We are now Take back your thoughts. Take back your mind. Take control of your destiny. Become in sync with what amplifies your success. Breath in… breath out… you are now. Contents Author’s Preface Introduction The Mind Believes It’s Own Lies Mental Mapping… The Reckoning of a New Thing Realized The Polarity of Our Consciousness is Directly Linked with Vibration Meditation for the Now Living Authentically Freethinking We are Designed to Evolve Manifesting your Desires Be Happy NOW Escaping Time Mindfulness Acknowledgments Author’s Preface Through years of research and self-help education I have spent countless hours searching for infinity. We are Now is a tool for the transformation of consciousness and a gateway for the mind to catch a glimpse of the infinite beauty of reality. I am privileged to be able to publish such a book and share it with anyone who comes across it. My plight for enlightenment is a never ending one… as well as my plight to change to world. For those who harbor an open mind, I hope you can take this information in this book and use it to you benefit. To anyone who does not find this book helpful, I hope that you continue your search and never give up in you endeavors. There is never one way to do anything… remember that my friends. I am very excited and very honored to have been a part of your of life… even if it was just in the form of reading this preface. If you find this book to be beneficial in any way, I please ask that you carry on the life of this book by sharing this with someone you may know or someone you think this book might aid. Thank you for helping me change the world. Introduction Ever since I was a teenager I had been heavily into athletics. I was into weight lifting to be particular. I became infatuated with the development of the human body. I was heavily eating an animal profile diet and had not a care in the world but building more muscle. In fact, my obsession with developing my muscles became a hindrance to my health. I had shut myself out from so many amazing opportunities because of my obsession. One day I finally awoke. I realized that there was much more to life than solely growing more muscle. I could always feel a longing that there was much more in store for me in this lifetime. I constantly could feel a push towards the next level. Sometimes it would be so intense that it manifested itself as a physical sensation. Like there was something inside me that was building up pressure. The more that I shut out the world the more immense the pressure had gotten. I sought refuge at the gym, and it would aid me in the beginning. Then there came a time however that it just wasn’t doing it for my anymore. I always knew I was meant for something more. Since the gym was not working I turned to substance use. I started smoking marijuana and I started drinking. Now I know that those substance specifically are not classified as “that bad” but for me they did not agree with me. Biologically ingesting substances such as those turned me into a very heartless and lazy person. I stopped working out, lost my progress of development, and began to just feel all around even worse. At least before I was living a healthy and active lifestyle. Then one day I something sent me on a trip. I awoke to the realization that I was my own victim. For the next few months I began slowly regaining my active lifestyle but more so I began craving information on self-development. My new obsession had become “developing my mind”. Health and wellness will always be a staple in my life because its part of whom I am. It’s just that I unleashed what was building up the pressure inside of me for so long. I began reading any self-help text I could get my hands on. I began living a holistic lifestyle. I gave up eating animal products. I started meditating. Them more I learned and implemented in my life, the more amazing I felt. I have read many spiritual texts and have spent time with many spiritual teachers. I spend the better part of a year just going about my day with intense joy just to be alive. I have had people come up to me and ask me why I am the way I am… or I have had people tell me that they simply just enjoy to be around me. I had found truth in my life. I began to live the way I was supposed to be living. This book represents the essence of my development and the self-transformation that helped me change my life and gain a quality of life that I never thought possible. This book is the result of a spontaneous idea that took root and grew. I ask that while reading this book you keep an open mind. Try to refrain from comparing or judging while reading. Simply experience this this book. The Mind Believes It’s Own Lies What specifically are you doing right now? I am genuinely asking. Take a moment to realize. Focus down to the very minuscule of details. Now speak the answer to this question for you to hear. Go on. (Seriously Do It) See what just happened there? If you preformed this exercise you will have noticed, that in retrospect of the exercise your mind wholly became a complete point of awareness. No thoughts bombarded your mind. No emotions were churning you. Nothing but the present moment and what was happening in that present moment. You were just experiencing what I like to call “the NOW”. This little trick is in someway is a mental hack. In placing your attention on the present moment, past and future become irrelevant. In this state, worry and anxiety cease completely. The NOW consumes you, whilst the thousands of