Introduction to backtothepresent.org
Imagine a life in which every moment is lived fully—where you are present enough that your actions, feelings, and thoughts are in harmony. A life less distracted by the ANXIETY that can accompany past regrets and perceptions of the future, allowing you to become more fully immersed in the present moment.
This is not just a dream. It is the vision behind backtothepresent.org.
At backtothepresent.org, we believe that mindfulness and self-awareness can help adolescents and young adults navigate life’s decisions and challenges with greater clarity and purpose. Our goal is to contribute to education by placing intuitive, relational understanding alongside intellectual knowledge—helping foster a generation that is not only knowledgeable, but also wise and deeply connected to themselves and the world around them.
Key Points
An overview of the Six CRITICAL UNDERSTANDINGS
The purpose of mindfulness
The importance of being present
Why knowledge and wisdom are not the same
Overview of the Six CRITICAL UNDERSTANDINGS
backtothepresent.org is built around six CRITICAL UNDERSTANDINGS that, when collectively embraced, can guide us back to the present moment.
Three Gifts — physical, emotional, and spiritual
Physical Gift. Our physical Gift gives us extraordinary freedom to adapt to diverse environments and interact with the world around us. Humanity can inhabit nearly every part of this planet. What are we going to do with that extraordinary opportunity?
Our physical Gift provides awareness of and the ability to choose our actions. It manifests through our awareness of what we are doing, helping us become productive. Without such profound physical abilities, we would be far more constrained by the ecosystems into which we were born. There is little need for conscious choice when survival determines nearly everything an organism must do.
Question: Can you think of another species that consciously considers how to use its time and energy in pursuit of productivity?
Emotional Gift. Our emotional Gift enables us to form deep and meaningful relationships. It manifests through our awareness of our own feelings and the feelings of others, fostering our remarkable capacity for loving consideration.
We can reflect upon whom we love, how we love, and how we choose to participate in our relationships. This capacity helps us consciously choose behaviors that can create peace within those relationships.
Question: Can you think of another species that reflects upon its relationships and consciously chooses how it wants to love?
Spiritual Gift. Our spiritual Gift provides awareness of our thoughts, allowing us to store, develop, and share knowledge. It enables us to improve ourselves and our world while seeking to fulfill purpose through the decisions we make.
Our unique access to accumulated human knowledge allows us to intentionally use our time and energy to implement change in the world.
Question: Can you think of another species that can consciously quantify and qualify what time and energy mean to its existence?
Limited Resources
Limited Resources — time and energy
Recognizing time and energy as Limited Resources means understanding that:
We are born into this world with only so much time and energy.
We are required to use them in every moment of our physical existence.
We cannot create more time once it has passed.
Our available energy is continually used and renewed within the limits of physical life.
When our time and energy are gone, our physical life comes to an end.
Every moment of our lives requires us to spend these Limited Resources.
Question: Is there another species that can knowingly measure and reflect upon the meaning of time and energy within its own existence?
Manifestations — actions, feelings, and thoughts
Our actions, feelings, and thoughts are the Manifestations of our being. They are shaped by our awareness, experiences, and choices.
Mindfulness helps us prioritize awareness of our actions, feelings, and thoughts and recognize how each can contribute to a meaningful and joyful life. After all, every bit of our time and energy is ultimately expressed through what we are doing, feeling, and thinking.
Human beings also possess the remarkable ability to become aware of what they are doing, feeling, and thinking and then consider what they would like to do, feel, or think next.
Unique Abilities — conscious awareness and free choice
Our Unique Abilities of conscious awareness and free choice allow us to become aware of our actions, feelings, and thoughts and intentionally influence what happens next. These abilities empower us to shape our lives through the decisions we make.
Question: Can you think of another animal that can become consciously aware of what it is doing, feeling, and thinking and then deliberately reflect upon what it would like to do, feel, or think next?
Obligations — awareness, challenge, patience, and honor
Our Obligations of awareness, challenge, patience, and honor guide us in respecting and nurturing our Three Gifts. These four commitments create a practice that helps us return to presence and become more mindful.
Through awareness, we recognize what is happening.
Through challenge, we encourage ourselves to grow.
Through patience, we allow ourselves and others the time necessary for growth.
Through honor, we respect the extraordinary Gifts and Unique Abilities we have been given.
Together, these Obligations help bring us back to the present moment.
Agreements — productivity, peace, and purpose
Our Agreements are productivity, peace, and purpose. Striving for these Agreements helps align our actions, feelings, and thoughts, allowing us to maintain greater presence within our consciousness.
