Living by the moment or for the moment is something that I've been interested and thought about for a very long time.
Probably ever since I was about 14 or 15 years.
I have thought out it and how society has marketed it in terms of sports stars.
As you are reading this, a list of sports stars names probably come to mind who are able to do this.
The one sports star that comes to my mind is Tiger Woods, when he was on the golf green.
I'm sure he was able to live in the moment off the gold green as well.
Maybe this is what got him into trouble?? I was reading an article about a South African golfer recently who won the US Open (a huge feat in itself).
His secret? Knowing when to switch on and off between shots.
Sound simple enough.
How did he do this? He drew a small red dot on his white glove and every time he went to take a shot, he would look at the red dot to focus his attention.
And he did this for every shot, for every hole over the 4 days.
He even had a mental skills coach who taught him how to do this.
Tennis players also have to do this between shots - being in the moment.
Other sports are a little different as competition is a lot shorter and more intense (e.
g.
, football) where a game only lasts for about 90 minutes and players are being substituted all the time.
This story is a really good metaphor for life, being able to live fully in the moment or to live your life as a walking meditation.
What do I mean by this? Our minds are full of thoughts, good ones, bad ones, happy ones and sad ones.
One thought is no better than another one.
They are just that..
..
thoughts.
The trick is not getting caught up in them or giving them any of your attention or importance.
To recognize them and laugh and then they will drift through your mind and another one will pop up.
That's about how significant thoughts/ feelings are.
They will last about 5 seconds and be replaced by another random one.
So like the South African golfer did, you too can learn how to switch on and switch off.
And switching off doesn't mean going on Facebook, MySpace or Twitter or being mentally lazy and indulging in all of your worries, fantasies etc.
It literally means doing nothing, switching your brain off.
And then when you do have to switch your brain back on again (1) you'll have more energy (2) you'll be clear what you need to focus on.
This is what being in the moment is all about and what separates sports stars and also what creates psychological problems such as anger management, anxiety and depression.
Not being in the moment