Don't Zone Out! Find Focus With A Theme

 

Where did the time go?!? When we are busy in our day-to-day lives, it sometimes seems that whole seasons pass by in a blink of an eye. And the goals we set ourselves…well, they can easily slip by in that blur too.

You want to WAKE UP. You want to get control of your time and meet your goals. But how do you do this when life is seemingly passing you by at an ever-increasing pace?

In coaching, you may hear about your life being ‘in process’. What that means is that our lives are constantly flowing forward over and around the highs and lows of our everyday experiences, similar to a river flowing to its destination. As humans, we often try to minimise these ups and downs. We plan for the future, we dwell on the past, and as a result we tend to avoid experiencing the emotion of the present moment. As a result, we dampen our presence and ‘aliveness’ of being in the moment, and sort of ‘zone out’ as our focus is either somewhere in the past or in the future. When we do this, it’s hardly any wonder that we suddenly “wake up” only to realise that minutes, days, weeks or even years, have passed us by!

Have you ever had the experience of driving a car only to find yourself suddenly at your destination and not remembering the journey to get there? You’ve been driving on auto-pilot and not being present in the moment!

But what does it really mean to be present in your day-to-day life?

It’s quite challenging to focus all your attention on this moment and stop your mind from wandering. Try it: As you’re reading these words, slow down. Experience the action of reading one word at a time. What sounds do you hear in the room around you? How comfortable are you in your surroundings? How are you breathing? Recognise that you’re alive, right now, in this moment. How was that for you?

Here's another experiment for you to try to help you getting used to living in the moment. It may seem strange or a bit funny, but give it a try, it might give you a whole new way to be present and in the moment!

As you go through your day, ask yourself: Where’s my butt? On a chair? Against a wall? Walking past a shop on the main street? As crazy as it may sound; it’s very difficult for you not to be present when you're trying to figure out where your behind is!

OK, so now that you’ve tried butt-awareness and you’ve probably heard all kinds of other advice for becoming present in the moment, such as focussed breathing, mindfulness, meditation, and so on, it’s time for us to broaden the concept. How can you stay present and focused for a project or goal in your life? To help us do this, we’re going to ‘select a theme’.

Here’s how it works: As an example, say your theme for your business this year is “fun and inspired action", this theme serves as a filter. Each month, you review your business goals through the lens of your theme and prioritise those that will be the most fun and give you and your clients the most inspiration. Brainstorming projects to undertake, you look for those that best match your theme. Your theme gives you a sense of exploration when choosing new opportunities. You’ll start to find that as you focus your goals through your theme, you’ll soon start attracting opportunities that you never would have imagined.

Once you’ve set your theme for your goal, keep asking yourself “how does what I’m doing, or planning to do, fit in with my theme?”

So, what is your theme?

It’s time for you to wake up, live in the moment and race towards your dreams and goals!