The way things are.

An excerpt from The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander & Ben Zander:

The practice... is to be present to the way things are, including our feelings about the way things are. This practice can help us clarify the next step that will take us in the direction we say we want to go.

The calculating self is threatened by such an attempt: “Why hang around and feel like a sucker?” it asks.

But the central self expands and develops with each new experience:
“What is here now?” it asks, and then,
“What else is here now?”

Being present to the way things are is not the same as accepting things as they are in a resigned way. It doesn’t mean you should drown out your negative feelings or pretend you like what you really can’t stand. It doesn’t mean you should work to achieve some “higher plane of existence” so you can “transcend negativity.” It simply means, being present without resistance: being present to what is happening and present to your reactions, no matter how intense.