When I was younger I always wanted to be a “grown up.”  The birthday countdowns were huge, I couldn’t wait for Christmas Day, and I just wanted to be able to hit that next mile marker whether it be to drive a car, go to college, get a job, or have babies.   I was always looking forward to the “next thing.”  While that Type A, overachiever personality has certainly served me well, it’s also come with some substantial downfalls and the older I get the more I realize that the only thing that matters is what’s right in front of me.

The present moment is the absolute best place to live your life.  It’s where worries and stress disappear.  It’s a place where we can put down our technology and truly engage with the people across from us.  It’s the “6 inches in front of our face.” When we are in the moment we are able to share ourselves 100% to the people around us and create meaningful and positive connection. The present moment is the present.

The world is constantly trying to pull us away from the present and below are 5 ways to come back to the most important thing there is: the present moment.

• Take 10 deep breaths.  Use each inhale to pull in the light and energy you want in your life and use each exhale to let go of what’s not serving you.

• Look people in the eye.  You can’t look someone directly in the eyes and write your Instagram post.  Ok, maybe some of you are that talented, but I promise you that neither will be as good if you multi-task. Eye contact brings you not just into the moment, but into presence of the person you are spending time with.

• Practice Gratitude.  Practicing gratitude reminds us of what truly matters and allows us to appreciate the gift of the here and now.

• Reflect.  Think about the experience or memory that you want to create with each situation you enter.  Be intentional about each moment of your day and bring in the energy you want rather than just letting things happen to you.

• Journal.  Journaling allows you to get all those wild (and brilliant!) ideas out of your head so that your mind  can be clear to focus on the present moment and not running through a million to do lists in your head.

We are capable of so much more than we give ourselves credit for.  Our time in this world is fleeting and we can’t sit here and wish the days away.  Our time in this world is sacred and the best gift we can give to ourselves our loved ones is the gift of our presence in the present.