variables of this life seem to deteriorate. All of the anxieties, appointments, plan’s, to do’s, and worries cease to matter. Now when is the last time you haven’t though about the past or the future? I say this because majority of the human population is plagued with this mental identification. ` What I mean by that is most people are stricken by the ways of compulsive thought. For instance, try to stop thinking. Can you do it? My guess is that most of you cannot. Yes perhaps, you can cease thoughts for a second or two… however my guess is that after a short moment, thoughts rapidly come flooding back in. Can you see the problem I am addressing? A thoughtless mind is a mind at peace. Without thought, you become awareness. “No one can just STOP thinking at will!” Thinking is a natural system of the mind. For the mind is a tool. However with practicality, if you overuse a tool, it becomes damaged or worn. In the real world, someone using a tool will experience a moment in time in which that tool is no longer needed. This is an obvious examination. When we are finished using a tool we no longer need to use it. Thus, we simply place the tool down. This is the same as the mind. Our mind is our tool for the creation of our thoughts. Now it is up to the subjective being (you and me) whether or not this mind of ours is used as such. The reason many have trouble with this perspective is because they are identifying with their mind. Meaning people believe that what their mind thinks is what they are. Majority of the masses think this way and think nothing of it... ironically speaking. Your mind is using you. It is almost as if you are being controlled without knowing. Now hear me out. We are biological beings, yes? Science has confirmed differing areas of our brain that deal with certain types of thinking, yes? We know we are conscious beings in this physical form. If we analyze the brain we can see that the different portions of our brains function as tools for our expression of consciousness. The brain and our consciousness are two completely separate things. I am here to tell you that the mind believes its own lies. That’s right, the mind is a grade A classical conditioning algorithm. I am also here to tell you, that however it may seem, your mind does not need to control you if you do not want it to. You can test this. That’s right. You can “watch” you thoughts. I’m serious. When your mind conjures thoughts into your head, try viewing them as if you were a third party looking in. Take them without judgment and experience your thoughts. Also, try to notice how much you think about the past or future. Simply become an observer. You might be surprised to catch yourself more than a few times. Here is another thing to experiment with. Try saying something to yourself in your head. Virtually everyone has a voice in his or her head. Every time our mind speaks to us it creates a voice that we perceive as our thoughts. Throughout the day the mind mutters things to you, or is constantly creating scenarios. Does your mind often imagine things going wrong? How about noticing that you might always be thinking negatively? This voice is the result of your past history alongside your inherited culturist opinions and beliefs. The true self arises when you become aware that you possess final judgment on how your thoughts affect you. Many people suffer with anxiety and rambunctiousness. These things come from their own thoughts. See, the mind loves to punish you and drain you of your vital energy. Even so, there is hope! You CAN take control! The way to take control of this chaos is to become aware of the NOW. When I say the “NOW” I am referring to the present moment. Living completely in the present and experiencing the NOW full-fledged and full heartedly is the key to unlocking your true potential. When you pay attention to your mind you become aware of your thoughts. Becoming aware of your thoughts means that you are in control. When you are in control, you get to decide how your thoughts will affect you. Do you see how big of an opportunity this can be for you? We need to become witnesses to our own thoughts. Almost as if you are outside yourself, watching how your body and mind communicate together. This is our true self. To become void of objective ideas and traditions is to experience truth. We all can benefit from an egoless state of consciousness. “I pay attention to my mind! I know what I am thinking!” Have you ever finished a thought and experienced the stillness of your mind? Only to be bombarded again by the next thing that came along? That stillness after an initial thought is what we are after. Focus on how that stillness felt. Realize that when you are not thinking you are experiencing. This is paying attention to the mind. Over analyzing everything you think does not mean that you are paying attention. In fact, you are just feeding your own mental conditioning. For some reason our brains seem to be “wired” in this way. With practice you can unlearn this mental conditioning, and train yourself to fully experience everything all of the time. You can bring about complete peace and stillness at a whims notice. I am speaking the truth. This can be done, and many have achieved it. I am not referring to hypnosis or any altered type state of being. There is no lapse in consciousness. In the state of the present moment you become much more awake and cognitively primed. As you venture deeper into the blissful void of a silent mind you will begin to experience