present

I sat on a cab feeling drained and tired. My mind had gone off somewhere else and my stomach was grumbling, hungry. It had been a long day and noticing that the amount of energy I'm left with could not even suffice for a subtle movement, I sat still, my eyes fixed on the moving scenery from the car's window. If I were to shift myself inside that cab, that one small movement would've demanded all my effort and so I remained inert. As if on its own and without much of my control, my mind transported me to different places and chose to linger in a time that has not even arrived yet - the future.

There, I was shown things I needed to do, the plans that I needed and wanted to pursue, and goals I must accomplish. Not only did thinking about these thoughts made me anxious, but it also drained what energy I had left. This kept on for a while despite taking a toll on me because I had let it. When the chaos of the uncertain future had subsided, I realized that I had taken too much time exploring "what could be" and forgotten to even notice "what is".

Immediately, as though expecting to attend to an important guest occupying at the V.I.P. seat, I turned my full attention to what I was thankful for the day. It made me remember that there were little moments of victories that I had conquered and failed to actually give them appreciation. I noticed I had achieved something greater than yesterday and had failed to acknowledge them. I saw that I had everything I needed but had forgotten about it. Turning my attention from what was not working, what was missing, and what was wrong about myself or the situation stressed me out and it didn't feel great at all. 

Eureka! - what if we had a resource that we could refer to - to help us realize the little things in our lives that bring us energy - wouldn't it make us feel more at ease, peaceful, happy? What if we had a platform where we can take tools from - so that when tough times arrive we are better prepared - wouldn't it make us more resilient? If we were more at ease, happy and resilient, wouldn't that make us flourish?

Jedde: Right now, I am feeling energized because of the idea of sharing the concept of 'present' to my readers and the possibility of starting a wave to be more at ease, content, and resilient - even in the minutiae of life.

Beginning on the 30th of January 2020, Thursday, Blog by Jedde will be focused on writing about daily life experiences (simple or generous) that is attentive on the word 'present'. We are now taking one step forward, creating something different, something even more useful to encourage us that life has meaning and purpose and we can always find it, even create it in our lives.

'present' will hopefully serve as a lighthouse that will guide our thoughts and ourselves into being more aware of what we truly do, what genuinely energizes us, and how we want to define ourselves. There will be three guide questions I have made to guide us along this journey:

QUESTION 1: Now, in this particular moment, what do you notice that energizes you? 

This is an invitation to be mindful of the activities, words, thoughts that we think of and do that drains our energy, or fills our energy. On one hand, if we notice that their presence in our lives is making us feel negative emotions, it is time to reflect what they could mean and we can do less of them. On the other hand, if we notice that they make us feel more productive emotions, more energized, we need to know what they are so we can do more of them and even enhance them. Our goal is to embrace life knowing that we enjoy what we are doing and we are purposefully choosing for ourselves what we allow and don't allow in our lives. This will feel liberating. 

Jedde: Earlier today, I felt really nervous because I was surrounded by a group of people who hold high positions in their organization and I felt small, and incapable again. But when I stepped on that stage, I remembered that the last time I felt nervous, I just smiled and gave my best (in spite of the shakiness of my voice) and it worked! So I showed up today by simply being myself.

QUESTION 2: Which part of your day today and in what specific situation did you decide to show up?

It's a matter of showing up. We are getting more in-depth into introspection. This question allows us to see ourselves and acknowledge the efforts we put into our lives. It makes us think about the moments where we feel scared but this fear is in fact a sign that we truly want to do that one things. Through this, we can have a better understanding of what may be important to us. We should be our own cheerleaders! It also makes us marvel at the situations when we showed up, and we should totally acknowledge and praise ourselves for that!

Jedde: Honestly, the best gift I had received today was food and it made me really happy!

QUESTION 3: What's one gift did you receive today that you're most grateful for or that genuinely surprised you?

Sometimes, when we are too engrossed with our busy schedules, it can be difficult to feel satisfaction because we often fail to notice the gifts of life that were showered to us in each moment. This question sharpens our discerning eyes and hearts to be quick to thank rather than be quick to hurtfully criticize ourselves and others. This helps us practice contentment and satisfaction, respect, and humility.

I believe that if we can have something inside of us that we can hold on to when the storms are fierce, something that can keep us stable and resilient despite the turbulence of life, then we can navigate better in our lives and steer towards where we want to be while remaining grounded.

Thank you for reading and supporting this blog.

I'm very excited to flourish together with you.

present

/ˈprɛz(ə)nt/

Blog by Jedde