A famous quote by Buddha says, “the secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.” This is exactly what we should be doing, living in the present and living each and every moment with our knowledge and living them sincerely and with conviction. Well, obviously this is much easier said than done, but we must all try. How? I believe it’s all about focus. I feel that the time I take to analyse the past, worry about the future and dwell on issues that takes a lot of my energy. Not only energy, but the low energy reduces the positivity I feel and then I get stuck in a downward spiral of thoughts on top of thoughts on top of more thoughts. Does that happen to you? Regardless of how you answered, I challenge myself and you to try focusing on the present from now on. For me, this means that I will try to be mindful and aware of my thoughts and direct them back to the present if they go off track. Continuously and consistently making yourself aware is already the hard part, now we just have to push ourselves to get our focus on point and use our time and energy to live in the present and live life with conviction. This takes me back to one of my favourite sayings while I was growing up, ‘carpe diem,’ seize the day. We all must learn to take advantage of each and every moment, each and every day.
A nice trick to take advantage of everyday is through a ‘focus list.’ A focus list is what I call a task list but that contains everything. I love keeping track of what I need to get done. I used to think I could work it all out in my mind but putting it down on actual paper rather than memorising or putting it in a note in my phone was more successful. My list always contains a mini mind map but instead of bubbles, with bullet points that prioritise what I need to keep in mind and what I need to get done, and in turn, I keep myself accountable each and every day. I have this list on my kitchen counter so I am constantly reminded of the tasks, projects, habits I am trying to change or even notes. Have you heard of people saying affirmations in the morning where they tell themselves things they need to hear; I haven’t learned to do that yet, but I feel that by showing myself what I need to hear works wonders. So this is my strategy, I need to get my mind off my worries, regrets and negative emotions through focusing on things that actually matter and realising the award thereafter. This strategy might not work for you, but you have to find a way to be able to direct and re-direct yourself back to the present and what matters in that day. Again, we are all being quarantined at home for most of the day so maybe we need these constant reminders to refocus on the present and to make the best of now. Think about your personality and your wants and needs, figure out your strategy on how to re-focus and re-direct yourself to get things done and get your mind on the right track. Remember, live each and every moment.
*The author is a wellness advocate and influencer @keys2balance.