your true state of consciousness. The more you practice the more natural this way of experience becomes. This flow state is borderline omniscient. It is as if you become capable of stepping outside yourself whilst still experiencing yourself. Mental Mapping… The Reckoning of a New Thing. Think of the past. Now think of the future. Some may say that these two things are very different in comparison. I will show you, that notion is wrong. In their totality past and future are simply the same thing; they are thoughts. When you think about the past, when are you thinking about it? You are thinking about it NOW. When you think about the future, when are you thinking about it? You are thinking about it NOW! When I say that there is nothing but the NOW I am being literal. I find that dwelling on the past causes a sense of desire. Desire in the form of a strong wish or feeling to possess something or someone. We desire things that appeal to us or things that we find attractive or worthwhile. Maybe you are waiting on the right job to come along, or maybe there is something you wish you could have obtained a while back. Maybe you regret never doing something you think you should have. Focusing on the future creates an emotion of anxiety. Do you seem like you are always wondering how something will turn out, or how certain situations will take place? Ever too caught up in torturing yourself with worry? Dwelling on the thoughts about something that hasn’t happened yet is ridiculous. Worry about things that are happening in the NOW. That’s all there really is anyway. Stressing over the future is literally stressing about something that doesn’t exist. “What about thoughts that create a deep sense of emotion?” Experiencing emotions as a result from thinking about the future isn’t reputable… meaning it is not a good source from which those emotions arose. This is because the source of these emotions has not happened yet. Something that has not happened can physically have no validity. The more you identify with the past or future, the stronger your false emotional energy becomes. We go about our days and experience many things resulting in many emotional reactions. This is just normal life. However, take the vantage point of emotions being addictive… causing you to constantly be running your mind. I’m not saying that they are bad, I’m just saying that maybe it might be a good idea to think about them differently every once in awhile. Think of your mind as a car. If you let a car run indefinitely… it will eventually run out of fuel. Try experiencing your emotions instead of jumping to the thought that comes flooding from behind them. Treat them the same as your thoughts. Observe them, and experience them. Do not act on them, but be but a witness to what they are. Emotions are just chemical reactions. We do not need to be manipulated by emotion because our consciousness is of higher power. It’s all about your level of psychological standpoint here. Just hijack your mind to think a little bigger for a second. We have quite an amazing mental capacity as humans. It’s completely cognitively appropriate to harbor the idea that “changing our thinking is a simple task”. We’ve built our entire evolutionary existence from constant adaptation and a versatile thinking. When we quiet our minds enough, we gain the ability to transcend ourselves. It is in our DNA to change the way in which we think. When dealing with the now, we must understand what time and space really are. Time is the relativity of something to everything else, while space is an area that we know to exist. To authentically think is to transcend time and space. Our thoughts are things that cannot be in time and space. This is due to the fact that you cannot be relative to a thought or physically be inside the space from which thoughts come from. This shows us that our consciousness is something other than physical. This is all just another way of thinking. Lets get back to talking about adaptation. Nature is always transitioning throughout metamorphosis right? It’s the part of time that cannot be stopped. It’s simple. Things happen… otherwise there would be no time. Nothing would be relative. I’m just explaining time that way because technically time doesn’t exist. Everything that is happening is happening right NOW, and the NOW is constantly changing. We need to understand that time is really just our way of documenting the NOW and understanding the NOW with a human construct. When you strip us down to our core we are actually very inductive strong willed individuals. When you break down what living is, living can be see as a copious amount of “NOWS” that we all have determinability over. We all have the ability to obtain complete dominance over our reality. You can allow yourself to step up to the plate. It is very possible to take yourself, off autopilot. A good place to start is being aware that this is an option in the first place. The rest will fall into position, as trusting in the universe will open a whole new reality for yourself. Trust that things happen the way they do because there is no other way in which they could have happened! Think of it as one big apotheosis from which the first things to interact started the course that has lead all the way up to what is NOW. Imagine it like a chain reaction of interaction. The very first things to interact; whatever they may have been all lead to everything there is NOW! Realized You become “realized” when you figure out specifically how the