The present is ever fleeting. Since what is done can’t be changed we need to always think about the next moment. How do we do better going forward, how do we be better going forward? So many times we are thinking about the right here right now. There is not much we can do about the present moment, it quickly comes and goes. Thinking about further down the road is more beneficial than trying to think right here right now. So many of us want results right now, want to be big and strong or small and strong or skinny and “fit” right now. Wanting these things without having put a lot of thought into what any of it really means and having no thought as to what that would mean for the future you. Since we can’t become physically strong in a moments notice, nor can we lose fat or become “fit” in a second, we need to plan for what we want in the future and start to take the proper steps needed to end up at that destination one day.
Whatever our current state is, it is all our doing. We must own up and take responsibility for whatever our current state is if we wish to ever change anything, whether we are happy about ourselves, frustrated, or content. Usually we have not taken the time to think about what our actual goals are and where we see ourselves, who we see ourselves with, what we will be like personality wise, physically, what problems may arise, what patterns keep showing up, and what we need to do to see these things come true, etc. Many of us run in essentially a zombie state and when we stop to think, we are somehow somewhere not really sure how we got there. Going forward we can choose to pick up certain practices to be more conscious of our daily tasks, interactions, behaviors, and moods. That way, when we wake up in the future, we know how we got there.
Creating a to do list can be very helpful for all of us especially in today's world filled with distractions. Creating a to do list makes it so we aren’t just moseying around doing a little bit of this and that. It keeps us regimented, it keeps us doing things that have a purpose. A to do list means you had to plan ahead and decide what order you need to get things done in. Often when we allow ourselves to do whatever we feel like doing we end up killing many minutes watching pointless videos or reading new articles about anything just because they're new. A to do list helps to outline how much we need to get done in a day and breaks it down to say when we will do what. An example of a to do list looks like this:
August 9th
5:00 Wake Up! Get ready for work
5:30 Make breakfast
7:00-10:00 Work
10:00-11:00 Write blogpost
11:00-12:00 Work on Regis’ program
12:00-12:30 Eat lunch (Chicken, rice, spinach, and avocado)
1:00-1:45 Nap
2:00-3:00 Strength Train
4:00-8:00 Work
You get the idea. You want to plan all of the things you have to do or else the things you don’t need to do will find a way to suck up as much of your time as possible aka procrastination.
Another great option to help us be more conscious of our daily life would be to journal. Journaling is a great way to think about the day and to further create some long term memories. At the end of the day, you can spend anywhere from a minute to 5 minutes writing down any detail you can think of. From what you ate, to who you saw, what you did, how you felt, certain thoughts that may have plagued you all day etc. Writing down what you did can help your brain convert the information from short term to long term memory which will help you remember down the road how you arrived at your current location. One journaling trick that I have used in the past during some trying times was to write down the highlight of my day. This allowed me to start to appreciate more the smaller things in life or the things that you can’t put a number value on such as relationships. It also made every day a better day no matter how crappy it might have been.
This brings me to the next great option to enhance consciousness, meditation. Meditation has had a profound impact on my life. I do not practice every day but initially, I did and I feel it has had a huge carryover into the rest of my life ever since. Meditating allows you to be very present in the moment, becoming aware of your thoughts, mood, physical state, any tension, etc. These practices have allowed me to discover details in my daily life that normally went unnoticed such as acute allergic reactions to certain foods and how my mood differed on days I exercised and days I did not. It also allowed me to be more cognitive of my shoulders shrugging up towards my ears which is very common, especially for those who have to sit and work at a computer all day. The breathing and centering practice that comes along with meditation also allows me to stay calm in situations that would usually rile me up, as well as better enjoy every moment that I am in which helps me remember situations better. I have always been impressed by people who can remember situations and story-tell and this must be how they do it.
Our goal is to break free from being a zombie. In order to do so, we must take back control of our mind. Work to have a better understanding of how we work and why we do what we do, like what we like, and think about what we think about. Then we can start to feel the true Power of Strength.