living in the present: an interview with kristen moeller

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I recently wrote a post called, "How to Stop Waiting: Lessons from a Self-Help Junkie," in which I reviewed the very inspiring and easy-to-relate-to book by Kristen Moeller, "Waiting for Jack: Confessions of a Self-Help Junkie." (For those of you who haven't yet picked up a copy, it's worth it. Great read.) In that post, I talked about my experience with the book and, of course, Kristen's own experience with waiting on the next self-help fad to save her. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to interview Kristen and gather some of her thoughts on living in the present moment, as well as her suggestions on living a more positive life. Here's what Kristen had to say...

Why is it so important to live in the present moment? 

Before the book The Power of Now there was The Precious Present. I first heard the message of this book in 1989 while in treatment for the second time.  It tells a story… it rocked my world.  I didn’t live in the present and I wasn’t even present to this fact. The present moment is the only moment that really exists. The past becomes a memory, the future is only a thought—all we have is now. Life happens now and now and now.  If we aren’t present, we miss the real gifts of life that are happening right now. 

How does living in the present impact your life on a daily basis? 

Living in the present reminds me of what is most important to me.  My life is quite full and I can easily get caught up in the details and miss the beauty.  Earlier today, a bellowing thunderstorm settled in around my house. What matters to me is taking a break from my work and comforting my 95 pound dog who shivered with fear at each thunder crash.  What matters to me is stopping to breathe; taking time to comfort a friend; not just listening to but hearing my favorite band. These are thing things I will remember at the end of the day or the end of my life—not how many emails I answered or bills I paid.

 

What has changed for you since you stopped waiting? 

Sometimes I still do wait—but I have shown myself the power of simple actions. When I grabbed the $100 bill out of Jack Canfield’s hand, I altered my life forever. I didn’t realize this at the time. I knew I was taking bold action.  Now I consciously remind myself that the simple action I take today can lead to a miracle tomorrow. We never know. The point is to keep moving forward, keep stretching, growing and being willing to go for it. 

 

How has living in the now made your life more positive? 

The sweetest thing in the world is to fully soak up the lusciousness of the present moment. We may not like some moments and with others’ we may be more inclined to absorb them—but true life is in the richness of the moment. No matter how difficult a moment is, there is something to appreciate. The only “problem” with any moment is our resistance to it. When I remember this, I have the keys to the kingdom. 

 

What advice would you offer for living in the present moment? 

The advice I offer is to keep returning to the present moment.  We will constantly drift from it. We will plan, worry, regret. In milder ways, we will drift, we will daydream, and we will go on auto-pilot. Just keep returning to the present. Attempt to have at least one thing a day that you totally take in.  Absorb it, sense it fully consciously do this. Right now, the rain is falling on the metal roof of my house. A moment ago, I stopped and truly listened. I closed my eyes and heard the sounds. The thunder crashing, the rain falling.  Tomorrow I will be able to recall it clearly. Many times we go through a day on auto-pilot and cannot remember anything with clear detail.  Each day, choose at least one thing to fully experience. Then you know you are really alive. 

 

 

I'm very thankful that Kristen was able to share her answers to these questions and provide me (and you!) with some insights about living a more positive and present life. Like so many of us interested in personal development and trying to make our lives the best they can possibly be, Kristen was sucked into waiting, to searching for the next thing that would be the one thing to save her. You can read more about Kristen's journey (and my own journey of reading her work) in the post "How To Stop Waiting: Lessons from a Self-Help Junkie."

Comments

[Syd]

It is something that I have to work on. But I find that more and more I stay in the present day. I may not be in the moment but I reside in the day. That is a vast improvement over lists of to do things for the future.

[Happiness and Wisdom]

Constantly looking outside oneself for 'answers' and 'waiting' for something to change to improve our lives is a destroyer of life. I know this from personal experience. Despite enjoying many 'successes,' in my life, I have never stopped to enjoy, as I've always been in search for something bigger, better, etc. Stopping the chase of the 'next big thing' and instead, enjoying the current 'big thing' is a much more satisfying way of living. Because life-long habits are difficult to break and to keep broken, posts like this are a great reminder. Thank yoU!

