When I give talks on happiness a lot of people are interested in how I have achieved living in the moment. It took me six months of constant practice, but eventually I was living in the moment. When I realized I was living in the moment 100% of the time, I felt an enormous lift of stress come off my shoulders. Below I outlined some practical tips on how to train yourself to live in the moment.
1) If you notice yourself thinking about something in the future, like a decision you have to make, directions you have to find, a phone call you have to make, etc., then schedule a time 10 minutes before you absolutely must make that decision. This way, you know you will address the issue, you know when you will address the issue, and it does not permeate every moment of your life until then.
2) Also, if you notice yourself preoccupied with something in the past or future that is not an "action item" like #1, then reel back your thinking like a fishing rod so you can be back in the moment.
3) If you are bored in the moment or don’t like being in that moment for whatever reason... then you use all of your senses to get every possible morsel of experience, thinking, or learning, whatever that moment has to offer.
Remember it takes time, persistence, and patience to actually achieve living in the moment. When it happens, it is worth it and you will never go back to not living in the moment!