operating system of your consciousness works. You might find that most of these “realized” people seem to be very passionate about the topic that others can free themselves from themselves. We have all heard of the saying “the only thing stopping me is myself”. This could not be a more literal depiction. Don’t let yourself passively pass by your time. Live your life with the idea that your NOW is all you experience. Your future is just another form of the NOW. The future is a NOW that WILL happen but isn’t happening just yet. When that NOW actually becomes the NOW... it will be you who creates the present moment in real time. You are the catalyst for the static energy that comprises the future. Each and every one of us can take a stagnant possibility of NOW and transform it into the kinetic energy of NOW. Meaning we have the power to create our own realities and turn the future into the present. Allow yourself to come to terms with this way of thinking. See its great potential for improving the performance of your communication with other beings. Explore the capabilities of your own mind. Become in sync with yourself. There is nothing but what is happening right now. We create our own realities, and we can make a better one if we want too. Be the person that takes thoughts for what they are. Just because you think a certain way does not mean that your thoughts determine who you are. Its all part of the process baby! If this resonates with you I highly recommend venturing into the idea of furthering your research on the NOW. THIS WILL SATISFY YOUR BEING. Thoughts will be thoughts. No arguing that. When you become intrigued by the presence that lies beyond thought, you open an entire universe from which you have a 360-degree field of vision. The Polarity of Our Consciousness is Directly Linked with Vibration. Feel the vibrational force that all of this reality is. In every ounce of physical reality waves are rambling and tiny microns of matter are jittering about in vibration. Yes that’s right. Everything in this perceivable universe has been documented as vibrating. Don’t believe me? Look into quantum physics and quantum mechanics. The degree at which something vibrates is a precursor to the origins of what that thing is. It’s the same logic in the sense that DNA knows what it needs to be based off its coding. The vibration of something, functions as an individual fingerprint for what that thing is. Animals know this very well. Animals always seem to have our intentions figured from the moment we come in contact with them. They can feel and sense our vibes. This is because each one of us is literally giving off individualized vibrations. Perhaps animals are afraid of you. Maybe you are sending out vibrations of negativity. Perhaps everyone is always amazed at how well animals will connect with you. Maybe you are sending out positive vibrations. This is the result of the idea that we get what we give. We will reap the benefits of what we do. What we express outward gets projected out into the vibrational fields of existence. Vibrations tend to do better with like vibrations. Thus vibrations will attract similar vibrations. Ever hear of the saying “your vibe attracts your tribe”? Analyze that statement for a while. Pick apart its factuality. What you send into the universe will directly augment everything that you receive. You need to understand that every set of polar opposites is essentially one unit. This is how magnets work. One side needs the other… for they need to bind. This is like the Yin and the Yang. Now you probably have amazing hope for your future. Why wouldn’t you? However, are you living in accordance to what you want to manifest in your life? This is our existence. What we are doing with ourselves in the present moment is one side of the magnet. The other side of the magnet is our reality to come. Polar opposites are equal. For example, the North and South Poles are at opposite ends of the planet, and both are equally glacial, or very cold. Polar opposites relate to the notion that what we do in the NOW, directly will affect our future, or future NOW. This is the depiction of the idea of “karma” through a science reasoning and logical understanding. “Every Living Being is an engine to the wheelwork of the universe. Though seemingly affected by its immediate surroundings, the sphere of external influence extends to infinite distance.” –Nikola Tesla By the laws of quantum mechanics we have discovered Tesla’s theory to be truthful. This is which by Tesla’s discoveries were for some reason withheld from the public history books. This is a fact. Why? What for? It’s the way it had to happen. Everything happens for a reason right? I actually find that most people use that phrase “everything happens for a reason” in order to help them sleep at night. Meaning most never look further into sayings except for their face value. Saying, “everything happens for a reason” is actually a linguistic mapping for how the universe has created itself. It is a linguistic blueprint, depicting how everything up until this very moment in time came to be. The universe is now. We are now. If it is stated that every single micron of matter is vibrating, one cannot argue that everything is constantly moving on a quantum level. These minuscule vibrations of frequency otherwise known as "vibes" affect the matter itself. With modern science we are just discovering the tip of the iceberg when it comes to topics on this nature. With that said however, since