beliefs that are perhaps not serving you anymore, or never did. Things we have repeatedly heard or labeled ourselves, without really questioning their truth. We all have them, as they have been passed down to us, usually inadvertently, by our parents, teachers, and society, and by our mind-based assumptions of how we think things are.
‘We are the ocean, and our thoughts are the waves. Just watch the waves and enjoy being the ocean.’
I feel the most important aspect of being present is that it eliminates worry and anxiety. The only exception is when you are actually experiencing a present moment crisis. Even then, present moment awareness helps you to keep calm and see the bigger picture, bringing calmness and clarity to the situation. Your mind is brought into focus on the reality of what is happening in the moment, and not worrying about what might happen later or tomorrow.
Worry and anxiety don’t have a place in the present moment. They are your imagined thoughts. When you are thinking these thoughts, your mind is focused on what might happen, rather than what is really happening. It is speculation and your body is reacting as if it is real. Once viewed with present moment awareness, the thoughts are clearly seen as imaginary ideas, not reality.
How many times have you worried about something only to find that, in the end, the situation you were worrying about doesn’t happen or, if it does, it isn’t half as bad as your mind had imagined it would be?
Take a little time to remember this if you are one of the many people who experience anxiety. It’s easily forgotten when the mind has become grooved in this way of thinking. Worry and anxiety are created purely by the mind, not reality, and they don’t actually exist in the present time. In focusing mostly on your mind you lose the Balance between your mind, body, and spirit.
‘Contentment and happiness are found in the Present Moment, Balanced in the whole of you: your mind, body, and spirit.’
For a moment, imagine a car on your drive. Perfectly balanced and pristine in every way. Engine tuned, wheels perfectly balanced, and with a full tank. This car is perfectly Balanced in every way, but if it doesn’t get driven it will lack Momentum and not go anywhere.
Now imagine a car without this Balance. Out of control, racing down the road, steering wheel wobbling, and debris flying off everywhere. This is the perfect example of over-Momentum. You might be getting somewhere fast, but it is a very bumpy and uncomfortable ride.
Lastly, imagine you are in the ultimate car. It has Balance and it has Momentum. (This is the car that you have been preparing for yourself to become from Day 1.) As the driver of this car, however, your mind is focused down the road and round the bend, and instead of enjoying your fabulous well-tuned car, you miss everything.
You miss the present, you miss your surroundings, you miss the possibility of a new route, you miss the smiles of the people you are with, and you miss life.
By bringing Element 9, Being Present, into your everyday life you feel the Balance, you feel the Momentum, and you feel fully connected to life and your journey in every way possible.
We apply being present to all of the elements today. You may have found that this has been gradually happening over the last eight days, as connecting with your senses and being aware of your energy spontaneously brings you into the present moment.
Being present is the element that encapsulates all of the other elements. If you can bring this quality into all of them, it really plugs you in and switches you on to your life, creating a different quality of experience. It is as if a thin veil has been lifted, and everything looks clearer, sharper, and more vibrant – as if you are seeing things for the very first time. You feel much more in tune with the world around you and, on a practical level, everything feels and becomes easier to do.
You will begin to experience moments of not thinking, which can be quite surprising and enjoyable. Being present brings you relief from the noise of mind chatter and the repetitive thoughts circulating in your head, as well as creating space for something fresh to come in.
Being present means recognizing what is happening in any given moment, allowing you to be wholly part of it. Awareness of the present moment is being fully switched on to how you feel and what you are doing. It brings you out of your head and into the whole of you: your mind, body, and spirit. In the following elements today we will learn ways to enhance this present moment connection.
You can use your breath, your senses, and being in a stimulating environment to bring yourself into the present moment. For example, watching a sunset or playing in a great football or tennis game brings you into the present. You know the feeling when you are fully engaged in what you are observing or doing. Try watching or listening to something with your whole body; listen as if your whole body is one big ear.
Once you learn to live in the present moment it stops mind chatter from taking control of your life. It keeps you in touch with life right now, and not your past or projected future. Be awake to the present moment, feel alive, live life to the full. Do all of the things you have wanted to do with your life. When you live life to its fullest extent, you are spontaneously brought into living in the present moment.
