“Don’t cry over the past, it’s gone. Don’t stress about the future, it hasn’t arrived. Live in the present and make it beautiful.”
Awhile ago when I was feeling overwhelmed with work and anxiety, I came to the realization that time isn’t the most valuable asset that we have. What’s more important is actually, presence. That means to say, being PRESENT in the moment.
As someone who takes on I used to multitask a lot by trying to finish multiple things at once just to make full use of my time. I had always believed that speed (of accomplishing things) was the number one factor to success.
But I was missing out on one CRUCIAL thing – I was failing to live in the moment and give my full presence to my life experiences.
This realization allowed me to rethink my work ethic and focus more on making mindful actions – instead of trying to jam pack my schedule full of activities. The result was I experienced greater calmness, composure and more in control of my life, actions and thoughts. In fact, I realized that the anxiety I had to accomplish everything at one go had also slowly dissipated.
And the funny thing was that when I reduced my workload and focused my energy into one particular task, I actually managed to get more things done with much more satisfaction.
By following the following steps, you too can develop the power of focused, inspired action.
How to Live In The Moment – 8 Ways to Start
1. Stop Trying to Multi-Task
The truth is that numerous scientific studies have proven that humans aren’t really as good at multitasking as we think we are. What happens is that we actually switch our attention from task to task quickly which results in reduced efficiency.
The best way to achieve mindfulness and live in the moment is actually to direct all our energies into one single task.
2. Slow Things Down and Appreciate the Calm
We sometimes feel anxious and overwhelmed when we see face the complexities of life. When you sense that you are getting overloaded with stress, perhaps it’s time to slow things down and take things simple.
Remember the quote: “Success is a journey, not a destination”? What we can truly take away from this line is that the process is important. We have to enjoy the process and not allow the narrow fixation on the outcome to determine our current level of happiness.
I strongly recommend you check out the book “The Happiness Advantage – by Shawn Achor”. One thing he mentioned that really hit me was that whilst people have always believed that achieving success will bring about happiness, it is often proven in studies that people who are already experiencing elevated states of happiness are MORE likely to achieve success!
Take some time to re-assess and answer the question, “are you really happy with what you’re doing right now?” If not, try to slow things down and focus on simple mindful actions that will give you more satisfaction.
3. Meditate to Sift Out Your Thoughts
There are various meditation techniques that you can use to bring your mind into alignment with what you wish to accomplish for the day. Ten years ago, I used to think that meditation was just a big waste of time. I mean, what’s the use sitting in front of a wall for hours???
This couldn’t be further from the truth. Thank God my lovely wife introduced me to a particular guided meditation that took only 15 minutes a day and that was when I discovered how useful meditation in the morning could be to calm myself down and get into the proper positive mental frame for the day. Now I truly believe that meditation works wonders and have incorporated it into my daily routine.
You don’t have to spend “hours” doing it. In fact, just 10-15 minutes is a really good. You can also try out positive thinking exercises that will help to raise your vibration!
4. The Principle of One Step at a Time
This principle is something that I’ve started to follow because I now believe in the power of focused & directed energy towards a particular goal. Living in the moment is about taking things one step at a time. Don’t try to do too many things at once or you may not be able to do everything well.
Remember, the Jack of all trades is master of none. It’s much better to do something really well before moving on the next task!
5. Take a Cold Shower
Okay this may seem like an odd request, but to be honest I’ve found that this has worked really well for me!
Taking a cold shower is actually a really effective way of re-framing your thoughts and ideas. Do you find your mind wondering to different things and chores you need to accomplish when you step into the shower? Try to put these aside for a minute and let the cool water wash your stress and anxieties away.
6. Avoid The Shiny Object Syndrome
When I was younger, I used to have so many big ideas and opportunities that constantly pop up in my mind. Whilst some of them where pretty good, they actually served as a big distraction when I was working on another goal.
At the time I had a full time job, was running a two businesses and taking a few clients at the same time for separate projects so it was really easy to get lost in the to-do list.
The important thing is being able to segment out your thoughts so that you can practice mindfulness and give your full attention to the particular task that you are working on right now so that you are taking focused action. What I found to be helpful was keeping an ideas notebook where I would jot down any new and interesting thoughts that I might want to work on later.
7. Prioritize the Bigger Things
One thing that will really help you to live in the moment is developing the ability to prioritize the things you need to accomplish. This doesn’t just apply to work but also your friends, family, and other social activities.
Which one’s are the most important to you? Sort them out by category and assign a ranking score to the most important ones.
I usually just use a scale of high, medium or low, which I assign to every line item in my to-do list. Sometimes new event’s or tasks pop-up during the day and instead of jumping straight to them. I always take a minute to add them to my list and re-assess which ones are the highest priority first.
This way you are focused at accomplishing the most important tasks at hand.
8. Stop, Take a Break
Last but not least, don’t forget to take some time off! Preferably do something healthy like go for a run, swim, do some yoga or even take a quick nap. Sometimes diving headfirst into the fray isn’t the best way to win the war!
Taking a step back and finding ways to boost your positive vibrational energy may actually rejuvenate the mind and keep you in a state of mindfulness. Remember that you are meant to live life to the fullest by embracing the time and presence that you put into every single activity during the day.
Stop to smell the roses and just take in what a beautiful day it is going to be. Rain, sun or shine, you will make every moment count!
