For many years, I found it difficult to live in the moment. I had all of this energy frequently thinking about the next step and moving through each moment. For high-achieving entrepreneurs, being in the moment can be elusive. Throughout the years, I’ve found the following strategies helpful:
1. Eliminate Distractions. Finding yourself with your family yet still connected to your cell phone? Shut it off completely and enjoy the conversation. Savor each moment asking questions and using it as an opportunity to find out more about the other person and their interests.
2. Go with the Flow. Do you find yourself having to control every aspect of your day? Take a vacation from it. If you usually pick the movie or the restaurant allow others to make the decision and go with it.
3. Accept What Is. We all have irritants in our lives, whether it is sudden anxiety when we have to give a speech or the visiting relative who critiques everything from the holiday food to the décor. The mind’s tendency is to avoid it or focus on the negative feelings causing more stress. Sometimes things are beyond your control. You can just embrace the feeling for what it is. It doesn’t mean that you have to like what is happening or you are resigned to it. It simply is what it is.
Becoming mindful at any moment, takes practice. You become more mindful of the moment just by paying attention to your immediate experience. [tweet this] When you find yourself distracted, anticipating what someone will say or judging what someone has said, focus on your breathing to bring yourself back to the moment feeling yourself breathe in and out.
Something quite remarkable happens when you’re in the moment. Often times, the very thing you’ve been wishing for arrives all because you were present to hear it.