Just be present.
Not thinking about the past, and not thinking about the future. Being present is an area we all struggle with in our lives. We constantly think about scenarios in which we have absolutely no control over. I just recently watched Kyle Cease’s free documentary on his site titled, “The Illusion of Money.” Kyle is a former standup comedian, but is now a transformational speaker who hosts many retreats focusing on meditation. Kyle’s movie talks a lot about money and how as humans we focus mainly on the problems we have in our lives, instead of the possibilities we can create. We tend to get strung up in the problems associated with living. This month’s mortgage payment, the car payment, rent, etc. I get it, these are things that are never going to go away as long as we live, and they just a part of living. “That’s a part of life.” Kyle emphasizes in his movie how we’re always preparing for the future. Now, I’m not saying it’s a bad thing to prepare for the future, of course it is! But, I think sometimes we think about way too many things when they haven’t even happened yet. We prepare for college, then we prepare for getting a job that we enjoy, then we start thinking about retirement, and boom then there’s death right around the corner. But, what about now? Yes, right now. I’m sitting at home at my desk on my computer typing this article and all I can think of is how I can put my thoughts onto the screen.
I’ve struggled a lot with not being present in all areas of my life. I know we all do. My job, my relationships with women, my relationships with friends, my finances, etc. The list goes on and on. The next paycheck I get in two weeks from my job….. I can think of a million different things we all think about from our past and our future. We hear people say, “I’m so happy it’s almost the weekend, this week has just been terrible.” I’ve learned a long time ago to not surround myself with people that say this phrase. I’ve been around many people that, “live for the weekend” and I’ve realized that it’s just a terrible way to live with again putting too much emphasis on the future. It takes practice to learn to be present.
This is where meditation comes in, and has helped me tremendously in all areas of my life. I meditate every morning. Well, not all the time. But, during the week I meditate every day. Why? I’ve realized that having a set routine in the morning sets me up for productivity throughout the rest of the day and helps me be present.
- I wake up, I don’t look at my phone or answer any emails for the first thirty minutes of the day.
- Brush my teeth, get dressed, etc.
- I make my bed. I fucking hate making my bed, but what it does is that it gets me doing things quickly and just establishes a habit. If I don’t make my bed in the morning when I wake up I can’t start my day.
- I sit on my bed and meditate for about 5-7 minutes. I think of things that could happen throughout my day at work and how I would respond to them, etc. I take about 8-10 really deep breaths and exhale for 8 seconds. I close my eyes and envision what I want my future to be for the day as well as my future in general.
- I then stretch for a few minutes and do thirty pushups. Reason being is to just get my blood flowing and wake my body up.
- I then sit at my desk and write my gratitudes down. This is extremely important to me to constantly remind me of the things I am grateful for in my life and to reflect on them.
This brings me to about 30 minutes. This works for me. Some people I’ve talked to have a morning routine that’s less and some more. Whatever works for you, but having a morning routine in the morning will get your mind and body present especially when you wake up. Most of us wake up every morning and think about all the problems we have going on currently in our lives and are already in a victim mode as soon as we wake up, which is why I write my gratitudes down! I’ve realized over time after doing my morning routine consistently for about 2-3 months I became very aware and conscious of what I was doing throughout my day and in the current moment, like writing this article. My listening has gotten much better, which is something I am always working on to improve especially with working in sales.
I’ve learned that being present allows me to create possibility and opportunity in my life. When we live in the present we are conscious of what’s going on around us and thoughts flow consistently. Treat the present as a gift, because it truly is.