Image Source: Unsplash.com by Carlie Jean

Several weeks ago I took a day to myself. No internet, phone or connection to the outside world for 8 hours, and it was great. During this time, I thought about where I want my life to go in the future. I worked through creating a life plan to allow me to refocus my energies towards what I want to be doing, rather than what I feel that I have to be doing.

One of the things I thought about was a FaceBook post which was speaking of a high-level horse trainer. The writer expressed when she was in the arena with this trainer he was completely focused on her and her horse. When he answered a question from the audience, he was focused on that person. She talked about the feeling of being in the presence of someone who is completely present in each step of their life. She expressed the sense of knowing he was focused on her and only her during that time.

Completely present. What does this even mean for my life? I am not able to write this blog post without thinking about what I need to do in a few hours, how I need to work with my client in 30 minutes, what I need to do next with the business, how the house needs to be cleaned. The list goes on of what I need to be doing rather than what I am doing. Completely present.

Mindfulness is a current buzz word. Mindful living, mindful eating, mindful mindfulness. But, what does it mean to be mindful? In my life, this means slowing down and tasting the food I eat. It means being present in each conversation I have and not allowing my mind to wonder. It means organizing my days to allow for downtime. It means taking control of my life.

This is all easier said than done. I often catch myself looking at my to-do list and going over the day’s work in my mind. I often find I am eating for the sake of “it’s time” rather than enjoying my food. So my first step to being mindful is to stop my mind when I am in conversation with someone, put my phone and planner down, look at them and be present. I know it will take a while before I am completely there, but one step at a time will make a journey.