As you may recall, 'your story' is something stuck in your mind that has little to do with today's reality. For example: looking at your 30-year-old business executive son and still seeing him as your ten-year-old. If you are, instead, in-the-moment with the impressive young man he's become, your interaction are more rewarding.

Many Ah-Ha moments were shared by readers, like the COO who stopped taking his family for granted that day (his 'story' was that he was the only one in the family with pressures.) Peter instead looked more compassionately into his wife and children's eyes and started asking more questions. The result is increased spontaneity, laughter, and intimacy. Peter's choice to be in-the-moment benefited his entire family.

At your request, below are the top five techniques that help my clients stay in-the-moment when the world around them is moving too fast and they are deluged with stories about pressure, stress and 'no way out:'

1. Breathe: simply breathe. Get your blood and oxygen flow back up to your brain. To maintain a clear focus, keep your internal circulation alive. This step is so simple that it's easily overlooked. Don't make things more difficult. Just breathe.
2. Reality Check: Ask yourself "what is true" right here and now. Is it really necessary to focus on all items on your to-do list right now, or more beneficial to satisfy one, then the next? Is it necessary to cover all factors you wish to discuss with the person in front of you or more beneficial to take time before your interaction to select the most important one or two, thus making the best use of your time together?
3. Physical Shift: Are you in a meeting with your mind wandering? Is your impatience making focus impossible? You have options. Stand up, grab some water, stretch. Having an over-scheduled day? Walk to your next meeting, take the stairs, get out in the sunshine, talk to a new person, smile, and absorb their smile. Shake something physically loose, and your mental and emotional state will follow.
4. Write it down: If you cannot dismiss distracting thoughts from your mind, write them down. Your mind can process 100 thoughts per second. Writing slows your mental process down long enough to make more sense. My experience is that while nagging thoughts may make perfect sense in my mind, they typically make no sense on paper. Getting these thoughts out of my mind and on paper frees my mind to be more creative and gain new perspectives in this moment.
5. Eliminate Pressure: I often hear clients in a panic "I just can't stop my mind from moving forward. Will I ever be able to experience the benefits of living in the moment?" Worrying about being 'in the moment' is like trying to hold water in your hand by squeezing it. What happens? The tighter you squeeze the more it eludes you. However, if you gently cup water in your hand it will stay there indefinitely. Be equally gentle with yourself. If you notice yourself drifting to thoughts that are not productive in this moment, simply acknowledge the distraction, breathe and come back to present.

All of these techniques take time to develop. Only you can judge if it is time well spent. Experiment with the technique that spoke to you the most this week and let me know how it goes for you. It's always rewarding to hear back from my readers.

Want a little cheater sheet reminder about these tips to cut out and put into your wallet so you can sneak a peek when you need to? Here you are!

• Breathe
• Reality check
• Physical shift
• Write it down
• Eliminate pressure

Enjoy your discoveries and have an outstanding week.

Ann

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Permission is granted to either reproduce copy or distribute "Your Success Thought for the Week for December 5, 2007" as long as this copyright notice and full information about contacting the author is attached. The author is Ann Golden Eglé, Golden Visions Success Coaching, LLC, 541.385.8887, PO Box 1696, Bend, Or. 97709. www.goldenvisionscoaching.com