# The Power of Now: A Top-Tier Ability

Why do some people break down under pressure while others quickly release their emotions, solve problems, and stay unfazed? It's actually a skill, but most people have never deliberately cultivated it. This skill is the ability to be completely immersed in the present moment. Today's content is designed to help you master this ability.

I read *The Power of Now* in college but didn't understand its value back then. Now at thirty, I finally realize its worth. This week, I want to help you understand this book.

Have you ever experienced moments like this: something trivial happens, like a parent or partner saying something harsh, or a colleague responding slowly to your message, and suddenly you explode? That wave of anger and hurt crashes over you like a tsunami. Afterward, you might regret it: What's wrong with me? Was it really that serious?

Actually, it's not your fault. The anger isn't coming from you—it's coming from the pain-body within you.

What is the pain-body? Imagine all the hurts you've experienced in the past, all the moments you felt ignored. Because they were never resolved at the time, they've accumulated together, forming an energy monster in your body. This monster sleeps most of the time, but the moment external stimuli resembling past triggers appear, it instantly awakens and takes over your brain.

So when you're suffering, it's actually all past pain resonating together. Everyone has their own pain-body.

We're also often trapped by another thing: mental identification. Simply put, it's when we scare ourselves, treating thoughts in our minds as facts. When thoughts like "I'm not good enough" or "I'm unsafe right now" appear in your mind, we actually start believing "I'm not good enough" and that the future will be terrible.

Many people experience this anxiety before important occasions: nothing bad has happened yet, but you've already rehearsed disaster a hundred times in your head. The event hasn't occurred, but you've already suffered once from worry. That means you've suffered twice. Constantly replaying and ruminating on pain is like spinning endlessly in hell.

*The Power of Now* tells us: you are not your thoughts; don't be controlled by them.

There's a particularly vivid metaphor: thoughts are like unexpected guests dropping by your home. You simply need to let this guest sit there without responding; given enough time, they'll leave on their own. But if you confront them directly and start chatting and engaging, you'll only create more and more dialogue with this thought, and eventually it might even move in.

At this point, tell yourself: stop thinking about the outcome; focus on now.

The approach is to break down grand goals into concrete, present-moment small actions: pick up a pen and review and refine your thinking again; the space is a bit messy, so organize the environment; coordinate with staff members and communicate the process and precautions carefully.

When you truly invest in the present moment, you'll discover that things are far less oppressive than imagined, and you might even receive positive feedback. You should have a sense of humor about your internal exhaustion: often, after long preparation, half the time is spent on anxiety and self-attack. If you could use this self-scaring time for constructive thinking instead, you'd actually do better.

We suffer because our thoughts are excessive and our internal exhaustion is heavy. So how do we turn off this unstoppable brain?

The simplest physical switch is to return to your inner body.

Why the body? Because thoughts can traverse time and space—one moment running to the past with regret, the next to the future with anxiety. But your body can only ever exist in this present moment. Your breathing, heartbeat, and tactile sensations are always happening now. So, grip your body, and you grip the present.

We can do a simple 30-second exercise: set down what you're doing temporarily, close your eyes, and direct your attention to your hands. Don't visualize hands in your mind—truly feel them. Do your fingertips have a subtle tingling sensation? Is there warm energy flowing through your palms?

The moment you feel it, you've disconnected the noise of thought.

But modern people are too prone to neglecting their bodies. The brain is like a domineering, verbose tyrant, constantly bullying our body. Those who've truly emerged from mental crises understand: nothing is more important than your body's sensations. Your body knows everything; it's just that normally you don't let it speak.

So starting today, try to respond to your body's signals: are you a bit thirsty right now? are your shoulders sore? Do you need to use the restroom? If so, don't ignore it—fulfill that need.

You can even normalize this practice in daily life:
When washing your hands, experience 30 seconds of focus. Don't just think about what you're going to do next; try to hear the sound of water, feel the sensation of soap bubbles popping on your hands, smell the fragrance of the soap. Even just 30 seconds, and you've freed yourself from anxiety.

Why can the body heal anxiety? Here's an essential concept: clock time and psychological time.

Clock time is linear, always moving forward—you can't return to the previous second.

But psychological time in the thought world is like a time machine: thoughts can instantly travel back ten years, regretting something stupid you said or a wrong decision; or leap into the future, worrying about layoffs, unemployment, or messing things up.

You'll notice that as long as you live in your thoughts, in psychological time, you're constantly shuttling around, unable to stay in the present.

The past and future are both fantasies of the mind. The past has gone, the future hasn't arrived. Among all moments, the only second you truly possess is right now.

But look at our lives: we're thinking about afternoon work while leaving home, thinking about other things while chatting with friends, lying in bed with a resting body but a brain rehashing today's mistakes. The body is here, but the soul is wandering. This is why you can't be composed and at ease—you're using limited energy to fight against unlimited past and future.

And the body is the anchor that pulls you back.

When you return to the present, you activate a top-tier ability called observer consciousness.

It's like watching a horror film: if you think you're the protagonist, you'll be terrified; but if you realize you're sitting in the theater as an audience member, those horrifying images can't hurt you.

The thought arises again.