Student in Yoga Class: Bear with me I’m brand new to this.
Instructor: Don’t worry, we were all beginners at one point.
This is something we all tend to forget when embarking onto something new – whether it’s cultivating a new habit, starting at a new job or opening a new chapter in our lives. Many times we want so badly to already be “there” – already be spiritual, already be healed, already have life figured out, already be married, already be at the height of our careers.
We’re so focused on the future and what we WANT that we totally forget to just enjoy the ride. We forget that most of the fun is in the journey. We forget that we’re right where we need to be at this very moment. We forget that we’re only human and no one is expected to have life figured out right away.
This is something I really struggled with upon graduation and throughout most of last year as I was just getting the foot in the door of my professional life. I wanted so badly to fast forward through the job hunt, the frustrations that come with creating your own brand, the healing process of overcoming pain and the journey of health and wellness. I used to envy senior citizens because they already knew how their lives turned out – they knew if they ended up okay or not.
In retrospect that was an incredibly stupid belief system. Sure, I spent much of last year working like an animal and came across many frustrations- but I ended up getting a raise at work, was given an opportunity to really learn about the recruiting industry, gained regular writing clients and built a following of this blog. If I had already known all of that was going to happen, it wouldn’t have been nearly as exciting.
There were times when I wanted to throw in the towel because I was juggling too many plates at once, but then little victories – like getting wonderful emails from readers, meeting incredible Gen Y bloggers and entrepreneurs, publishing an ebook and having my money stuff sorted out for the first time in my life – may not have ever happened.
The same applies to your own lives as well. Things may not be all that great now – but once you reach your goals you’ll end up appreciating everything you went through. Sure, sometimes we take on too much or future tripping gets the best of us, but there are ways we can try and stay present.
3 Tips for Being Present
1. Become aware of when you are future tripping.
Future tripping is when you start focusing too much on future happenings. For instance, you may say “My life will be better once I get x, y and z.” or “I’m afraid I’ll never get a job and end up miserable.” In other words, it goes one of two ways: you either think your life will be better once something happens in the future or you imagine your future to be far worse than your present.
In order to become aware of when we’re future tripping and thus put a stop to it, we must first learn to recognize it. For the next week do a quick scan every hour on the hour and see if you got caught up in any future tripping. Then, record it in a journal. This will teach you to start recognizing your patterns so you can eventually say “Oh, that’s my mind fabricating crap again” and just let it go.
2. Sit in stillness for 5 minutes a day.
Sitting still is really difficult for most people – we become attached to past conversations or focus on the belief that we “should” be doing something else. What most people don’t realize is that sitting still for just a few minutes a day is a great way to start becoming comfortable in the present moment. It’s also a great way to regroup from a stressful situation or if you feel like you’ve taken on way too much.
Just take 5 minutes a day to sit still and just focus on your breath. If you need some help doing this Meditation Oasis has some great free podcasts and music.
3. Embrace gratitude.
It’s incredible how your entire mood shifts once you make minor changes to your perception. Someone who only focuses on the bad will surely have a crappy day where as someone who is more optimistic has a better chance of loving life and achieving their goals. The next time you find yourself wishing your life were different make a list of things you have RIGHT NOW that you are grateful for. Your family, your health, a paycheck, food on the table, great friends, the list could be endless.
This will help you realize that you already have exactly what you need at this point in your life. It will also tremendously shape your mood.
In case you need a little help remembering to be present, here’s a little video you can watch:
REMINDER: Everything is always in perfect sufficiency, just as it is, here to help you grow and learn and move forward. - The Art of Attention
