Both philosophy and science - and even mainstream religion when you remove the misinterpretations - tell us that we are not in the world. Instead, the world is within us.

In technical terms, this means there is no way of proving the existence of an “outside” world. Everything we see, hear, or experience takes place in the brain.

This might seem bizarre, or even insignificant, at first. But give it a moment to sink in.

To the extent of humanity’s knowledge, everything in life occurs in our minds. We can’t prove that anything at all is going on outside of our mental environment.

This is an incredibly empowering notion. It means we have full control over our own universe.

Granted, our unconscious belief systems may prevent us from exercising total power. But we can find our creative ability in all areas of our life if we look for it.

The thing to remember is, even when we are getting what we claim we don’t want, in truth our life is manifesting from our own projections. By changing the inside, we will change the reflection we see in the world that appears around us.

It has been said that many people in our world live not in the present moment, but in a past that is forever gone or in a future that doesn’t yet exist. How true this is!

It is so easy to dwell on past events and daydream about future possibility. In fact we seem wired to do so excessively.

While this sort of thinking has its place and value, ancient wisdom from many cultures teaches us that true power and joy reside in the present moment. To really live an exciting, empowering existence, we must embrace the now!

Let’s keep this simple: Doing your best to live in the present moment as it actually occurs is the key to fulfillment.

You will be amazed at how much more energy you have, how much more creative you are, and how much more excited about life you become when you engage the simple practice of paying attention to what is happening within and around you right now. And you can start practicing this mindfulness right away!

You don’t need to learn any special techniques, read any new books, or get anybody’s permission to start being as present and aware as you possibly can on a moment by moment basis. I invite you to devote one full week to the study of the moment.

For seven days make an honest effort to be continually aware of where you are and what you are doing. When you catch yourself reliving the past or daydreaming about the future, immediately return your focus to the here and now.

Of course you can still practice your visualizations, and you will likely find they are more vivid when you have been striving to maintain the moment all day.

Give this a shot, and have some fun in the process. After your first week, I expect you’ll want to continue this process for the rest of your life.

*(While I don’t believe past, present, and future can be fully seperated, for purposes of our conscious observation the forward progression of time is a reasonable assumption.)