This post is an opportunity for you to develop an understanding of a much better way of living than ninety percent of people in our culture. A couple of common themes that arise in my posts are first that you can only act in the present moment, but you can’t do anything in the past or future. The second thing that often comes up is that persistent internal dialogue that often sabotages you when you are making progress in life. It often tells you you are not good enough, or you better hurry up or you will fail.

A better way to live is to keep yourself grounded in the present moment. Take a moment as you are reading this post, take a deep breath and just take notice of what is going on around you, without reacting to or judging it. Look around at your environment like it has something to tell you, but don’t let yourself get caught up in your thoughts about anything. Just notice your thoughts. If you were able to successfully do this little exercise, you were in the present moment.

When I first started living more in the present moment, I found myself with occasional anxiety, that focusing on right now was taking away focus on achieving my goals, and all the things I had to do in a day. This is a natural reaction that most people have. Eventually I realized that I was beginning to become more aware of what really needed to be done and weeding out the unimportant tasks.

The most important benefit is that i began to notice opportunities in my environment that I had missed before. I replaced reacting to people and events with observing them without immediate judgement. In doing that I was able to get more done and be more effective. It is like the planning and preconceived notions about life were really holding me back from making progress.

Attention is in short supply in our social media era. Practicing just being in the present moment without adding your thoughts and judgement to it, will train your brain to allow you to focus your attention where you want it. Discipline is the most important part of achieving anything great in life. In order to develop discipline you have to be able to put your attention and action where you want it when you want it. Living in the present moment allows you to do that.

“A New Earth” by Eckhart Tolle is a great place to start if you want to learn more about living in the present moment. If you would like to take advantage of a free 30 Minute Life Coaching Consult drop me a note here.