Our physical Gift, expressed through our actions, gives us the opportunity for productivity. Our emotional Gift, experienced through our feelings, gives us the opportunity to create peace within our relationships. Our spiritual Gift, expressed through awareness of our thoughts, helps guide us toward purpose.
Together, these six CRITICAL UNDERSTANDINGS form the foundation of backtothepresent.org and provide a framework for cultivating mindfulness, self-awareness, and presence.
Purpose of Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the practice of becoming consciously aware of what you are doing, feeling, and thinking in the present moment without judgment.
Its purpose is to help us become more intentional about how we use our time and energy, make decisions, and develop a deeper relationship with our physical, emotional, and spiritual Gifts.
The mindfulness mantra that guides the teachings of backtothepresent.org expresses this intention:
“I am consciously aware of what it is that I am doing, feeling, and thinking.
I am also capable of freely choosing how to utilize my time and energy efficiently by being aware, challenging myself, being patient, and honoring my unique physical, emotional, and spiritual Gifts.
I will continually challenge myself to be productive, be at peace, and fulfill purpose; having faith that the guidance I receive will allow me to experience the joy available in my relationships with those I love.
Ultimately, allowing me not to be distracted from the present moment, so that I can enjoy each and every moment of my existence.”
This mantra emphasizes our Unique Abilities of conscious awareness and free choice. It reminds us that we can continually return our attention to the present moment and use our Three Gifts in pursuit of productivity, peace, and purpose.
Importance of Being Present
Being present means fully engaging with the current moment rather than becoming consumed by perceptions of the past or future. It means directing our attention toward what we are doing, feeling, and thinking right now.
Enhances Decision Making: When we are fully present, we are better able to consider our circumstances and make intentional decisions.
Improves Relationships:Presence allows us to listen, communicate, and connect more deeply with others, encouraging empathy and understanding.
Reduces ANXIETY: Returning our attention to the present moment may help reduce the worry and stress associated with repeatedly dwelling upon past experiences or anticipating uncertain futures.
Increases joy: Becoming present allows us to recognize and appreciate the experiences and relationships available to us now, opening the possibility of greater joy and joyfulness.
Real-Life Example
Imagine you are sitting in a meeting at work. Instead of worrying about a mistake you made last week or becoming preoccupied with a deadline next month, you bring your attention back to the discussion taking place now.
You listen. You become aware of what you are doing, feeling, and thinking. Your contributions become more thoughtful, and you may leave the meeting feeling more satisfied and less distracted.
That is the practice of returning to the present moment.
Practical Tips for Being Present
Start Your Day with Intention: Take a few minutes each morning to consider your intention for the day. Reflect upon what you hope to accomplish, how you want to feel, and whether your choices are guided by loving intention.
Practice Deep Breathing: When you feel distracted or anxious, take several slow breaths and bring your attention back to the present moment.
Limit Multitasking: Focus on one task at a time whenever possible. Give what you are doing the time and energy it deserves.
Reflect Daily: At the end of the day, reflect upon what you did, felt, and thought. This can reinforce mindfulness and strengthen self-awareness.
A Daily Exercise
At the end of each day, reflect upon your three Agreements:
Was I productive?
Was I at peace in my relationships?
Did my decisions help me fulfill purpose?
Notice whether this daily reflection helps you become more mindful and more aware of the present moment.
Knowledge and Wisdom Are Not the Same
Knowledge gives us information. Wisdom helps us understand how to use that information.
Our intellect gives us extraordinary access to accumulated human knowledge. It allows us to analyze, calculate, compare, invent, and solve problems. But knowing what we can do does not necessarily tell us what we should do.
That distinction opens the door to intuition.
Within backtothepresent.org, intuition represents the relational and moral understanding that helps us consider how our decisions affect ourselves, our families and friends, society, and the world around us.
Knowledge may expand our choices. Wisdom helps guide them. Through loving intention, we can learn to use knowledge in ways that foster connection, love, peace, and compassion.
Begin Your Journey Back to the Present
Join us at backtothepresent.org and begin exploring a more mindful and present way of living.
By embracing the six CRITICAL UNDERSTANDINGS and practicing mindfulness, we can become more aware of how we use our time and energy, how we make decisions, and how our actions, feelings, and thoughts affect ourselves and the people around us.
The goal is not perfection. The goal is presence.
Through greater conscious awareness, thoughtful free choice, and repeated loving intention, we can strengthen our relationships, make wiser decisions, and become increasingly capable of experiencing the joy available within the present moment.