[positively present]

Syd - Living in the present is definitely harder than it sounds. It can be quite difficult to let the past go and not focus too much on the future. It's great to hear that you're making progress with this and really learning to live day by day!

H&W - That's so, so true. When we look outside of ourselves for something to make us happy or fulfilled, we will always be let down. I'm glad you found this interview to be a great reminder to live in the present and strive to find happiness in what's happening right now.

[sara]

a big problem to me is dealing with difficult moments, paradoxically in those moments I am really living in the moment, I feel deeply every sensation, but all I want is all of that to be over, every second seems like eternity, I just want the pain to disappear...

I think that suffering is of course one of the human feelings, but I don't think I will never be able to appreciate it as the present moment to live (at least, now it's SO not like this)

a big improvement to me was to recognize that this is ok, sometimes I could suffer, and then I just take some time alone, and let the pain be, 'cause I know that as it is arrived, it will go away, so I don't try to avoid painful feelings anymore, 'cause they will arrive anyway, sooner or later, if I try to escape

this way I vent bad feelings and return balanced again, often surprisingly quickly

(I don't know if I was understandable, english is not my language, and I find difficult explain those kind of things even in italian ahah I'm sorry)

[positively present]

Sara - Thank you so much for your comment and for sharing your thoughts about living in the present! You've brought up some very interesting points about suffering and the present moment. It's important to realize that there are times when we don't necessarily want to be in the present, but, I've found that it's much better to accept things for what they are without judgment and without wanting to get away from them than it is to wish to be other than where you are. Also, I've found that when I'm living in a situation that doesn't feel right, I need to do what I can to change the situation or the way I'm looking at it. As you said, these things are difficult to explain no matter what the language so thanks so much for taking the time to leave such a thoughtful and interesting comment here!

[Keith]

Hello!

The message in this post is essential if we're to really LIVE life. That quote by Thich Naht Hanh is dead on the mark!

I am grateful for this post, thank you for putting this out there!

[Rocky]

Thich Nhat Hahn is one of my favorite authors so that quote is definitely very awesome! I gotta check out Kristen's book. Returning to the present moment is a lifelong challenge, but one that is very worthwhile.
awesome interview !

[positively present]

Keith - I agree with your comment wholeheartedly! I'm so glad you enjoyed the post and the quote I chose to go along with it.

Rocky - It's a great quote, isn't it? And so fitting for Kristen's interview! Her book is a very good one and I'd certainly recommend checking it out. Glad you liked the interview!

[Marie]

I, too, have been learning to live more in the present . . .

For me, it has largely become about being grateful for how things are instead of wishing they were different. Even the "tough" times have benefit because they are the times that teach us the greatest lessons.

Thanks for the reminder!

- Marie (Coming Out of the Trees)

[positively present]

Marie - Glad this interview serves as a good reminder to live in the present! Being grateful is one of the best ways to focus on living in the present and being positive. I'm glad you brought that point up in your comment!

[x Corrine/Frock & Roll x]

This is an AMAZING interview - thank you so much for sharing, and for your lovely comment over at Frock & Roll! You have a wonderful website, and I look forward to reading more!

[positively present]

Corrine - Thanks so much for coming over to check out Positively Present! I really love Frock & Roll and it's great to have you as a new reader. Glad you liked the interview with Kristen!

[jonathanfigaro]

Its all about the present moment. This interview was short and sweet. Thanks for the share Positivity present.

[positively present]

Jonathan - You're welcome! Glad you enjoyed the interview and recognized that important message being carried throughout it: it's all about the present moment!

[daniela]

wonderful interview, and what a lovely site! i look forward to all the yummy morsels of positivity that await me here :)

[positively present]

Daniela - Thank you! I'm so glad you were able to stop by. I really love danisoul and I'm excited to see what you sharing with readers in the future.