In our current world, it feels as if we are living on borrowed time. It seems that the world is in a frenzy and the only thing we can do is watch helplessly. Though that may seem to be the case, it is not the defining factor in our life. What should matter the most to you is right now. If you can start making the changes needed for your life to transform, you will notice your world alter. In this week’s blog, I will be talking about how to live in the moment.

Living in the moment is to be fully aware of what is going on around you. I like to think of these moments as an opportunity to help embellish my life. Doing this reminds me that I am in charge of what I put out, not the universe. You do not have to abide by what the world has in store for you; you determine what is in store for your life. You are the creator in charge of your destiny. The world will spin with or without you, so you mind as well act in your best interest right now. To do that, you have to seize every moment and utilize it for your betterment.

I have spent many years learning how to live in the moment of now. I have learned how not to let emotions take control of me and operate under logic and reason. This is because what I feel and what is real will be different—knowing that I allowed each moment to determine the appropriate action/feeling needed. Whether that be happiness or sadness is irrelevant because I understand that my feelings have a purpose. We know that we cannot be tied down to the past or the future. We must remain in the present and stay aware of what is going on around us right now.

Living in the now is the same as living in the moment. If you hear me talk about either, I am talking about the same thing. I was introduced to the concept of living in the moment in 2008. I learned about this type of focus, and I knew I wanted to implement this in my life. However, I had to unlearn how I was living and replace it with this new method. That process took me over three years to implement and perfect in my life. To this day, it is something that needs constant maintenance. Making that change has significantly impacted my life for the better.

The power of living in the moment does many things that can be advantageous for one’s growth. The first is it will make you more positive. Being in a more positive mood will boost your morale, confidence, energy levels, and relationships, to name a few. Allowing yourself to be in the moment and appreciate what is going on will help you make the moves needed for growth. Your mind will begin to shift from what it cannot do to what it can do. This is not to say that every moment will be positive, but if you can see the positives at any moment, you can find solutions to any problem.

The second thing living in the moment does is that it invokes massive action. One of the reasons many people don’t achieve greatness is that they do not take action. Many of my new clients think they are doing all they can right now. However, they find out after working with me that they have been going easy on themselves. I demand every ounce of energy and every drop of effort from the people I work with to make substantial progress. I know they do not want to do some of the things I tell them to do, but in the end, they are happy I pushed them after the fact. Remember, you are the person who chooses an easy life now and a difficult one later or a challenging life now and an easy one later.

The last area I will talk about is the ability to self-assess. In my first T-U-S series, I wrote about how to coach yourself through any situation and in general life. Doing this does not take away the need to have a Personal Life Coach, but it is a great guide to start you in the right direction while you deal with life. This area covers many facets of a moment and can be the most difficult to navigate if doing it alone. I would have shaved off a year or more of learning if I had a coach like me. It takes people longer to do things if they do not have a strong enough motivating factor. When I started to see that the years were adding up and my body was not how it was in its teens, I knew time was moving without my consent.

Our minds need to be corralled in the right direction most of the time. For example, if you are thinking about what you want for dinner, give yourself multiple healthy choices (vegetables, salad, water, etc.). That is why making sure there is no junk food in the house while on a diet is important. You will have to go through more hoops to eat unhealthy if you choose to do so. Our minds love instant gratification. If we are craving a particular type of food, our minds will keep thinking about it until we give in or forget about it. Yes, our minds love to wander, and if you can be strong enough to let your mind wander away from bad habits, the better. However, the best way to deal with our minds losing focus is to make sure it always has something to focus on.

The way I do that is by creating a schedule. By building a plan, my mind understands what it should apply its focus toward at a specified time. By doing that, you increase your odds of growth. Even if you are not victorious every day, you make sure you win more days than you lose. I make sure that in the moments where I feel good and present that I am giving maximum effort. These focused moments are precious and should not be squandered. You should get to the point where you ask yourself if you are doing the right thing. For example, if you are on your phone when you should be reading a book or eating ice cream when you should be eating a salad. Whatever it is, if you can consciously be aware of what you are doing, you can be mindful of the moment you are in.

In all, the power of the moment can be used to help propel you to your best life yet. Living consistently and being in the moment will allow you to win more and live a more wholesome life. It took me years to get to the point where I could jump into a given moment and live it fully. That may take you some time and practice to be able to be in the now. Even though now I can experience every moment doesn’t mean I opt to. Sometimes I choose to take a break from working to recoup and prevent burnout. However, the power of moments has helped keep me leveled and focused. Those points alone were worth the years it took to implement and apply to my life. Once you start to see your time as moments, you will squeeze the best parts out of life yet.

Until then,

Michael Rearden

Founder of Reven LLC.