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In another fine example of how counterintuitive mindfulness is for many of us in western society, presence is something we\\u2019ve all tried to unlearn for our whole lives.

When we\\u2019re toddlers, we\\u2019re taught to look forward to Christmas and Birthdays.

When we go to kindergarten, we\\u2019re taught to look forward to first grade.

And then to middle school\\u2026 and high school\\u2026 and college\\u2026 and then we get a job and we look forward to getting a house and getting married\\u2026 then we have kids and we teach them to look forward to Christmas.

So it\\u2019s no wonder that being present is so difficult for most of us!

But why is this such a big deal?

The answer is nearly as simple as the practice to develop presence: in the present moment is where life happens.

Nothing ever happened in the past and nothing will ever happen in the future.

Every single experience we can possibly have happens now.

And now is where we can show up to our lives and the people and passions in our lives.

But as we worry about the future and we ruminate about the past, we engage in clinging and aversion and we suffer.

As Ram Dass once said: through the clinging and aversion and the worrying and rumination, we wind up thinking about life instead of living it.

And this will affect every experience and every relationship you\\u2019ll ever have!

Towards the end of this exceptionally long video (I think I just really love my new microphone!), I give some guidance on how to practice dwelling in and paying attention to the present moment.

Once we can develop this skill, we can practice well-being and happiness!