we as humans are comprised of matter, we are all susceptible to the frequency of the matter we surround ourselves with. Frequency can be a carrier or a messenger. Carrier frequencies resonate at a higher frequency while a messenger resonates at a lower frequency. It is impossible for a lower frequency to act as a carrier. However a messenger can resonate at both a high and a low frequency... meaning a low frequency can only be a messenger and a higher frequency can be both a carrier and a messenger. This is a parable for the world. The lower frequency in my opinion is the "messenger" of illusion. Keeping our minds from functioning on their own. We have been receiving garbage filled lies that infiltrate our minds and make us believe that we are the reason for our own unsuccessful endeavors. We can allow ourselves to experience unsuccessful endeavors, but we also can allow ourselves to experience the fruition of infinity. The things we surround ourselves with have influence on us, so why not immerse ourselves with positivity, wealth, and health. This is why being in a positive environment makes it much easier to change the way we think. The vibrations of those types of environments are literally of higher frequency. We have become enticed and infiltrated by lies. Our minds have created for us a false sense of reality. Meditation for the Now I've come to an understanding in the ways of meditation that resonate with my being. Needless to say, that if something works for me it might not work for you. I just want to share with you my simplistic insight on meditation without all the extra fluff. “What is Meditation?” Meditation is the act of practicing something. Practicing “experiencing the NOW” is considered a form of mediation. For the sake of simplicity… I will be referring to meditation as a specified action. Kind of like how you see in movies or depicted in images. You know… the whole pretzel legged palms faced outward type deal. What you need to understand about meditation is yes; it is a very real thing, it is not some shamanistic ritual, it is not magic, and it is most definitely not malarkey. Meditation has actually been proven by the science community to actually provide and uphold the claims that are behind it. Meditation is rooted in our human species since the beginning of recorded history. There are many things in life that are beyond our control… however; it is possible to take responsibility for our own states of consciousness. The way we think is the way we perceive reality. Imagine our mind as a control interface. Now meditation would be the act of taking the controls and using them the way that we want to. It is a means of transforming the mind. According to the Buddhist mindset, meditation is the only real antidote to our own personal sorrows, and to the anxieties, fears, hatreds, and general confusions that beset the human condition. “How do you meditate?” There are many ways to meditate. That's just the reality of the subject. Find whatever suits you and practice it. Also, don't be afraid to mix things up and experiment. For example, mindful-meditation is the act of focusing on one specific thing. This could be your breathing, a sensation in your body, or focusing your attention on an object that is outside of you. The point of this type of meditation is to focus strongly on one point and continually bring your attention back to that point when your attention wanders. Another type of meditation is a monitoring based meditation where you focus you attention to your surroundings and just notice everything without reaction. For example, experiencing the NOW. “What method do ‘I’ use while meditating?” I use mindful-meditation like I explained above. The specific focus of attention that I use is my breath. In laymen’s terms, you pay attention to your breathing. I try to breath naturally rather than intentionally. The best way to describe what I practice is that I look at my breathing and ‘watch’ it happen rather that ‘make’ it happen. I find that intentionally breathing in and out keeps me from entering a meditative state. “Watching” my breathing keeps my mind clear and allows me to enter the different brain states that meditation has to offer. “What does meditation do to you?” Meditation increases beta waves in the brain. Beta waves allow our brains to take a rest and cease for a moment the processing of information that they get bombarded with on a daily basis. Meditation can grant the user a better sense of clarity, clairvoyance, reduced anxiety, increased creativity, deeper compassion, better memory, reduced stress levels, and larger amounts of grey matter. “Clarity?” Yes, the sense of a clear mind is greatly increased with regular practice of meditation. Being cognitively aware is a game changer. Trust me. Yes you might think you are "aware"… in fact everyone who is conscious is "aware" by scientific description. I am talking about having a completely clear awareness. Becoming that single point of awareness that we spoke of earlier. “Clairvoyance?” Clairvoyance is the supposed faculty of perceiving things or events in the future or beyond normal sensory contact. This ties into clarity of mind. Meditation can grant you a sense of unprecedented sharpness that you may depict as clairvoyance. Also, since the future is the NOW, we technically have the ability to predict the future when we pay attention to the NOW. It’s all in the way you look at it. In my experience this sense of clairvoyance is a supercharged mind that functions