By Paul Hendrickson –

We have a busy life – not that there’s anything wrong with that. (Cue the theme from Seinfeld.) My wife and I rush from one child’s sporting event to the next, one school activity to the next, then to work, the grocery, church, endless errands, and the list goes on. We get so busy we forget to enjoy the small, individual moments that make up the busy day. From what I can see, we are not alone.

I submit that we as a culture get so busy, we forget to enjoy what we have, and seek only to add more activities to the day and more things to our closet. But what if we existed in the moment? What if we took time to take time? I have recently attempted to do this with admittedly moderate success. I have tried to be fully engaged in conversations and activities and not look at the time or glance at the schedule to see what was next. It is incredibly hard to do and seems counterintuitive at times. I mean we have to be ready for the next thing on our list, right? We have to gather everything together, so we are ready to go. But do we have to constantly look at the time and the schedule? Modern technology allows it, but is it good for us?

There is a peace that comes from being in the moment. Anxiety and stress can build up when we start to think about the things we have left to do. We can also stress about the things we have already done. Some will dwell on it so much they make themselves physically ill. Focusing on the moment quiets our mind to think about what we are doing in the present. It heightens our senses to absorb the world around us in a way busyness cannot. The famous psychologist Abraham Maslow put it this way – “The ability to be in the present moment is a major component of mental wellness.” In other words, it is to our benefit to be in the moment.

How does one stay in the moment?

That’s a great question. Thanks for asking. I do not claim to have the complete answer to the question, but a few exercises that are showing some promise are as follows:

1. Start your morning being thankful – You already have things for which to be thankful, but start your day thinking about them. It will help put the rest of your day in perspective and help you focus on the things that matter.
2. Focus on a single task at a time – This is a tough one for us multitaskers! It can be done with a little extra effort. Do not let your mind stray from the task at hand even when that little voice in your head starts to rummage through the remaining to-do list.
3. Reduce the mental clutter – It is so easy to fill our minds with junk we don’t need day to day. What are you consuming on a daily basis that is not adding value to you as an individual? Kick it to the curb.
4. Stop overplanning things – Things have to be done, but don’t overplan them to the point you fret about their arrival and second guess the outcome once they pass.
5. Disconnect from technology for a set period of time during the day – Smart devices are a great technology, but they are designed to consume our time while saving us time, and they can create a dependence that takes us out of the moment.
6. Let the past stay in the past – There is absolutely nothing you can do to change the past. Whether you dwell in the past because of things you wish you could forget, or you dwell there because you think your life was better then, it is the past. Keep the good memories and learn from the bad, but know that this day is waiting for you to give it some time.

If you are just starting your journey to be in the moment, I wish you much success. If you have been on the journey for some time and not achieving the results you had hoped for, keep working at it. I trust we will both get there before our last moments expire!