Today, I would like you to register a special moment that happens to you during the course of your day. It could be, and often is, something that doesn’t cost anything – a smile from someone, watching leaves blow in the wind, or hearing a bird singing. It could also be an achievement at work, or learning something new. I would like you to experience it fully today, with your whole mind, body, and spirit.
When you exercise today, I would like you to focus on your senses. Take everything in – your environment, how the ground feels under your feet, the detail that you can see in things, the sounds around you, and the sound your breath makes while you are exercising. Feel and connect with your body as it moves, keeping your full attention on yourself as you are exercising.
To stop your mind from wandering you can say to yourself: ‘My attention is with my body exercising.’
And then run through your senses:
I can feel my feet on the ground, I can hear my breath, I can smell grass in the air, I can hear birdsong, I am connected with the whole of me – my body, mind, and spirit – while exercising.
This exercise will help you to stop your mind from slipping into past and future thoughts. Just try it. It might sound a bit silly, but you will notice how good it feels to be truly with your body while you are exercising. Your mind might wander, but this is OK, just acknowledge it without judgment, and bring your focus back to yourself in the present moment.
By now you will definitely be noticing a difference in how you feel. You should have more energy, and be less stressed. Exercise produces a relaxation response that relieves many stress disorders and creates a positive interruption from your day-to-day worries. As well as the health benefits, aesthetically it only takes a couple of weeks of consistent exercise for you to start to feel your clothes fitting differently, and see that your muscle tone has improved. Pound for pound, muscle burns more calories at rest than body fat. So the more muscle you have, the higher your resting metabolic rate will be (that’s the rate at which your body burns calories.)
Have a great exercise day; the sky’s the limit now. Fantastic!
Focusing on your senses brings you into the present moment. Today I am giving you an exercise to connect you with your breath. When you do this exercise, you instantly become present with the core of you, your very being.
Personal space is all about being at one with yourself, fully in the present moment. For at least five minutes a day, just take time to be, instead of constantly doing, or thinking about what you should be doing. This brings a freshness to how you move forward into a doing moment.
Today I would like you to notice where you are breathing to in your body. Then, after a few breaths, focus your attention on breathing into the area about an inch below your navel, allowing your abdomen to rise with the in-breath, and fall with the out-breath for about five minutes.
Just focus on your breath coming in and going out: deeply, slowly, quietly, and rhythmically, without straining or overfilling your lungs at any time.
Connecting with your breath in this way at various times during the day will allow you to become present, de-stress, and bring vitality and energy into your body. You will also start to become aware of areas where you are holding tension. This awareness will then start to become part of your everyday life, giving you the opportunity to relax, let go, and just be.
Connecting to your breath, your senses, or nature for five minutes a day will help you to become fully alert and in the present moment. This will have the effect of stopping your mind from racing ahead into the future, or going over past events. It creates breathing space to sense how you are feeling internally in the present moment. It brings clarity, so that you will be able to respond instead of react to the external world around you throughout the rest of your day.
Enjoy the space it brings.
For sleep I would like you to be present with everything you are doing during your wind-down routine this evening. Be with all of your senses and take a little extra time to really connect and care for yourself, as you gradually relax your body and mind before going to bed.
I would also like you not to drink any alcohol today. This is because when people drink alcohol they start to disconnect from being in the present moment. With the bigger purpose of feeling fantastic I would like you to stay connected and present.
People often get into the habit of using alcohol to help them relax in the evening, to switch off after a busy day, and to help them sleep. This is quite understandable, as it quickly disconnects you from your busy mind, but it comes with the price of losing your connection to your conscious mind.
Alcohol intake can easily become a habit, especially if it is being used to cover up issues that would be better faced with clarity so a solution can be found. Problems like overworking, depression, or an unfulfilling life, etc. It is not about judging: I am not saying that people shouldn’t drink. We all experience life differently and many people have various reasons for wanting to disconnect from their lives. Awareness and moderation consciously allow you to observe habits and take action to change aspects of your life that enhance and don’t detract from life’s vibrancy.
Alcohol can affect some people by worsening their anxiety and worry. They become less conscious; their minds become numb and, because they are no longer present, their mind chatter takes over. In some people the energy becomes heavier and heavier, causing depression and even anger, which can burst out in a harmful way.
In order to help you feel fantastic, we are aiming to work with the natural rhythm of your body so you don’t need to take stimulants and relaxants to make yourself feel better. We want you to boost how you feel naturally, without the cycle of highs and lows that caffeine, alcohol, or other drugs can create.
