Have you ever felt like a whole month just completely passed you by and you hardly remember even being there or where it’s gone? Or maybe you’ve been wanting to achieve something for a long time but you always seem to procrastinate and never get it done. If this sounds familiar, then you, my friend, need to harness the power of the present moment.
Here’s 5 tips to help you do that:
1. Eliminate distractions which affect your health and wellbeing
Manage your life health and wellbeing, diet and exercise to boost your energy. Turn off the news on TV. Set up a bedtime routine, which will improve your sleep, and create a fitness routine. These 5 actions will give you a clearer mind and energy to do go about your daily life. They will make you appreciate relaxation, your health and wellness. Achieving your goals in the long-term perspective is what you want but burning out quickly can increase your levels of stress and this is what you get without sufficient sleep, lack of a healthy diet and insufficient exercise.
2. Don’t let fear pull you into the future
Obsessive thinking about the future is a sure way to lose track of the present.
There is a one kind of feeling inside each of us that stops us from achieving our goals and dreams – a feeling that can suppress you and stop you from being who you want to be.
The word I am talking about is FEAR. What is fear? FEAR stands for
FALSE EVIDENCE APPEARING REAL
Why are we afraid to reach for the dreams? Are they too unreal? Or maybe we are not in a position to achieve them?
Some of my friends and colleagues are going through a difficult time in their lives. Their discomfort is not about paying bills although money could be tight.
Fortunately, they can take care of the essentials. What has them worried is the loss of direction and what the outcome of Brexit could mean to them.
When life was going well, everything seemed to be in order. Now that the security rug due to redundancies, shorter working hours and low annual pay increases, the rug has been pulled out from under them, they feel vulnerable and can’t seem to find their bearings.
It is okay to question your life’s purpose. It’s okay to say, “I’m not sure where the future will take me, but I will learn new skills if need be, plan and secure my future.” You aren’t in crisis. You don’t have to physically move to experience your next stage of life. In fact, take time out, meditate, create a dream board and reflect. Take advantage of the pause.
Most of us look too hard to find a unique, profound, and tangible reason for our existence. Instead, seek to discover everything that makes you feel alive and connected in the here and now.
Choosing to find a sense of direction over a destination can make your life easier. You can quit feeling disappointed with your life or afraid for your future.
When you release the need to know how your life will turn out, you live for a feeling instead of a goal. You appreciate what sparks
3. Try the Savouring Strategy
Take notice of something particularly positive – something that makes you feel good. It might be the sound of your favourite recording artist, the majesty of a tree in your garden, or the chirping of birds as they fly around in a park. Absorb yourself in the details. Notice any positive feelings present within you – such as peacefulness, energy, love, vitality, gratitude, hope, interest, or other feelings. Tune in closely to one of these feelings. Feel it fully as you enjoy the nature scene. Stick with that positive emotion. Appreciate how good it feels. Extend it by breathing with it. It might feel as if your breath is enhancing your feeling, deepening it. If the feeling fades, turn to another positive feeling or to another pleasurable part of the nature scene.
Not all moments are savour worthy — but the ones that are should be savoured immediately.
4. Use breathing as a catalyst for the present moment
The breath is the simplest and most powerful way to stay present in every moment because the breath is always present! We can’t breathe into the future or the past. There is always only one breath and it’s happening right now
By focusing your attention on your breath every day, you help your mind to slow down and catch up with the present. You’ll start to notice your surroundings and time seems to slow down. At that moment, the world is your oyster and you have full capacity to take action and design the life you really want.
5. Enjoy the ride
We often get so caught up with achieving something or becoming someone that we forget to enjoy the journey. And truthfully, the journey is the reason why you!
When you finally make it to your goal, if you do, you come to find out that you now want something else, and the journey continues to unfold. You never really reach a final point where you’ve done it all and you feel complete. There are just endless present moments to enjoy, unfolding infinitely.
So, take the time to pause throughout your day, take a deep breath, let go of the past, set your sights on a possible goal, then take your time walking every single step of the journey that lies ahead of you.
Mike Lawrence is a life coach in Sheffield, offering holistic therapies that include how to treat stress via stress management techniques.