“With the past, I have nothing to do; nor with the future. I live now.” Ralph Waldo Emerson.

The increased cost of living in recent years and military conflicts in various parts of the world has made life a bit uncertain and anxious for many people.

When feeling anxious, it’s important not to think too far into the future or dwell on the past. I have a coin in my study which has served as a reminder for many years about the importance of being in the moment.

It says “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift that’s why they call it the present.”

We can learn so much from this simple statement. Over the years I’ve noticed that very few people take the time to just be and fully engage with the present moment.

So many people live their life walking backwards into the future. They frequently look at the rear-view mirror and replay memories and images of the past. When they aren’t engaged in this habit, they turn their attention to the future and start imagining how life could be. Very little time is spent appreciating the gift of the present moment.

Sometimes it’s good to calm your mind, detach from the past, stop yourself predicting the future and fully appreciate now.

When we engage in the switching between the past and the future, it can act as a distraction and affect our concentration levels. Frequent interruptions, over committing our time, e mail and social media notifications can all impact our ability to concentrate. They all make it challenging for us to have a sharp focus and can mean that we aren’t fully present with the task or person right in front of us.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of replaying situations from the past. We can all wish that we had spoken up when we had concerns about something or wished that things had worked out differently. All too easily, we can criticise ourselves for mistakes we’ve made and feel anxious about disappointments and setbacks. All these things make it difficult to be present and in the moment.

The harsh reality is that things are as they are and can’t be changed. It’s not possible to rewrite history. We can learn to draw the lessons from our experiences and resolve to do things differently in the future. Having done this, we can then choose to let situations go mentally.

In the event you catch yourself over thinking and seeking to predict the future, wondering what may happen, you can decide to bring your thoughts back to the present moment. You can clear and calm your mind. You can do this by focusing on your breathing by taking a deep breath in and counting to seven, then exhaling to the count of seven. Repeating this process three times can help calm your mind and return to what’s in front of you. This will enable you to get into the now.

When we engage more fully with the present moment, we increase productivity and complete tasks more easily. We listen more effectively and as a result have a better connection and relationships with others. As a result, people’s trust and belief in us grows.

Quietening your mind will help you to feel more centred, relaxed and have a greater sense of assurance. This will enable your mind to be clearer, give you more clarity and increase your focus. When we’re in this state, life appears smoother, easy and effortless. The outcome of this is that things seem to flow more naturally.

The more time we spend in our heads can lead us to feel anxious and less satisfied with life. By reducing the noise and activity in our head and focusing on the now, we can feel happier and in control.

Making the decision to be present more often takes practice as we have years of programming and conditioning to overcome. It requires a change of habits and is best achieved by small consistent actions. You can start your new approach with activities that you do and love such as running, walking, gardening, swimming, cycling etc.

You can also choose to adopt a more mindful approach to one of your regular routines such as washing up, housework, gardening, eating etc. Essentially what we do when we adopt this approach is to bring more focus to the present moment and quieten our mind. This enables us to detach from the constant planning and review process.

This week, why not take some time out to reflect and think about what actions you need to take to become more focused and engaged with the present moment more often. Consider if there’s anything you need to let go of or any daily habits that you need to change to help you to achieve this.

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk