If you want to powerfully impact the future, you have to take actions that bring you closer to your future goal today.
My thoughts are constantly jumping around but I’ve learned to keep my mind focused so I can be more calm and productive.
1. Focus on your breath
Focusing on your breath brings your mind back to this present moment, because breathing is the one thing that’s always constant and can be felt.
You can use your breath as a tool to be present with your thoughts and not to be on mind trips into the past, regretting things or thinking about things in the future.
There are few things that we can change about the past and there are few things we can know for certain about the future so why waste your energy dwelling on these things?
2. Feel the ground under your feet
I have this thing that I do when I find myself panicking about everything in my life – I recount all the things I know to be true about myself.
I say: my name is Vangile Makwakwa, my sister is Honey Makwakwa and I love her.
I do that because it reminds me that I have people in the world that love me and that I love and even if everything is going wrong, they'll still love me.
This brings me back to the present moment and reminds me to feel the ground under my feet, the air on my skin and notice the sounds around me.
When you do that you immediately become present.
Your senses are the doorway to presence. Being present is being aware of the moment as it is, without adding or subtracting from your experience.
3. Have self-compassion
Being kind and accepting of ourselves helps us release the past and focus on the present so we can focus on the future.
When we judge ourselves, we become our worst enemies, which makes us want to run from ourselves and escape our thoughts. This is the exact opposite of being present.
When we stop judging ourselves or the experiences we're having, we free space in our minds - space to think differently and innovate.
Innovation is connected to a free spirit, embracing the adventure of creating, having the courage to fall off a cliff , climb back out again and go into unknown territory.
Self-compassion is the essence of being.
4. Learn how to forgive and let go of the past
When you hold onto the past, you live your life analysing your past mistakes and behaviours, which takes you away from the present moment.
Forgiving allows us to let go of the past and teaches us to accept human flaws and failure.
It’s easy to be pulled into stories about the past, but releasing these stories helps you see the big picture and understanding that life is a never ending process, not a destination with pit stops.
5. Meditate
I write way too much about meditation on this blog, but it works and has amazing benefits like reducing stress and calming the mind.
What tools do you use to calm and focus your mind?
Let me know in the comments section below.