I’m not going to lie to you, the past few weeks have been extremely stressful. Without going into too much detail, I broke things off with one business partner on a venture we were working on together, then, out of nowhere, two of my other business partners on a separate project told me they didn’t have the time (nor financial resources) to continue with the project we were working on.
As you might imagine, my mind immediately went to the big F word: failure. How could I fail at making not one, but two, business work? Was it something I was doing, or a bunch of collective factors that led to this happening? Then, naturally, my mind shifted to what the future is going to hold. How will I make up the lost income, and will I be forced into a full-time gig to chase the almighty dollar and give up on the difficult task of starting your own business? My mind has been racing ever since, preventing myself from living in the present.
That last part is the most important thing I’ve written so far, because, living in the moment is about blocking own distractions, stress, worries and understanding how to live a happy life no matter the adversity thrown at you. And, since I’m going through a tough time now, forced to remind myself that all will be OK, it felt right to share some tips on how to live in the moment and stop worrying so much about what the short- and long-term future holds.
Literally tell yourself it’ll be fine
One of the things people have always told me is that I’m a positive person, which always feels good to hear. It’s a reminder that, even when things get tough, others tend to see me smiling, happy and understanding it always works out how it’s supposed to. Sure, internally, I may be a mess, but I try not to throw my problems on others’. That said, when I do let my mind get too far away from my “center,” I do one thing each and every morning — I tell myself to go have a kick-ass day. Yes, I literally roll out of bed and say that to myself in a mirror, and it works.
Surround yourself with encouraging people
Misery loves company, guys, so, guess what, when you’re feeling down, you’ll attract people who aren’t too happy with what’s going on in their lives either, adding stress to both of your lives. That doesn’t sound too healthy, does it? It shouldn’t — and it’s not — so you should understand that surrounding yourself with selfless people who are there for support and inspire you will help you live in the moment and not worry about all the stuff going on in your life.
Practice gratitude
It’s said that practicing gratitude is a major personality trait of successful people, so why wouldn’t you want to follow suit? It can be difficult to see the silver lining of a negative situation in your life, like a slashed salary, getting broken up with or something else, but remind yourself that it could always be worse. Even those people who live on the street and have serious mental health issues or addictions can find their way out of a bad situation by practicing gratitude, it’s just a matter of retraining your brain to do so. If you’re getting up each morning, you’ve got something to be grateful for, no matter how down in the dumps you might feel.
Forget past mistakes and accomplishments
It’s easy to stress out about the mistakes that have happened in your past, regretting how things may have gone and playing the whole “what if?” game. Just stop, because the past is the past, but the future is going to be so much better — as long as you embrace it and make it be. Likewise, too many people center their lives around past accomplishments, reminding themselves that they once did this, earned that and experienced a bunch of stuff in between. It’s easy to fall into that trap, but wouldn’t it be sweeter to appreciate those moments, learn from them and apply them to your present situation as a reminder that, yeah, you’re pretty great.
Minimize your life
One of the things I’ve had to do is minimize my life. Whether that be budgeting, focusing on the tasks I need to do each day/week and/or interacting with the people I actually want to, it’s a necessary evil when trying to live in the moment. Remember, whatever’s going on in your life right now that’s causing stress or making you worry won’t last forever, so take this time to recalibrate your mind, practice some new techniques and find the simple things in life that make you happy. Hell, for me, it’s as simple as going for a walk or play video games, which sounds weird, but it’s a healthy distraction to pass time.