Being present
Hello everyone.
I discovered "The Power of Now" at the beginning of the year through reading one of the posts on Reddit. I must admit that this book has significantly impacted the way I perceive the world and has definitely lifted the mental burden I was carrying before, thus making my life feel so much "lighter".
At the beginning of my journey I was able to achieve a state where I was so happy and loved every second of my life. Wow, that was amazing. I struggle to achieve that today, because as soon as I focus on being present by listening, watching, and feeling the environment I am currently in, the ego appears with thoughts about people from the past, making me mad, paranoid, or willing to take revenge. I especially notice it when I'm at home next to my neighbor who is one of these people. Every other time, I try to switch my focus to something positive, but the cycle repeats itself.
I don't know if this is just my weakness of being present "muscle" or I resist the present moment in some way. Did anyone go through that process? How do you stay present for as long as possible without negative thoughts?