Our attention can therefore be future-pleasant (excitement), future-unpleasant (worry), future-neurtral (what comes next without emotional charge); past-plesant (reverie), past-unpleasant (regret), past-neutral (random recollections without emotional charge); present-pleasant (commentary that likes what is happening), present-unpleasant (commentary that doesn’t like what is happening), and present-neutral (simple narration without emotional charge). These are the nine places.

The tenth, of course, is being in the present without commentary, simply being present to now in an experiential way versus all the ways mentioned above that rely on story and image.

This tenth place has six components:

1. What is happening now
2. What we see
3. What we hear
4. What we feel in the body
5. What we smell
6. What we taste

That’s about it for the present moment. Anything else moves us into the nine places described above. Perhaps this visual map is helpful for guiding your efforts at being mindful. When you notice yourself out of the present, you can stick a little label on what you notice “future-unpleasant” and then return your attention to one of the six features of now (what’s happening, sight, sound, touch, smell, taste). 

Repeat as necessary.