What It Means to be Grounded, Centered, or Present.

What Does It Mean to Be Grounded, Centered, or Present?

I struggled with this for many years as my spiritual teachers often told me that I need to be more grounded but they never told me what that meant. 

After years of wondering what this meant, it finally came to me.  Being grounded, centered, or present means being focused in the moment that is Now.

All too often, I was mentally off somewhere else preparing my future, but I this left me seemingly unconscious of what was really happening in any given moment.  Of course, I was able to go to work and do my daily tasks, but by not being grounded, I often was not able to really focus on how I was feeling at any given moment or to appreciate the beauty of it.  I was living life on auto pilot, and consequently was literally unable to smell the roses that were in front of me.

I have since learned that life is about balance.  There is nothing wrong with having your head in the clouds while you are trying to mentally create the future, but it is also important to come back down to earth often and to be present and aware of what each moment brings. 

So now I spend part of each day focused on my future, but I take frequent breaks to focus on how I feel and appreciate whatever is happening right now.

Appreciating the moment can be enjoying a smile on your child’s face.  It can be enjoying the lush diversity of colors in the garden.  It can be breathing in fresh air outside.  It can also be listening to how you are feeling or what your body is trying to tell you. Many of strokes and heart attacks could have been prevented by simply paying attention to how the body feels at any given point in time.  

By being grounded and focused on the present, you can also cure anxiety by avoiding the regrets of the past or the worry of possible future outcomes.  In the "now" moment you can change how you think to change how you feel.  

What does it mean to you?  Please share in the comments below how you use grounding in your daily life.  

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Joe Rapisarda
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