The Practice: Returning to the Present Through Our Obligations

This mindfulness exercise invites you to return—again and again—to the present moment by honoring the four Obligations that guide us back to conscious awareness and loving intention.

Take a slow breath.
Let your body settle where it is.
Nothing needs to be fixed—only noticed.

A pair of boots standing inside a circular writing on the pavement that says "You Are Here"

Awareness

The Obligation to acknowledge, in the present moment, your physical, emotional, and spiritual Gifts by noticing what you are doing, feeling, and thinking. (acknowledging the present moment)

This is the practice of conscious awareness—remembering that you are aware and present now.

Begin by noticing your Three Gifts—physical, emotional, and spiritual—exactly as they are in this moment.

  • Physically: What am I doing right now?

  • Emotionally: What am I feeling right now?

  • Spiritually: What am I thinking right now?

There is no judgment here.
This is simple acknowledgment.

Gently remind yourself:

  • I am aware of what I am doing, feeling, and thinking.

I am in charge of my consciousness through conscious awareness.

A person wearing a helmet and harness is climbing a rock face inside a narrow canyon with orange rock walls.

Challenge

The Obligation to use free choice once awareness is present.


If you do not like what you are doing, feeling, or thinking, you are responsible for choosing what comes next—guided by loving intention rather than impulse. (using free choice with awareness)

With awareness present, notice whether what you are doing, feeling, or thinking is serving you.

If it is, honor it.

If it is not, remember this truth:
Because I am conscious, I have free choice.

Ask yourself:

  • If I don’t like what I’m doing right now, what would I rather do next?

  • If I don’t like what I’m feeling, what feeling would reflect loving intention?

  • If I don’t like what I’m thinking, what thought aligns with the tools in the Toolbox for a Joyful Life?

You are not trapped by the moment.
You are empowered within it.

Framed picture with the quote "Some Things Take Time" in gold text on a white background, leaning against a light blue wall.

Patience

The Obligation to allow your physical, emotional, and spiritual Gifts to develop at their own pace and across the lifespan.


Patience honors the natural progression toward productivity, peace, and purpose, without comparison or self-judgment. (allowing growth without comparison)

Bring patience into your awareness.

Your physical, emotional, and spiritual Gifts do not develop at the same time or at the same pace. This is not a flaw—it is design.

  • The physical gift often peaks earlier in life, offering opportunities for productivity.

  • The emotional gift often matures through relationships, cultivating peace.

  • The spiritual gift deepens later, guiding us toward purpose.

Growth is not linear.
It is layered.

Practice patience with yourself as each Gift develops—without rushing, comparing, or judging.

Honor

A bronze statue of Lady Justice holding a set of scales in her left hand and a sword in her right hand, with her eyes blindfolded.

The Obligation to care for and respect your Gifts:

  • Physically by resting, nourishing, and wisely challenging your body

  • Emotionally by loving yourself, your friends and family, and society appropriately

  • Spiritually by acknowledging that guidance is available through loving intention and having faith in it

Honor sustains presence, health, and well-being.(caring for what you have been given)

Honor your gifts with intention.

  • Physically:
    Rest your body.
    Nourish it.
    Challenge it wisely—with awareness.

  • Emotionally:
    Love yourself first.
    Love your friends and family appropriately.
    Extend care outward to society.

  • Spiritually:
    Pause and listen.
    Acknowledge that guidance is available through the tools in the Toolbox.
    Have faith in that guidance and trust loving intention.

Honoring your gifts sustains presence, health, and well-being.

Take one more breath.

Quietly say to yourself:
I am aware through conscious awareness.
I have choice through free choice.
I am patient with my growth.
I honor my gifts.

By practicing these Obligations, you return to the present moment—where contentment, happiness, and joyfulness remain available again and again.

  • The Pause at the Crosswalk

    Evan stood at a crosswalk, phone buzzing in his hand, chest tight, jaw clenched.
    He hadn’t noticed when his shoulders crept upward or when his breath shortened.
    He was already late. Again.

    The light was red.

    For the first time that day, he stopped moving.

  • Awareness

    Evan noticed what was happening now.

    His body was tense—his foot tapping the pavement.
    His emotions were restless—irritation layered with worry.
    His thoughts were racing—I’m behind. I should’ve left earlier. This always happens.

    Nothing changed yet.
    He simply acknowledged what he was doing, feeling, and thinking.

    And in that noticing, something subtle returned:
    conscious awareness.

  • Challenge

    Evan realized something important.

    He didn’t like how this moment felt.

    The tension.
    The rushing thoughts.
    The familiar spiral.

    He remembered—he was not trapped inside this moment.
    He had free choice.

    So he chose one small change.

    He lowered his shoulders.
    He took one slower breath.
    He let go of the thought This always happens and replaced it with I’m here now.

    He didn’t fix his schedule.
    He changed his direction.

    That choice carried loving intention.

  • Patience

    As the light stayed red, Evan felt the urge to rush return.

    He smiled softly—recognizing the pattern.

    He had learned over time that his body reacted faster than his emotions, and his emotions faster than his thoughts. Growth hadn’t happened all at once.

    He remembered that development unfolds unevenly:

    His physical reactions were quick.

    His emotional understanding took practice.

    His spiritual clarity arrived slowly, often after reflection.

    He didn’t judge himself for that.

    He allowed the moment to be part of the process.

    That allowance was patience.

  • Honor

    The light turned green.

    Evan stepped forward—not hurried, not frozen—just present.

    He honored his physical gift by walking instead of rushing.
    He honored his emotional gift by choosing kindness toward himself.
    He honored his spiritual gift by trusting the guidance that had shown up when he paused.

    Nothing extraordinary had happened.

    But something essential had.

    He had used his time and energy with intention.

  • Evan arrived where he was going—not perfectly on time, but fully present.

    And in that presence, he noticed something quietly powerful:

    When he honored the Obligations—
    awareness, challenge, patience, and honor—
    the moment became lighter.

    Not because life slowed down,
    but because he returned to it.

    And there, once again, contentment, happiness, and joyfulness were possible.