When I had the chance to meet “Captain America” Chris Evans in Berlin in early November, I didn’t realize—partly due to the cold weather—that his left chest features a quote that also opens my second book, “Re-Connect to Love and to Myself.” It’s a beautiful quote by Eckhart Tolle:
“If you lose touch with inner stillness, you lose touch with yourself. When you lose touch with yourself, you lose yourself in the world.”
Today, I want to share how Chris Evans and this quote can teach us a valuable lesson about living in the now.
It’s a bit like a Marvel movie where Chris Evans plays the superhero Captain America. There’s always the hero and the villain. If we imagine the quote as the hero, who would appear on the dark side? What is the opposite of inner peace and being present in the here and now? It’s an old acquaintance we all know: your ego.
Our ego has one burning need, and we could sum it up in three words: Me, Now, Always. The ego is always afraid of missing out—of not being seen, heard, or respected. As a result, it keeps telling us anxious stories about the future, laments the past, and endlessly compares itself to others. This makes it the number one reason we struggle to live fully in the present moment, in the here and now. Because, if we’re honest, the only true reality is what is happening right now.
Chris Evans once said:
“Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism—a lot of it is very similar; there are just varying deities and dogma. For the most part, I think Eastern philosophies are about maintaining a certain level of presence, acknowledging that your ego is probably not your friend, and refusing to be ruled by what has happened or what will happen. That, I think, is the best way to peace.”
What can you do to let go of your ego and live more in the now? Here are my top three tips:
- Recognize that your ego is not your friend
According to Eckhart Tolle, the ego is a false self-image that disconnects us from our true essence. Observe the voice of your ego without identifying with it. You are not that voice in your head—you are the one who observes it.
- Practice presence
Ask yourself repeatedly: What is happening right now? Become consciously aware of your breath, your surroundings, and your emotions. Focus on one sense at a time: What do you hear? What do you see? What do you feel? What do you smell? What do you taste?
- Accept the moment
Instead of fighting what is right now, practice embracing the moment as it is. Are you stuck in traffic? Getting upset won’t move you forward. Observe how your ego reacts and simply take note of it. Peace arises when you stop resisting reality. Accept it as it is and look for something beautiful in the moment—put on your “blue glasses.”
Just as Chris Evans embodies values like courage, integrity, and focus on what truly matters in his role as Captain America, have the courage to follow your heart and always focus on the essentials: the here and now. True peace doesn’t start in politics, with your neighbor, or on the big screen—it starts within you. And it starts now.
Enjoy putting this into practice.