Accessing Now

We, as air breathing humans, are often reactionary and habitual in the way we are aware. We do things and say things without really thinking about the how and the why. We are on auto pilot and are too busy living in the past and future. Regularly we forget to be in the now. Perhaps it's because we don't exactly know how to be immersed in the present moment. They don't have a NOW class in school ;)


The now is the only thing in life that is guaranteed. The past is fiction - you can't change it. The future is only a vision - an important vision, but still not real until you make it so.


Have you ever looked back on the calendar and wondered where the days went? Have you ever been immersed in a moment and wished that you could remember it forever? Have you ever had 10 screens open on your laptop and unsuccessfully tried to research, answer emails and check voicemails all at the same time? Have you ever surfed facebook for more than 30 minutes and looked at random pictures of people you don't really know? Have you ever been in the car, driven 2km's and then realized that you don't remember driving them? Have you ever been in the bathroom while brushing your teeth and remembered that you had something to do in the kitchen? But when you walk out of the bathroom with your toothbrush still in your mouth, you completely forget what it was that you needed to do? 


If you've answered yes to any of these questions, then welcome to the club of majority. Life gets busy and distractions are endless. Our minds wander and they can constantly be chasing thoughts. We have been conditioned to believe that more is better. We have been told that multi-tasking leads to more productivity. In today's world, staying on task and being immersed in the present moment is a tremendous challenge.   


So how do we immerse ourselves in the now? Here's a few tips that I'm discovering in my life:


1. Pay Attention - Instead of letting our minds run when we are sitting in traffic or at the grocery store, take a moment to look around and see what you see. What does the person look like behind you in line? What colour of shorts is that person on the bike wearing? How many dogs do you see in the dog park. The first key to waking up and being present is making a conscious choice to pay attention.


2. Breathe - Inhale. Exhale. Repeat often. Take ten minutes a day to just breathe. A couple of helpful techniques that I've discovered are:
           
          a. Breathe in while counting to five. Breathe out while counting to five. Breathe in while counting to six. Breathe out while counting to six. Breathe in while counting to seven. Breathe out while counting to seven. Repeat this pattern until you've reached ten breathes and then start working your way back down to five. 
           
          b. Lay on your back and put a book on your stomach. Watch the book rise and fall. Do this for 15 minutes. When your mind wanders, bring your attention and focus back to the rise and fall of the book.


3. Observe - Next time you are at a gathering or in a meeting, just sit back and have the intention of observing. Pretend you are watching a movie. Watch the way the characters in the room move, act and really listen to what they say. Don't be concerned with looking smart or saying the right thing - this often keeps us in our own mind with the intention of creating the perfect response. Just be there. I think you'll surprise yourself with how much more connected you feel to the situation and how much more thoughtful your responses will be.


4. Meditate - Meditation is not about reaching enlightenment and floating off of your pillow. Its about being disciplined and creating the time in your life to be aware. The biggest trick I've learned for meditation is this: You don't have to solve anything. Just be. My mind tends to try and fix things, solve things and come up with magical answers to my life's problems when I meditate. Reminding myself that there is absolutely nothing to solve allows me to focus on my breath and be in the now. Start with 5 minutes and work your way up to 30. 


5. Create a Routine of presence - We all have things that we do every day. Whether it's eating, showering, washing the dishes, exercising...heck, even peeing. Pick something that you do regularly every single day and set an intention to be present during those moments. Think of nothing else. Do nothing else. Just be fully immersed in the experience.


Being in the now is not a destination, it's a constant journey. It is a practice that can open up many new and brilliant doors in your life. A few benefits of accessing the now are:


Better Relationships with others and yourself
A more pro-active approach to life -vs- reactionary living
Calmness and confidence - less stress!
Better sleep
Less guilt and more enjoyment
More productivity - get things done!
Better and more intense ability to focus
Increased sense of worth and purpose 
Keen awareness of self and what you need to be successful






So, when was the last time you took a moment to feel and experience your life just as it is? When was the last time you scheduled in 20 uninterrupted minutes to just sit and observe where you're at? When was the last time you felt immersed in the now?


Breathe in. Breathe out. Repeat often. It all starts now.

Locking Doors

Many say that you should unlock every door that you possibly can in order to achieve success. I heard something different the other day and it has changed my whole way of thinking.

I was visiting my sport psychologist, Dr.Hap Davis, and we were talking about how things are going with 3 weeks left until Worlds. I told him that I am feeling good, training has been going pretty well...but there is one thing that I feel is missing. I have been having a lot of random thoughts lately. Before I go up to the highbar (I almost put bar here, but then I read it back and it seemed like I'm a booze hound!) or step onto the floor, I have been thinking about a lot of random things rather than my actual performance. I don't know why I do this and I don't even really know what the thoughts are...all I know is that they have nothing to do with what I am about to do and it freaks me out a little bit!

It might be because I am ready and I am trying to distract myself from the routine so that I can just let it happen in a 'zoned' state, but I don't think that's it. It might be because I am so afraid sometimes of making a mistake that I just want to think of everything and anything possible that will distract me from this negative self talk. It could be because I have been doing gymnastics for 19 years of my life and sometimes it is just impossible to get into an adrenaline rushed and painfully focused state...who knows. I could go analyze it at so many levels and I probably wouldn't figure it out completely. I don't really want to either...I just want to be able to concentrate on my performance and feel present and confident while doing so.

Here was Hap's theory:

He asked me if I ever drive away from my house, but turn around a couple of blocks away to make sure I put the garage door down...I hate to admit it, but I do this at least once a week (If not embarrassingly more!). He asked me if I ever drive to the gym, start walking away from my car, but then stop and turn around and walk back to my car to make sure I locked the door. I do that! I really really do...I think I might have a bit of OCD, maybe more than a little! I always have that little voice in the back of my head saying, "did you do this?". That voice is so annoying and I think I would call it "Self Doubt".

Hap said that I am probably doing the same thing with my gymnastics. Doubting myself and my ability to do something when I want to. He actually said that after 19 years as an athlete, one has to start being really creative in their ways of self-doubt because everyone has it and many have already exhausted most "normal" forms. My creative way is to completely stop trusting myself, think totally random thoughts and to start questioning things that I have been doing fine for the past 10 years. Not cool.

So here is the challenge:

I have to make a conscious effort everyday to get out of my car, shut my door, point my keys at the door, say to myself, "I am locking the door", push the button, and walk away knowing and trusting that my door is indeed locked. How do I know it is locked? Because I consciously locked it. Sounds easy enough.

Here is the comparison:

I have to treat my performances or turns in the gym like my car door. Before I go I have to make a conscious effort to be focused. No random thoughts. I have to say something positive to myself like, "I am going to do a great routine". This will make me present and give me some clarity right before I go. I have to trust myself and my declaration. I have to know that when I say I am going to do something good then I am going to put forth a great effort to do it good.


I applied this theory today at the gym. Before each turn I thought to myself, "Lock the door". I pictured the feeling I have when I have consciously locked the door and the trust I get from doing it and knowing that I have done it.

I had an amazing training and I haven't felt so present and strong in a long time. I have to be honest though...I still need a little bit of work on the whole locking my real car door thing. It has become such a horrible habit for me to be thinking about a thousand different things at once and forgetting to focus on the task at hand. I promise I am working on it and one of these days soon I am going to get through an entire day knowing that my crap won't get stolen from my car!


No more opening doors...it's all about truly knowing they are shut and LOCKED!