How I Live in the Present Moment

Why is it so difficult to live in the present moment? For others, it might be because they're daydreaming about their next vacation or they're reminiscing about a childhood memory. For me, it goes much deeper than that. As an introvert, I spend most of my time preoccupied with my thoughts. If it isn't the unknown of the future causing me anxiety, it's something from the past creeping back into my thoughts to haunt me. Even when I'm taking a walk to unwind, I find myself preparing for my next work presentation, planning out the next home renovation project, thinking about what I'm going to cook for tomorrow's dinner, along with a million other thoughts that are constantly weaving in and out of my mind. This has always gotten in the way of being present in the now. I had to ask myself, why am I constantly running away from the present moment? Is this a way to just distract myself? These aren't simple questions to answer, but through my own internal work, I started to notice how projecting myself in the future or editing my past gave me an illusion of control. I could fabricate a perfect scenario in my mind or edit my own version of the past, and this provided a sense of comfort from the unpredictable reality. But this imaginary world was interfering with my reality. My thoughts had become the wall standing in between me and the present moment, and I needed to find a way to get past this barrier. This is one of the biggest reasons why I wanted to adapt to a slow-living, minimalist lifestyle. I desperately needed to get rid of physical and mental clutter that was clouding my clarity. I wanted to take away the distractions so I could fully participate in my life without constantly getting pushed and pulled in a million different directions. I truly believe that the more we can practice living in the moment, the more we can improve our inner peace and truly savor each moment of the day. Living in the moment sounds simple enough, but why is it incredibly difficult for most of us? We all know we should stop and smell the roses, but putting this into action seems to be a different story. As a culture, we pride ourselves on multitasking, having a jam-packed schedule, creating infinite ways to distract ourselves. We've become so disconnected without even realizing it, and I'm an example of this. It seemed like my focus was everywhere else but here, in the present moment. I want to live in the now, to live consciously, to fully experience myself and my surroundings without redundant thoughts and other distractions, but how? I came across this concept called uwe. Uwe literally means not doing, but the deeper meaning is often translated to effortless action. The concept doesn't mean not acting, but rather recognizing the right moment to act. It's a concept derived from Taoist philosophy, and like many things in the Tao teaching, it seems to be a paradox. The core principle of uwe emphasizes not to go against nature, but to go with the way, or the Tao. Alan Watts gives an example of this by stating that uwe is an art of sailing rather than the art of rowing. We should respond effortlessly to the needs of any situation, adapt to the environment without resorting to struggle and force. In other words, it's an effortless surrender to the natural orders of the world. Contradictory as it sounds, letting go of control gives us actual control. When we're fully connected to the present, we become aware of when to act and when not to act. In the Tao teaching, there are many references to water to exemplify this. In the words of Lao Tzu, nothing in this world is as soft and yielding as water, yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible, nothing can surpass it. Like water, we should adapt to life's situations, grow and change. Uwe doesn't tell us to simply be submissive to life's flow, but makes us recognize when to be calm and when to use force, just like water. When we harmonize with the Tao, we create a unity between ourselves, our environment and the present moment. To fully commit to the now means we abandon all attempts to control things that we cannot control. We make peace with our past and not be afraid of the future. We perceive reality as it is, without the burden of preconceptions and fears. We let go and open ourselves to all the possibilities of the present moment. We begin to realize that most of the thoughts occupying our minds were not so important after all, and this is a step towards finding a deeper inner peace. Uwe is a concept that seems to get more dense in meaning the more I try to uncover its definition. I'm not sure how much of it is getting lost in translation or how much of it I'm understanding, but this concept was deeply formative for me. It's the missing puzzle piece that I had always been looking for, a possible solution on how I can start to live in the present moment. I'm realizing how forcing ourselves and our ideals can be more damaging than we realize. Our ego, stubbornness, need for control can get in the way of actually living our lives and appreciating life for what it is. The philosophy of Uwe reminds me to let go of control and any ideals that might not be realistic in the world in which we live. We can only feel the abundance of the present moment when we let go of expectations and stop forcing ourselves. I think this all begins with intentionality, catching ourselves when our minds start to drift away. We can always bring our attention back to the person sitting next to us, to smell the delicious food we're about to eat, to feel the warmth of the sunshine on our faces, celebrate the small moments that shape our lives. It might take a leap of faith to step back and surrender part of ourselves to the Tao, but I think when we act in the state of Uwe, we'll find that things tend to flow perfectly in their imperfect way. I'm choosing to refocus back to the present moment, not only in the situations in which I want to participate, but to face whatever is in front of me. With clarity and intention, we have tremendous power against whatever life throws at us. We can notice the simple things, no matter how small or insignificant, and be grateful for them. We can be aware of the ups and the downs of life as it begins to shape the person that we're becoming. We can experience happiness to its fullest and savor every second of it. These moments are too precious to ignore and I won't let them pass me by anymore. Thank you guys so much for watching today's video. I really appreciate your time and if you enjoyed it, please hit the like button and subscribe to my channel for more content on slow living, minimalism, and also my life here in Maui. If you want to be updated a little bit more frequently, you can follow me on Instagram at malamalive. Until next time, take care. Thank you guys so much. Bye.