The Most Underrated Skill for Living a Happy Life

"The power for creating a better future is contained in the present moment." — Eckhart Tolle

Directly behind our house there is a large area of woods with a walking path where we usually take Bella in the mornings.

Yesterday, while we were out for her walk, I was listening to a lecture for a course I'm currently enrolled in so that I could "make the most of my time".

I was only using one earbud (gotta stay alert!), so I was still able to hear the sounds of the birds (including turkeys!) in the woods.

I started to pay a little more attention to the bird sounds...but then I noticed I wasn't listening to the lecture.

I got my phone out of my pocket to rewind it...

And that's when I realized how NOT present I was being.

Instead of simply enjoying a lovely walk with my dog, I was trying to optimize my time.

I was missing out on being fully HERE...

Everyone loves to point fingers at "bad" multitasking behaviors, like texting and driving or scrolling on your phone at the dinner table.

But "good" multitasking behaviors, like listening to a podcast while you exercise or using a walking pad while you're in a zoom meeting, deserve to be scrutinized every once in a while too.

Because, on one hand...yes, they can help you "make the most of your time" and/or make an otherwise unpleasant task more bearable.

But on the other hand, they are still teaching your brain how NOT to be present.

And being present (having the ability to focus completely on ONE thing) is quite possibly the most underrated yet powerful skill one can possess.

And the only way to build a skill is with PRACTICE.

A LOT of practice.

So if you're one of those women who say they've "tried meditating but it was too hard",

I'm calling your bluff.

👉 You just didn't practice enough.

Because when you practice something regularly, you become better at it.

And if you practice for long enough, you become good at it.

And if you commit to a lifetime of practice, you'll be a master.

So here is a friendly reminder to PRACTICE being present...

➡️ As often as you can

➡️ In as many different environments as you can

➡️ Doing as many different kinds of things as you can

➡️ With as many different people as you can

Practice focusing completely on doing just one thing at a time.

Pay attention to sensations in your body, to what's around you, to your thoughts.

And...practice even when you could be "making better use of your time".

Because I don't know about you, but the best use of my time is to actually enjoy it.

And when you practice being present often enough, you just might start to notice how you are stressing less and enjoying more.