It is best to manage how you feel by boosting your energy naturally, so your vibration gets higher and higher. Rather than disconnecting from your conscious mind, becoming present is a more natural way to wind down. When you are present you are more conscious of your mind chatter, able to see your thoughts more clearly, and not allow them to consume and become you.
Solutions to problems can only be found in the present moment. Solutions create clarity and space to see the bigger picture. Covering them up just delays you living the life you love to live.
We are looking for you to give yourself the best opportunity to have a thoroughly restful night of sleep. This will be achieved by allowing your mind and body to wind down, relax and rest, and recharge naturally. When we give our bodies a rest from alcohol we usually wake up with a clearer head, feeling healthier and more refreshed.
As before, notice where your food originates from, and be mindful of how your body feels while you are eating it. Become aware of how different foods make you feel. Some people may be sensitive to certain foods, such as wheat or dairy products, which can make them feel tired, experience bloating, or lead to skin conditions such as eczema. Being present while you are eating will help you to notice the different effects food can have on your energy, and connect any physical symptoms to the foods that are causing them.
Today I would like you to be present with your food, and to develop a habit of conscious eating. Take your time to focus on the following:
Being present while preparing and cooking your food can turn a ‘means-to-an end’ chore into something truly enjoyable. Really be with your senses, feel the textures of the vegetables as you pick them up, enjoy the sensation of the water on your hands as you wash them, feel the warmth of the handle of the peeling knife in your hand, and the floor beneath your feet. Be mindful as you move around the kitchen, and fully engage in every element of the task. If your mind drifts off just bring your focus back to what you are doing.
In my experience being present brings a different quality to this everyday task; it really connects you with your food, and so mindful eating occurs naturally because you have already really connected to what you are about to eat and are in the present moment.
I would like you to bring all of your senses together in the environment today. Become aware of the energy around you. Focus on placing yourself in a positive energy environment as much as you can.
If a situation occurs in your day that you view as negative, see it as ‘just the way it is.’ If someone around you is grumpy, see it as just where they are today and don’t allow their energy to affect you. It only becomes yours if you choose to take it onboard, and into your energy.
Soften, and see things in a lighter way and try to view the events of the day from a broader perspective. If you can remember to be present when someone is irritating you, you can keep calm, take a few breaths and stay connected. You can have compassion for what is happening in their life, but you do not have to become energetically involved. With present moment awareness you can see the bigger picture and won’t get caught up in their drama.
Mind chatter is at its strongest when we think life isn’t going how we think it should. The repetitive negative dialogue that goes on in our minds after someone has said something that upsets us, just leads to further pain as we turn it over and over in our heads. If you can catch yourself and just stop paying attention to those thoughts, they will drop away easily. You will have to really want to feel better, or they will become your focus and lower your energy.
Being present really comes together with this element, Achieve and Complete, when you are doing one of the things from your list of things that you have always wanted to do. This is because in doing that special thing, you naturally come into the present moment because you really want to fully experience it.
Focus the power of your attention and intention on what you want to do. Being fully present while you are doing a task helps you to keep focused on one thing at a time and stops you from scattering your energy on many tasks at once, which causes you to feel unsatisfied, distracted, and unproductive.
Be in the present moment and bring yourself into Flow with what you want to get done today. Prioritize the most important task that needs doing that will feel great in your life. Sometimes you might find that this isn’t what you have been doing, as you have been putting other things in your way, and this has been holding you back.
We can choose to climb a mountain with rocks on our back and find every step hard or we can choose to put down the rocks and experience an easier, lighter journey with the amazing views that surround our every moment.
You will find that as each task is completed you create Momentum, which in turn sets up the energy you need for the next one. If awareness is lost, however, the doing can easily turn into over-Momentum, causing you to lose Flow and start rushing.
What could you do with this newly learned information? Could you create something? Maybe pass the knowledge on to someone else? Use it to develop yourself or your work further?
Learning new things gives your life Momentum. Don’t push and strive, though, just let the learning Flow. When your learning is in Flow you will be able to feel it – it will feel effortless and create Momentum.
What can you learn on a larger scale today that will take you further forward on the journey of your life?
