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I’d like to start this episode by encouraging you to reflect. Have you ever paid attention to how much time you spend moving toward the future. Maybe you’re working to meet a deadline, striving to reach a goal, looking out for the next best thing, seeking out positive experiences. Even on a mundane level, you might be quite future-oriented. As you’re working on one thing, for example, are you thinking about something else? How often do you worry about what’s going to come? If something negative comes up, do you tend to focus on how to get rid or it or what life will be like when that negative thing is gone? 
We live in a future-oriented culture. Teachers, parents, and coaches teach us to set and strive to reach goals. Advertisers convince us that what we have isn’t good enough, we’d be happier with something new. The news tells us anxiety is rampant and it’s normal for us to be stressed and anxious, too.
But, if we can step back, let go of anxiety and worry, and fully acknowledge what we are experiencing right now, we can suffer less and experience more joy and contentment. 

Peaceful Moment of the Week: Yellow Warbler
 

To be clear, I am not suggesting that goal-setting is bad, or that we should never think about the future. But, it’s not healthy to live our lives always focused ahead of what’s actually happening to us in the moment. Instead, we can learn to step back and become receptive to the present. 
Stepping back means allowing things to come to you instead of moving forward to them. It involves letting go of grasping and anxiety in favour of savouring and appreciating. It means letting go of our need to reach out toward experience, and instead, letting experience come to us. Stepping back is the practice of peace and contentment.
Let's practice stepping back
The following is a 10-minute guided meditation on stepping back to the present.

Up Next Week
I hope you enjoyed this meditation. Next week I’m going to talk about the counter-cultural nature of happiness, and we’ll explore the difference between happiness, joy, and contentment. I hope you’ll join me.
Would you like more support for your meditation practice? You might like to become a Member of Mindful15. Members can access a large library of guided meditations, relaxations, and sleep aids. They get habit-building advice and practical guidance in overcoming obstacles. They also get the inside scoop on my own meditation practice - what I’ve learned and how I handle challenges. And there’s a lot more. Just hop over to mindful15.com to sign up. Click here for details.
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