A Mantra for Presence: "Now to the Inevitable"

Now to the Inevitable

The Present Moment: Where You Exist

As you read this, you are in the present. Your eyes, ears, or sense of touch (Braille) are transmitting these words into your brain and body. You then interpret them—assigning meaning to sounds and vibrations—filtered through your personal experiences and perceptions.

In this moment, your heart is beating. You are breathing. Your body is actively processing the inputs of the present. You exist as a physical manifestation of an intricate amalgamation of Earth’s elements, woven together by the energies of the universe. You were created through the union of a sperm and an egg, carried in your mother’s womb, and born into this world. The sperm—the smallest human cell—combined with the egg, one of the largest cells in the body (approximately the size of a grain of salt), to create you. You are a miracle.

The Body: The Antenna of the Now

Your body is always in the present, constantly receiving and transmitting information from the surrounding environment. It is an antenna tuned to the frequency of Now, always engaged in the reality of living.

Right now, however, your mind may or may not be fully focused on the present. In fact, before reading this, your thoughts were likely elsewhere—perhaps dwelling on a past event or anticipating a future one. Your mind naturally revisits past experiences or projects into the future, reliving moments that have already happened or imagining those that have yet to come.

The Challenge of Staying Present

For your mind to fully embrace the present, you must anchor your awareness in your body and clear your thoughts. Interestingly, you don’t actually think about the present—you live in it. Presence is an experience, not a mental exercise. It is the act of engaging fully with the here and now, receiving feedback from your senses while allowing yourself to be immersed in the moment.

However, being present requires practice. While it may seem like presence should be effortless—after all, the present is all we truly have—the reality is that it takes effort and diligence to remain grounded in the now.

Why Is It So Hard to Stay Present?

Why is it so easy to dwell on the past or daydream about the future while the present moment—the most important awareness we have—is often neglected? The answer lies in the way our minds are designed.

Reflection on past events helps us make sense of our experiences, offering lessons that guide our future choices. Similarly, envisioning the future fuels motivation, allowing us to set goals and move toward our desires. These mental processes serve a purpose, helping us navigate life effectively. However, when left unchecked, they pull us away from reality, causing us to miss the richness of the now.

Modern life further encourages distraction. We've become hyper focused on our appearances, relationships and events. Technology bombards us with notifications, endless scrolling, and multitasking, fracturing our attention. Productivity culture pressures us to always do more, keeping us future-focused. The seemingly never ending constant need to respond to stimuli. There appears to be no time to self-reflect. At times, staying present means facing discomfort, so we escape into thoughts to avoid it.

The Practice of Presence

To remind ourselves to be present is a practice. To actively work on staying present is the practice. In other words, presence must be intentionally cultivated. It is through consistent practice that we develop a clearer and more authentic connection with ourselves and the world around us.

Without practicing presence, how would you know if you are truly being authentic? When your attention is constantly divided between the past and future, you are merely reacting to life rather than actively engaging with it. Remaining lost in thoughts of what was or what might be means you are working for life, rather than allowing life to work for you.

When life works for you, presence becomes a reward. There is no greater satisfaction than being fully immersed in the gift of your own existence—riding the waves of life with awareness and appreciation. The ability to spend more time being present is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself.

A Mantra for Presence: Now to the Inevitable

One way to cultivate presence is through the repetition of a mantra: Now to the Inevitable.

Now is all you truly have. Inevitably, your past will grow longer, and your future will become shorter, until one day, your Now will be no more. This mantra serves as a reminder to stay grounded in the gift of your existence, to embrace the present moment before it slips into memory.

You are meant to be here, in this moment, because you can recognize it. You still have the opportunity to make choices, to change, and to shape the life you want.

So begin to focus on your breath and body. Feel this moment. Give gratitude and begin to continously repeat quietly or outloud: Now to the Inevitable.