with unprecedented accuracy. Not saying that you are never wrong… just that the consciousness is upgraded… if you will. Functioning at a higher rate. “Reduced Anxiety?” The more we meditate, the less anxiety we have. This is because as we practice meditation we’re actually loosening the connections of particular neural pathways that associate with anxiety. The prefrontal cortex of the brain is the part of the brain that processes information relating our experiences and us. When you experience fear or anxiety, this triggers the prefrontal cortex to kick in. This makes you feel under attack or in "flight" mode. Regular practice of meditation has been shown to weaken the effects of this neural connection… meaning that previous stimuli that triggered anxiety and fear are now not as effective. Meditation helps us look at things more rationally. A rational mind is a calm mind. “Increased creativity?” Meditation creates a calmer mind. A calm mind is easier applied to creative tasks. “Deeper compassion?” The amygdala is the part of the brain that processes emotional stimuli. Meditation increases and decreases this part of the brain. The amygdala function is decreased while performing the act of meditation. Then we experience an increase in amygdala function while not meditation as a result of the decrease in function from meditation. In short, meditating grants us the access to a better emotional processing amygdala. Also we obtain better memory and better survival instincts. “Better memory?” People who practice meditation are able to adjust their brain waves that screen out distractions and increase their productivity at a faster rate than those who do not meditate. This ability to ignore distractions leads to a superior ability to rapidly remember and incorporate new facts. “Reduced stress levels?” This ties into the amygdala also. Meditation gives us a sense of ownership in our existence. Given the realization that we control our own reality can be all the difference in your level of stress. You are in control of your own consciousness and reality. “Increased grey matter?” Meditation has been linked to larger amounts of gray matter in the hippocampus and frontal areas of the brain. The more grey matter in the brain the more positive emotions and longer lasting emotional stability in the individual. This also leads to heightened focus during everyday life. Meditation can benefit us all! Living Authentically Now the world is a messed up place. In both a good and a bad sense. I think this is because people are too afraid to live authentically and think for themselves or stand up for the things that they truly want. At its root, authenticity requires self-knowledge and self-awareness. Ever wonder what the mysterious “I” really is? It’s always in your head, your thoughts, and your experiences. The “I” is your self. The self is our identity. This is what makes each of us distinct and different from everyone else. Now… living authentic simply means… being you. It means being the “true” you. Many people try to impose false identities upon themselves. The idea of mimicking the behavior of someone else seems to be much easier for people to go along with instead of doing the things that align with who they really are. Do you find yourself acting like an entirely different person when you are around different people? This may be because of psychological traits called schemas. Schemas are mental structures that guide how we think and what we do. We all have them. We all have experienced them in others. However, to be authentic, means that you adhere to YOUR schema. Each and every one of us has our very own individualized schema. This is the mental structure that comprises who we are. Being authentic might seem scary. In fact, it is not an easy thing to do at first. Practice makes perfect though. Being authentic is about being genuine and real. It liberates us from the pressures of always trying to be something else, or always trying to be perfect. Authentic people accept their strengths and weaknesses. They are accountable. They are connected to their values and desires and act deliberately in ways that are consistent with those qualities. The cornerstone of authenticity is self-awareness. Becoming self-aware is the perception and understanding of who it is that you truly are. This is completely subjective. When you live with this kind of self-awareness, decisions are easier because you are free to choose things that move you closer to your values. This is why it is good to take a moment to redefine your values. It is quite difficult to behave in an authentic way if you do not know what you value and desire. We all have different values and different desires. No two people are the exact same. This is why living authentically is like claiming your identity that is as unique as a snowflake or a fingerprint. No two identities are the same. Nor should they be. That’s the magical part about being a “conscious being”! Also, try to foster an open mind. Our truest state of authenticity flourishes when we experience the world wholly and when we experience the world from every perspective. There is never one side to anything. We can thrive on this intuition and humble our egos and become who we really are. Another thing, it is very important to notice when you are being inauthentic. Notice when you are not being yourself. However, don’t judge the fact that you are not being yourself just simply BE. Punishing yourself is never the answer. Being ourselves opens us