It was my birthday this week, another year has just flown by with the blink of an eye. When the iPhoto notification on my iPhone popped up a picture of May 7 2018, I remembered that evening like it was yesterday.
The last year has been incredibly eventful and full of adventure and excitement, not to mention the challenges and big decisions that had to be made too. It got me thinking how everything is moving so fast, and how I am constantly thinking about what’s next. As a result, I do at times, feel stressed, overwhelmed and kind of anxious. These days it can be difficult to be truly present. The gift I am re-giving myself this year is the gift of staying present.
Being able to live in the moment is one of the keys to living a truly joyful life. When I left my corporate job last year to work for myself, remembering to take things one day at a time helped me centre into the fact that I didn’t have to constantly stress about how I was going to handle marketing and strategy for my new line of work, or about the huge amount of work that goes into planning workshops that I give.
I loved that time. There was peace during that time because I was able to stay mindful during the day, focusing on every small, individual actions right down to my meal preparation. I was staying in the right now and it was a beautiful feeling. When life starting getting busy and going to plan, we forget to take it one day at a time. After a while of living in the day and being present, I realised that things were going ok. I got busy with clients and workshops and then ‘one day at a time’ suddenly went right out the window! Instead of staying in the here and now, my mind starting racing ahead to the future. I was living a month at a time, a year at a time or a project at a time and worrying about the outcomes. I am sure you can relate to this feeling. We move so fast or get so caught up in our plans and goals that it becomes impossible to be mindful about our day, much less the moment. Sometimes it seems like the only way we slow down is when tragedy strikes or we reach an all-time low. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Living in the moment can be a way of life. Taking things one day at a time doesn’t have to be reserved for when we’re facing a problem or tragedy or dealing with grief. We can make ‘One day at a time’ our mantra for life. Life is not about accumulating all the yesterdays and stressing about all the tomorrows, our presence is our power.
* The author is a consultant and coach. Instagram handle: @miss_shefa, Website: missshefa.com
Shefa Ali
