Ever heard the saying stop and smell the roses? This means to be aware and present at the moment now. To be aware of what’s happening around you. Living in the moment can be tough in today’s day and age.

The distractions are endless day today. Whether it’s the ringing of your phone, constant notifications or noise from others around you. Living in the moment sounds easy but is actually difficult.

Learning how to live in the moment takes practice, patience, and perseverance.

The benefits of being present are many, such as; living and acting in the only time you that matters - now, controlling your emotions while not letting them get the best of you, having a sense of gratitude and being thankful for what you have in life.

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Day and Age of Distractions

Distractions are all around you every second of the day. These distractions are preventing you from living in the moment and sucking your time away from beneath you.

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Most people don’t even know when they’re distracted or not - because they’re not present in the moment!

When your focus is lacking, it can result in less efficiency, productivity, organization, presence, and fulfillment.

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Devices

Your devices are often a large source of causing distractions. These can range from a phone, tablet, computer, or gaming console. The biggest one of them all is your cell phone.

The device that lives with you 24/7 and travels to every inch of the earth strapped to your hip. This device vibrates, makes noise, and is constantly trying to steal your attention while you’re doing other tasks.

While your phone is an amazing device nowadays (more like a mini-computer rather than a phone) it is one of the main causes of distractions leading to pulling you out of the moment and into cyberspace.

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Limiting Device Distractions

If you want to limit these device distractions you can limit the amount of time you use them and at what times you use them.

Email is a well-known time-waster on your phone. Busy people often sort through tons of emails per day, costing them hours of lost time and distractions. A great way to overcome this bad habit of attending to each and every email that comes in you can set 2 times a day to respond to emails.

Let’s say you allow yourself to check, respond, and delete emails at 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. every day for 15 minutes. This sets clear boundaries as to when you can check your emails leading to more focus and presence throughout the rest of your day.

You can use this same tactic to any other app or program you want to limit yourself from each day. This could be social media, games, YouTube, or random internet distractions.

If you find yourself sucked into these spaces for hours on end, set some boundaries and stick to them the best you can.

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Become One With The Mind

Training your mind is as important to train your body. Your mind is your secret weapon to life. And this weapon loves to work against you and doubt you from time to time. If you’re able to train the mind you can limit these times of doubt and shift them to believing and rooting for yourself instead.

If you notice you become distracted and need to become present again count 4 full breaths. That means 4 slow inhales and 4 slow exhales for a total count of 8. This will help you to return to the moment and become more centred at that time.

This is a similar technique to meditation. When one focuses on the breath and is present in the moment. Mediation has helped me to improve living in the moment more than anything else combined.

We live in a busy world, filled with unlimited distractions. Trust me when I say this, you owe yourself 10 minutes of peace and quiet a day. To be by yourself and silent. Many people spend weeks, months, and years in busy and loud environments.

This silence and calmness will help you to train your mind and become mindful throughout your days. I recommend trying Headspace. They offer a free trial as well as amazing paid plans. This has been one of my go-to apps for several years now.

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Stop and Smell the Roses

The next time you're out and about, or even at home trying to get some important work done, stop and look around and notice the environment and things around you. Be thankful for where you are and your life.

If you can get in the habit of doing this throughout your days you will be training your mind to be more present leading to more joy and happiness.

There’s usually a brighter side to the situation and an important lesson to take away even in a bleak situation. Look for the positive and be present now - the only time you have.

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Chris M Wilson