I am infatuated with the future.  I can sit and think about ‘what if’ for hours.  Okay, maybe not hours, but I’m sure I have spent a tremendous amount of time thinking, dreaming, and planning for things I want to do.  That’s great, right?  Not exactly.   I’m so good at planning and thinking out logistics of the future, I get fuzzy focused on the current moment.  I end up feeling overwhelmed and unmotivated by the sheer volume of what I need to do.  It becomes challenging to be present and grasp the importance of right now.

I am going to try something a little different this year.  I am going to really focus on what I am doing right now and identify what I can do in this moment instead of idealizing what it ‘might’ be.  It’s not about what I can do tomorrow or at the end of the day.  This will keep me in the present and truly mindful about my actions and hopefully less stuck in my own head.  I need momentum more than anything and being in the NOW creates that structure.

So what does that look like? 

Right now, it looks like this blog.  I’ve been thinking about writing for weeks.  I could spend time reflecting on what keeps me from writing and the barriers that I create, but it’s more helpful for me to simply DO something right now.  Which is why I’m writing.  Is it my best work?  Nah, and that’s okay.  It’s not about me needing to write some masterpiece, at least not today.  It is only about me getting some words out on paper and sharing in a structured way. It’s about me getting back in a habit that I have lost for the past few months.  It’s about being something instead of idealizing about becoming something.

Give it a try

If you are feeling stuck even though you know what you need to do, give this strategy a try.  It’s a lot easier than waiting for external inspiration or motivation.  Figure out what you want to be, then check yourself.  Ask yourself, “What are you doing right now?”  Are you spending lots of time and energy thinking about stuff, worrying about stuff, or dreading stuff?  Take a moment and identify what you could do in this moment to shift that energy.  Maybe it’s a quick walk around the block, maybe it’s a 2 minute journal entry, or maybe it’s spending a moment focusing on your breath.  Whatever action you take, it’s important to pay attention to it and acknowledge that it’s intention is associated with your goal.  It doesn’t have to be big, in fact, it’s better if it’s not.  Spend more small moments focused on the right now and then you will have the big payoff.  When we focus on what we are doing right now we don’t get lost in the labyrinth of what we need to do tomorrow.