Keeping our minds in the present is undeniably important.  But how do we do it? 

Some people do this naturally and some people, such as myself, are more “in their head”.  When it comes right down to it, I believe that keeping my thoughts on the past or future but avoiding the present is somewhat of a fear-based maneuver. 

Typically, my thoughts of the past are about trying to analyze what I did or said in certain situations, how people reacted to me, and what they might have thought of me.  My thoughts of the future (which are much more prevalent) typically focus on what events are planned and the circumstances surrounding them, how I can make them unfold easier, how I can improve situations that I might find myself in, etc.  It’s all very control-freakish. 

I think a part of me believes that if I can control the situations around me, then I will never have to feel in a way that I don’t want to feel.  My instincts are to go to great lengths to try and keep myself from feeling anything bad.  Therefore, I am rarely in the present, and it shows.

During my years in N.A. I heard some sayings that really apply to this:

If you’ve got one foot in yesterday and one foot in tomorrow, then you’re pissing all over today.   (That one makes me giggle.)

Yesterday is history and tomorrow is a mystery.  Today is a gift.  That’s why it’s called the present.

And here is the SparkPeople explanation of the quote, good as always:

Do you worry about what is going to happen in the future, or have sad regrets about the past? Take today to just concentrate on the present. It’s great to learn from the past and to plan for the future, but what is happening right now is what really matters. The past has come and gone and the future holds no guarantees. Today is the most important day. So begin each day with a plan. What do you want to accomplish today? Workout? Eat healthy? Play with your kids? Daily, small goals will help you in the long run achieve your dreams. Concentrate on the “now”.

I’ve heard lots of suggestions for staying in the present and most of them involve meditation in one form or another.  The art of quieting the mind and being still.  Being at peace with the world around us.  And just being.

Doesn’t that sound nice?

So, that is something I will be working on.  I read this FABULOUS post from zen habits the other day about the Japanese philosophy called Kaizen.  The philosophy is about making a big change seem small by breaking it up into a series of very small changes.  Sounds interesting, yes?  If you are like me, a nice example of an everyday situation this can be applied will really help break it down. The example used in the post is the following:

Let’s see how this would work in our daily life. Let’s imagine that you want to get up an hour earlier each morning in order to be more productive.

Strategy No. 1: You grit your teeth, set your clock an hour earlier, and struggle out of bed. This might work for a few days, or for longer if you’re disciplined. But chances are that you’ll be back in your old groove as soon as you begin to feel tired and stressed.

Strategy No. 2: You use the Kaizen method and get up one minute earlier each day. Two months later you would be getting out of bed one hour earlier – without even noticing the change!

You can see by this example what a powerful strategy for change Kaizen is.

Can you imagine literally tricking ourselves into that kind of change? Amazing. I was discussing this principle with a friend and we both decided to implement this technique in an attempt to save money more effectively and yet, relatively painlessly.

But I digress. Let’s bring this discussion back to the present! This Kaizen idea is what I am going to use to begin meditating. Can I keep my mind quiet for one minute? I honestly don’t know. But I know it takes practice and one minute sounds like a good place to start.

The other cool thing about the whole Kaizen thing is that it really falls in line with the moderation I am trying to live by. Small changes being made for real change rather than big splashes of change that can eventually lead to failure (perhaps another type of self-sabotage in and of itself!).

So tell me, how do you stay in the present? Is this something you have worked on before? Do you have any tips for me? What do you think of Kaizen and can you think of any ways to apply it to your life? Or are you like me and searching to learn? What do you think of meditation? As always, I love your thoughts and ideas!!