Being present means being fully immersed in the moment.
It means being curious about whatever arises right now.
It means being entirely absorbed in the task at hand.
But also: it means letting the present evolve.
What I'm doing now turns naturally into what I do next, without my having to decide anything at all.
Ah! There's the catch.
Because if I have an obligation in an hour, then I can't let the present unfold freely.
Some of the things I could set in motion aren't compatible with my upcoming appointments and tasks.
So I have to embrace the present... while filtering what it offers me. "This, yes. That, no. That one, no time."
These decisions bring thinking back into the moment.
We're no longer surfing. We're judging, planning ahead.
And there we are, back in our heads.
So how do you do it?
It's very simple. Here's the solution:
Every truly important obligation will get done in the future by magic.
And there you go! Problem solved!
You just had to think of it.
Not convinced?
It works, though.
And if you don't believe in magic, let's call it faith.
It starts like this:
I don't need to carry my future obligations on my back, like a perpetual weight.
I don't need to reverse-plan my day (and my life!) all the way back to the present moment.
I can simply do what I'm doing now. Dive fully into the action unfolding, without thinking about the rest.
By giving up all control, I set myself on a new path.
This path isn't visible. It reveals itself as I go.
But it passes through every important point of my day.
It ticks every box that matters.
The ones I planned for. And the ones I don't know about.
I'm not saying it's easy, mind you.
When you're used to controlling everything, planning everything, it's frightening.
Especially since there's no way to reassure yourself intellectually. It has nothing to do with intelligence.
It's a matter of faith. Of freedom. Of trust.
But as far as I can tell, it works.
So instead of letting your obligations overwhelm and control you, do this:
Stop everything. Sit with yourself for a moment.
Close your eyes.
Take a deep breath.
Let the present unfold.
Then, calmly, repeat after me:
Abracadabra.