up to the wonders that were meant for us. Being ourselves guides us through reality with an unprecedented sense of harmony. It is important to trust your intuition about yourself. Often, we feel out of sync when we have been acting inauthentic. The authentic lifestyle will leave you feeling liberated and charged. Lying to ourselves does us no good. It impedes progress and impedes development. We have a bad habit of getting in our own way sometimes. Living authentically is experiencing self-truth every waking moment of your life. Now it is time to talk about “thinking for you”. We as humans, all have this amazing ability of mental capacity. What we do with that mental capacity is based on free will. False identities are potent form of mystification. People cling to all kinds of phony social identities. People often contemplate and attempt to emulate a vast variety of roles presented to them in school, church, and, especially, the "entertainment" media. I find that many beings seem to blindly accept things because they care not to understand anything else. This seems to lead to predetermined behavior and thinking patterns. Many times people tend to act certain ways in order to please others. Whether it is family, friends, co-workers, etc. Stop being a people pleaser. People who don't think for them selves are often scared of disagreeing with others. Become a freethinker. Freethinking is based on self worth. It is not about what people think of you. I honestly believe that the human capacity will see its next step in evolution and I thoroughly believe that we will fade out all the stupidity that plagues our species and our self-inflicted minds. People need to realize that the power of being themselves is what truly makes someone an individual. Living authentically is crucial to the egoless development of humankind. Too many people are prisoners of their own minds and too many people act as though they are helpless. People need to start taking initiative and start helping themselves. Things don’t just magically fall into place or get handed out in this reality. People need to start fixing their own problems. Everyone would be so much happier if we all took initiative and became activists for our own lives. Too often we distract ourselves with problems that arise from ourselves. We need to fix our own problems that don’t really matter and start networking with people who want to help fix the problems that really matter in this world. Too many people are caught up in stupid issues. Issues that never would have arose if they took initiative and started dictating their own every day present moment. What goes around comes around… and we have the ability to have a say in what we make go around. The common problem for people is that they are self-victims of their own actions. Blaming “something else” for the outcomes of THEIR actions… yet somehow ignorantly remaining oblivious to the fact that they had caused themselves to victimize their self. We are designed to Evolve Equivalent exchange is the truest of principles. You get out what you put in. The static energy and potential of the human mind to overcome and thrive is the reason we have gained so much as a species. We achieve the impossible and stop the unstoppable. Yet somehow along the way we have capped off our own potential. We have become a species manic with a lingering type of mental psychosis. Our minds have become full of things that don’t really matter. We need to realize that we can simply just take off the cap and flourish on with our evolution. Many people need to wake up. Reality isn’t what most people think it is. Reality is so much bigger and so much more beautiful that what majority of us realize. Reality is a full 360-degrees in all directions… and most people only see a fraction of a percentage of what is really there. Manifesting your desires What if I told you that you could create your dreams by mapping out a vision for your life and deliberately choosing how your reality affects you? Within all of us is a divine capacity to manifest and attract all that we need and desire. Start by visualizing your dreams and desires every single day. Spend five minutes a day visualizing yourself living your dream life in as much detail as possible. Imagine for a moment that you already had the life you desire. How would you act? What types of decisions would you make? Become this person. Become the better version of yourself. Remember to live authentically in the process. By “acting” like the better version of yourself you essentially hijack your mind until it becomes your natural state of being. This directly augments the way you see reality. This will directly change the way you live your life, thus allowing your reality to directly morph into the way that you want it to be. The only thing holding us back is our self. We set our own limits. Be happy NOW Be happy right NOW. Being happy in the present moment is crucial to personal development and personal success. Trust in the universe to take care of you. Trust that the universe will bring you what you need when you need it. Instead of putting your happiness on hold until you create the life you want, learn to feel good and appreciate your life as it is now. What good is it to forget your quality of life? Not good at all if you were to ask me. Another way to manifest your desires is to experience the present moment. It all comes back to the NOW! If you are constantly reliving the past or worrying about the future, you will literally miss out on seeing and experiencing the beauty, blessings and miracles that are all around you all of the time. Escaping Time The best way to begin living in the present moment is to understand what it means to not be living in the present moment. Living outside of the present moment means to become a victim of time. Time does not exist. The easiest way to break from this trap is to understand that time is not real. Time is a human construct. Too often we get caught up with the business of life and forget to experience our life. Often we tend to say, “Where did the time go?” Time didn’t go anywhere! Time never existed! The expression is a depiction of our non-experiencing of life. “Where did the time go?” is proof that you have just been going through the motions. We are all victims of the illusion of time to some degree. Our fast-paced society is built around this false idea of time. Sometimes it is hard to avoid. We need to learn to utilize the idea of time for practicality purposes. Though, placing your mind back to NOW in between paying attention to time is important. Time should be no more than making appointments or planning a vacation. The past should be learning from past mistakes while the future should be making goals to accomplish for your self. There is a difference in utilizing the illusion of time and being consumed by time. There are some technicalities that come with this however. Dwelling on past mistakes instead of learning from them and moving on is still identifying with the illusion of time. Be sure to allow your mind to experience time on its own terms. If you have set a goal for yourself to accomplish but you are dwelling on the logistics of the future or the end goal… you are identifying with the illusion of time. The past and future do not exist because all is the NOW. It is always important to stop and smell the roses of life in every moment. There is never a time when your life is not “this moment”. Always try to be aware of the beauty that life surrounds you with all of the time. No matter where you are in life… our commitment to being there and living it to its fullest potential is crucial. The past creates the sense of regret, fear, or grief… while the future creates the sense of anxiety, uneasiness, or stress. The NOW can and will, grant any individual freedom from any form of negativity. The NOW is the direction that most spiritual teaching point to. The NOW is all there is. Everything will happen the way it is supposed to. Mindfulness One of my greatest influences goes by the name Thích Nhất Hạnh. Thích Nhất Hạnh is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk and peace activist. I will be quoting from one of his books. “Breath in, I know that I am breathing in.” “Breath out, I know that I am breathing out.” This is a technique to be used that will help you remain mindful of the NOW. I will quote another one of my inspirations that goes by the name Ram Dass. “Be Here Now.” What both of these quotes are getting at is that experiencing the present moment is one of the most important things you can do in this life. Experiencing mindfulness does not mean that you are in a trance like state. There is no loss of consciousness. It is actually the opposite. In the state of mindfulness you become much more aware and awake in comparison to the mind identified states of consciousness. Becoming mindful allows you to become fully present in the NOW. I would argue that majority of most peoples thinking patters are relatively harmful. Most people do not pay attention to the NOW. To the ego of the human mind, the present moment hardly exists. To the ego, only the past and the future are important. In reality, the past and future do not exist, so what the ego believes is only a hindrance to the individual. While our minds our in “ego mode” we experience a state of consciousness that is completely dysfunctional. We need to practice like we talked about before “witnessing” our thoughts to stop them from controlling us. We can do this, by becoming mindful of the present moment. What this does, is it draws our minds away from mind activity… creating a type of blank mind. It creates a gap of no mindedness. It sounds counterintuitive I know. Trust me though, this works. This allows you to become highly alert and aware all whilst not thinking. Being mindful… is being aware. Mindfulness is not letting your thoughts control you. You control your thoughts. We need to learn to utilize our minds as tools and make our minds serve us, rather than vise versa. You can practice mindfulness by taking everyday ordinary tasks and give them you complete full attention. Walking, standing, brushing your teeth in the morning, opening doors, taking flights of steps, or anything you do in the day. Paying attention to every moment that takes place will open your sense of enlightenment. Witness what is happening and what you are doing throughout your day. Mindfulness like I said just before is one of the keys to spiritual enlightenment… and the present moment holds the key, to liberation. Acknowledgments I am very thankful for everyone who I have crossed paths with in this life. I would not be the person I am today if even a single instance was not how it had happened. I believe that everything happens for a reason. Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to my mother and father. Without them I would have never become a part of this world and this book would never have been written.

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