Our thoughts are so often in the past or future. Focusing on the present makes us happier and more fulfilled. Here’s how to learn from the past and plan for the future, while living in the present moment.

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On Today’s Episode

Rhythm of Life – Raindrops on Roses Beats the Blues
Tune-up Tip – The Perfect Exercise for Multi-taskers
Random Riffs – Do trees HAVE to be green?
Feature Segment – 6 Simple Techniques for Living in the Moment

Rhythm of Life – Raindrops on Roses Beats the Blues

In Episode 20 we talked about tips for making attitude adjustments.  In this episode, we take it a step further, providing tips that will help you pay attention to emotions or thoughts that may hold you back.

Email me at Kathleen@kathleenannthompson.com or leave a comment on blog to let the group know how you make out, or to share successful ways you’ve given yourself a boost.

Tune-up Tip – The Perfect Exercise for Multi-Taskers

I’ve been searching for the right exercises to boost aerobic capacity.  I found some interesting facts from Dr. Mercola, a former marathon runner, about peak fitness routines.   A full description of this exercise routine and its benefits are at Mercola.com.

The beauty of his routine is that it’s simple to follow, can be done anywhere, and only takes 20 minutes.  And the benefits to your health include:

1. Reduces body fat; promotes production of human growth hormone, which supports strength training and other exercises.
2. Reduces cell aging.
3. Benefits your metabolic systems as you engage all three types of muscle fibers: slow, fast, and super-fast.

And for those multi-taskers like me, I make the most of every second by doing something else during the 90 seconds of rest walking, like emptying the trash or putting the laundry away.

It’s an effective and achievable exercise routine that will leave you looking and feeling younger too.

Random Riffs – Do trees have to be green?

As kids, we aren’t yet constricted by rules in our play. Our creativity allows for the creation of our own rules.  A tree can be purple. Grass can be blue.  Anything goes.

As adults, we often lose our sense of exploration and adventure.  We fall into patterns and lose our ability to think creatively.  We become rigid.  Things have to be a certain way.  The grass is green and that’s the only way we’re willing to see it.

How do you break free of the “green grass” mindset, and what would happen if you did?

Feature Segment – Living in the Moment

In Episode 16, we learned the top 5 regrets those who were dying shared.  One common theme of anyone looking at their life in retrospect is time wasted that we can never get back because we were not living in the moment.

In this hyper-connected, always-on, multi-tasking culture, it’s hard to keep ourselves centered in the moment with so much competition for our attention, and often inside our own heads.  We struggle with allowing ourselves to be in the moment.  It seems easier to live in the past or the future. But it’s important to continue striving to do so because….

Those who live in the moment are happier and more fulfilled.

It’s not easy, and most of us do not do it well.  For many of us, it may be because we are dragging past difficulties into the present, or seeing the present with a negative filter.  Our memories are stored with emotions attached which can sometimes cloud how we experience our present.  Our jobs and day-to-day lives may require the need for preparation of future events, thoughts which conflict with our living in the moment.  We’re always preparing for something in the future while today passes us by.  Or we’re looking at the past to predict the future.

I’m not saying learning from the past and working toward a better future is not a good thing, but it shouldn’t be the only thing or the dominating thing.  You can still really only live in the present moment. Time spent living in the past or future is moments wasted.

There are strategies we can practice to get better at this:

1. Be a journalist – observe and comment
2. Listen with attentiveness – be fully engaged with another person
3. Meditate – learn to crowd out those pesky past and future thoughts
4. Notice distractions – be aware when your mind wanders and bring it back to the present
5. Express gratitude – write three good things you experience each day
6. Sing and move – activity brings the present into focus. Create a personal playlist.

Do you want to be happier, more focused, creative, and successful?
Practice living in the moment and you’ll see the difference it will make in your life.  It will no longer be on your list of life regrets.

I have created a free resource to help you more fully engage with your surroundings and the people who are important to you.  Click the button below for instant access to the worksheet.
Click Here for the Giveaway

Let me know how it’s going by sending me a note at Kathleen@kathleenannthompson.com, or share with the group some of your personal tips for staying focused and living in the moment.

Additional resources to better help you understand the importance of living in the moment:

Brother Lawrence – Practicing the Presence of God in the 1600s
Matt Killingsworth – mind wandering experiment
Alice Boyles –Meditation for Beginners
Hendrie Weisinger and J.P. Pawliw-Fry – Performing Under Pressure