I’ve heard it said, “The fastest way to get where you want to be is to be happy with where you are.” This seems almost contradictory, but, in fact, it reveals a great truth.

The more “good vibrations” you send out, the more good things you attract back to you to be happy about. One of the best ways to be sending out good vibrations consistently is to live in the moment.

What does this mean? It means that you remain in the now – not yesterday or tomorrow. You treat each moment as the precious thing that it is and enjoy it to its fullest. You immerse yourself fully in the moment.

Living in the moment can also:

-Reduce stress
-Relieve worry about the future
-Eliminate anguish about the past
-Enable you to brush away distractions and focus on your task at hand
-Bring more passion to your relationships
-Allow to you leap toward achieving your goals faster than you ever thought possible
-Let you enjoy the peace, happiness, and contentment of a fulfilling life

Here are some action steps you can take to help you live in the moment:

Take time to stop and smell the roses. This applies not only to enjoying the simple, good things in life, but it also applies to literally taking the time to notice what’s around you so you can take pleasure from what your senses bring you.  Notice the physical world around you.  Cherish its beauty.  Revel in the majesty of the sunset, the wonderful aroma of the roses, the delicious taste of good food, the pleasing harmony of music, and the soft touch of a loved one’s caress.

Avoid total focus on your goals. Now I know this sounds weird…especially because most advice about ways to complete your goals means you NEED to be focused.  But hear me out…never get so caught up in pursuing your goals that you cease to enjoy the present. Your life is your journey. Enjoy what you’ve got when you’ve got it. Otherwise, you might wake up some day and realize that you missed living altogether.

Make the most of each moment. Realize that every moment of your life is a gift. Get all the good out of it that you can.  If you make a mistake, learn something from that moment and move on.  Take a cue from your dog. Have you ever noticed that whatever you do with your dog is his favorite thing? If you take him for a walk, it’s as if he thinks, “Oh boy! My favorite thing!” If you play fetch, it’s, “Oh boy! My favorite thing!” When you feed him, it’s, “Oh boy! My favorite thing!” We could all enjoy feeling more exuberance!

Look for the silver lining. Practice finding the good, even when things don’t go as expected. Many times, you can even get something better than you had planned, if you just open your mind to the possibilities that there is something good to be discovered.

Eliminate time spent waiting. Avoid just sitting around and waiting for things to happen to you. Take advantage of your time by making it productive. Use it to listen to motivational audio books, share delightful insights with the people next to you, plan your day, or read something that educates, inspires, or relaxes you.

There’s a Zimbabwe proverb that says, “If you can walk, you can dance. If you can talk, you can sing.” Like the proverb, living in the moment lets you live with excitement instead of mediocrity. Living in the now gives you a reason to dance instead of walk, and sing instead of talk.

Living in the moment takes some practice, but the more you do it, the easier it gets. Practice this every day, and soon it will become a habit that changes your mindset and helps you live a life full of passion, joy, and happiness.

“Work like you don’t need money, Love like you’ve never been hurt, And dance like no one’s watching.”
– Irish Proverb

Until next time…

Aspire to Plan!