Ways to Focus on the Present

One way to increase happiness in your life, and therefore maintain passion, is to stay in the present. When things are stressful, this is challenging. Most of the time we are worried about the past or the future and not really paying attention to what is happening right now. So we miss life as it is happening. It’s tough to live passionately in that place.

I’m not saying it’s always easy to live this way. It takes practice to train your mind to live in the present. It’s something I’ve worked to achieve all of my life. It is easier now than when I started, but it still takes a concerted effort. As you learn how to redirect your thoughts and focus on the present, it’s important not to be hard on yourself. Just keep working. When you get off, when you’re mind wanders, just gently steer yourself back.

Yoga is one way that I practice keeping my focus. I do yoga several times a week. Yoga is way underrated in this country. It’s a great tool and you don’t need to go to a gym, or class to do yoga. I practice at home with the Yoga Journal’s “YOGA for Beginners” with Patricia Walden. Keep practicing and you’ll get better too.

What methods of focusing on the present have worked well for you?