3 Ways to Embody the Present, Feel Happy & Be More Successful
How many times have you heard that real power (feeling truly happy & successful) lies in the present moment?
Think about books, talks, spiritual leaders… The Power of Now. Return to Love. Be Here Now…
And while those phrases are helpful reminders, stepping fully into the moment can actually feel difficult and elusive.
Which is why I’m sharing my top 3 ways to embody the present, feel engaged, happy and experience greater success!
How many times have you heard that real power (feeling truly happy & successful) lies in the present moment?
Think about books, talks, spiritual leaders… The Power of Now, Return to Love, Be Here Now…
And while those phrases are helpful reminders, stepping fully into the moment can actually feel difficult and elusive.
Which is why I’m sharing my top 3 ways to embody the present, feel engaged, happy and experience greater success!
1. Breathe
I know I sound like a broken record with this one.
But, swear to God! It really works.
Every single time you stop and take a conscious breath, you clear your mind, relax your nervous system and step back into the moment.
Try it right now!!!!!
2. Declutter Your Mind
Sometimes in this experience we call modern life, a thousand things are vying for your attention. Work obligations, family needs, social media, house repairs, auto maintenance, and on and on… so much it makes your head spin.
One of my husband's favorite books is called The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth About Extraordinary Results, by Gary Keller & Jay Papasan.
To boil the book down to one sentence, it is:
Focus on the ONE thing you need to do right now.
When I feel overwhelmed, I use this as a way to refocus.
I also find it helpful when there are 20+ things I need to have finished yesterday. Instead of trying to do them all, I ask myself, “What is the 1 thing I need to do for my (self, business, career, financial freedom - fill in the blank- right now?)
Here’s the thing, even if you’re a great multitasker, you’re still bleeding your focus and pushing yourself out of optimizing your performance.
I used to think I could do multiple tasks well until I realized how much energy I was wasting. Once I began using this new strategy, I was honestly shocked by how much more effective, happy, clear and successful I was. Largely because I was fully present.
Why not give it a try? Think about it like an experiment.
Ask yourself, “What is the 1 thing I need to do right now?”
Once that goal, task, job is completed, ask again.
See how you feel.
3. Commit & Focus
This is the enactment of number 2.
It’s about honing your thoughts and making the commitment to actually stay focused despite your mind’s desire to pull you away.
Here’s the truth, when you step fully into the present moment and laser focus, you can accomplish anything! Seriously.
When I was in my first "real" job at 22, a friend of mine gave me a piece of advice. He said that whatever I did, to do it well. He pointed out that regardless of how seemingly insignificant a job might appear, that I should do it fully.
What exactly did he mean?
He meant that if you’re doing the laundry, taking out the trash, washing your face, or talking to a friend, you are in 100%. You are as focused on that task as you would be if you were traversing a narrow, high mountain ridge, about to land your biggest deal, or fulfilling a life-long dream.
In other words, be fully engaged and present in the task at hand.
Now that you’ve taken a few deep breaths, and are ready to hone your mind, what’s the 1 thing you need to do?
Remember to have fun with it and allow yourself the pleasure of being present.
If you want to awaken even more deeply to this present moment, check out my guided meditation on the podcast today.
Have a listen!
Wishing you so much happiness and success as you empower yourself RIGHT NOW!
AND if you want more tools and inspiration in your inbox every Wednesday, sign up today! FREE!
How To Be Fully Present
Have you ever wanted your moment – whatever was happening to be different?
When that occurs, how do you feel? Frustrated? Annoyed? Aggravated? Whatever the emotion, it’s a form of suffering.
For the past week, I’ve been exploring this idea – of wanting my moment to be other than it is - on a microcosmic level because I’ve been sick. And I was pissed about it.
I did not want to be sick.
Have you ever wanted your moment – whatever was happening to be different?
When that occurs, how do you feel? Frustrated? Annoyed? Aggravated? Whatever the emotion, it’s a form of suffering.
For the past week, I’ve been exploring this idea – of wanting my moment to be other than it is - on a microcosmic level because I’ve been sick. And I was pissed about it.
I did not want to be sick.
Instead, I wanted to jump back into work, hang out with my family, enjoy the emerging days and flowers of spring. But I couldn’t.
As I saw it, I had two choices. I could fight my illness, pretend I wasn’t sick and work while I felt terrible. Or I could surrender.
Surrender isn’t giving up.
It’s accepting what is.
It’s letting go of wanting the moment to be different.
So I surrendered to being sick. To not being able to enjoy the first sunny day we’d had in a week, to feeling like a bad mom because I couldn’t take my daughter shopping like I’d promised, to feeling frightened for our future as I watch our president potentially start a nuclear was with North Korea.
Surrendering isn’t giving up, it’s accepting what is.
As I explored this idea, I also realized that suffering is when we want the moment to be different that what it actually is.
You want to get to the meeting on time and instead are stuck in traffic so you feel... You regret the way you spoke to your significant other and it burns in your belly. You’re excited about all you’re gonna get done this week and then land in bed with an awful head cold. Well, no, that wasn’t you, that was me.
Just because I accept it and surrender to what is, it doesn’t mean I have to like it. And it doesn’t mean I can’t be pro-active.
But the reality is that sometimes life has other plans for us. We can fight them or we can allow them to happen.
I can’t see the larger picture. Maybe there is a reason that I had to lie in bed for a week. Maybe there’s a reason that our country has to experience polarization and pain. I don’t know.
But I can accept that it is what it is.
And then I can act.
I can take care of myself with vitamins, supplements, support and I can stay involved politically.
None of it works without a level of acceptance.
In a technique I use with my clients called, NET (neuro emotional technique), we often talk about being okay with something. “I’m okay having breast cancer. I’m okay that my father died. I’m okay with the current political situation.”
Being okay doesn’t imply preference.
Obviously no one wants cancer. The idea behind the “okay” statement it is to neutralize any emotions you have around the issue so it doesn’t cause you stress. So you can move forward without so much emotional baggage attached to it.
Surrendering is exactly that – it’s being okay with whatever life throws at you. Releasing the frustration, irritation, annoyance and getting on with life just as it is.