This past weekend as I was headed down to the beach with a friend I had a MAJOR ah-ha moment. As we were catching up on business talk, and of course our love life stories, it hit me, I was totally future tripping about my business and a boy! If you do not know what future tripping is the definition is to worry/be consumed/freak-out about the future instead of enjoying the present. As I was “catching up” my friend on what had been going on with me I started to speak out loud all of the thoughts and stories that I had been thinking for the past week and bam it hit me (this was my ah-ha moment) I was totally consumed by my thoughts and stories that I had created in my head ~ I was clearly future tripping. While my friend appreciated my updating her on my life she totally called me out on my future tripping which is one of the many reasons why I love her! While it is totally easy and comfortable to get stuck in our own stories and future trip about certain outcomes that we would like to see in our business, finances or relationships; future tripping can drain your energy, consume your thoughts, fog your awareness and could lead to a decrease in your daily productivity level.
We are all guilty of future tripping in one area of our life whether it be in relationships, business or finances; however if we can learn to reduce the future tripping and increase living in the present moment it has many benefits like increasing your energy, productivity, and overall happiness!
Here are the top 5 tips to staying in the present moment and avoiding going down future tripping lane:
1. First, I want you to stop whatever you are doing right now and take a breath and I mean really stop and take a breath! Take a moment, close your eyes, stop and breathe. Many of us are going, going, going throughout the day that we do not take enough time to just stop and breathe. I want you to know that you are exactly where you are suppose to be so enjoy this moment! Try honoring yourself throughout the day by stopping every so often to take a breather break.
2. Secondly, I want you to listen and experience everything that is going on around you. Take a moment to close your eyes and just listen and become aware of every single sound around you. If you cannot close your eyes at the moment, I want you to really notice every little thing that you are doing currently, look at your surroundings and even notice any smells. When you really start to notice what you are doing, even if it is washing the dishes, all of your focus is in the present moment and not focused on any past or future thoughts.
3. Next, I want you to simply notice your thoughts. What are you currently thinking? Do not put judgment on any of your thoughts; just simply notice what you are thinking. By just simply noticing the thoughts and not putting judgments on them your mind chatter will slowly decrease; and the less mind chatter you have the more living in the moment you will experience.
4. The fourth thing I want you to do is when you do begin to start feeling the fear of what may happen in the future and what has happened in the past I want you to stop and let go of those thoughts. This might be hard at first so to help you I want you to ask yourself the follow 2 questions, “are my needs being met right now” and “what in my life can I be totally grateful for?” These questions will help you to refocus and shift any negative thoughts or future tripping that might start to pop up.
5. Finally, I want you to pick an affirmation that you will say silently or out loud throughout the day to yourself like, “I am exactly where I am suppose to be in this moment”, “this moment is perfect,” or any affirmation that will help you realize that in this moment this is exactly where you are suppose to be and that the Universe is supporting you in every way that is for your greatest and highest good.
While living in the present moment can sometimes be challenging once you practice and put these 5 tips into action you will create a new habit for yourself. Your thoughts, your life, and your energy will dramatically take a turn for the better!!