Where did your current beliefs come from? Are they still true for you today? To answer deep questions and contemplate your life requires present moment awareness, so you can search for your truth within. Being present helps you to feel it with the whole of your body, rather than just using your mind.
Take a few moments today to become present with the essence of who you are at the core of your being. Connect with your heart and learn who you really are beyond the labels that have formed inside you over the years. Many people feel they have lost their true selves, and it takes a little time and awareness to learn who they are and reconnect with how they want to be in their lives.
Being present with the people around you brings a beautiful quality to your interactions. You find that your connection with your partner is so much richer than just passing time. The person you are with feels you are really there for them, and you get a real sense of who they are beyond the surface layers of their personality.
If your mind is somewhere else and the other person notices, perhaps only on a subtle level, something is lost from your time together. You miss the full connection that might have brought about something special – maybe a common interest, a shared dream, or a great story.
Part of being present includes being an active participant in your relationships. Humans have a need to connect with one another, but with such hectic lives many of us find ourselves doing so in a perfunctory way. For example, when you sit down to speak with someone, do you give them your full attention, or are you sending a text message, composing your answers, or thinking about what you need to do later at the same time as listening to them?
Have a great social connection. Truly be with the other person and listen to them with your whole body. We are often caught up in our heads and used to acting from conditioned responses, which causes us to not really be there with our friends and family. Your interaction is a little stale, as your mind is often somewhere else. When you start a new relationship, however, you are usually fully present with the person you have just met because you are very keen to get to know them. You often hang on to their every word and study their reactions to yours.
When you are fully present with a person, you often start to see them in a new light. You become more aware of their energy, you notice the sparkle in their eyes as they retell a story from earlier that day, and you remember why you love them so much. You are connecting to who they really are, the very essence of their being.
Think about a connection that you‘ve had today or yesterday. Were you truly with the person or people in front of you? Or were you caught up in your thoughts and point of view, missing out on engaging with them on a more satisfying and exciting level? It is not about trying hard to listen to them, it is about truly being with them. Giving them the space and time to express what they want to say. You will find that you learn a lot more about them because you will hear what they are saying from a higher level and with an expanded awareness. Your essence will start to communicate with their essence. This is the body’s natural intelligence, or intuition, which is a lot wiser than our minds alone.
Sometimes, understandably, you may feel resistance against certain people and not want to be fully present with them, especially if it is someone who you find irritating, or who pushes your buttons. But listening to them with your whole body will enable you to see the bigger picture of their life. You will be able to create the space that is needed for you not to react, or build resistance within your body to what they are saying. Listening with your whole body will help your emotions to come from a calmer space, as our emotions and feelings come from our mind-based thoughts, beliefs, and values, which can often lack the broader view.
That is the end of Day 9. Wow, well done, you have completed it! I must say it has been quite a journey for us both. The next stage is to put the 9 Elements to use in your daily life, and you’ll find some tools in the 9 Days at a glance, 9 Elements Daily Checklist and 9 Elements Daily Diary sections to help you to make full use of them and keep your energy raised.
Day 9 has brought in the element of the Present Moment. Becoming aware of where you are Now. Switching off your mind by simply letting go, and not holding on to things with your mind.
Being present will minimize worry, anxiety, and fear. You will still experience these feelings at times. We all do. It’s part of life’s richness. You know now, however, how to manage these emotions – by thinking less, not more.
The 9 Days have taken you on a journey that will have created more Balance and Momentum while experiencing Present Moment awareness. On Day 8 we looked at the results of doing Elements 1 to 8. Element 9, Being Present, changes the results dramatically.
By practicing all of the 9 Elements people felt:
Fantastic 72.23%
Good 27.77%
Element 9 brings all of the other elements together. Each element in isolation isn’t really enough to create happiness from the inside–out, but just bringing in a few every day can make a marked difference to how you feel and how you feel is how you live your life.
So to summarize, how you feel is really down to you – you have all of the tools now. On the days you don’t manage to do all of the elements, awareness of which ones are missing is all you need, so you can take little steps to bring them into your life over the next few days.
I don’t manage to do all of the elements every day. What I do though is make sure they are the priority in my life, because feeling fantastic is important to me.
In just 9 days you have come such a long way. I have so much respect for people who follow this program. I hope you are very proud of your achievements, too, and I sincerely hope you are feeling fantastic.