Creating Your Best Self Through the Present Moment: Small Shifts to Transform Your Day
The present moment is the only place where your life actually happens yet most of us spend it worrying about a future that hasn’t arrived or replaying the past.
What if we could make this moment feel lighter, more alive, and more aligned with the life you want?
Trying to make the best out of the present moment can change your life because if you make the current moment the way you want life to be, then you will have reached your ideal life or be closer to it.
Wouldn’t we want daily life to be good and what we like and enjoy? We can all find ways to have more fun and reduce worrying. We should want that for ourselves.
You can still be responsible and still have fun. Worrying does not make you responsible.
You might have a present moment you don’t like or enjoy.
You may do work you don’t like or have to be somewhere else you would rather be, so hear me out.
It does not mean you have to have the worst time at a job you don’t like.
It does not mean you have to suck it up and suffer.
I also see why we would think of the future or worry. It is because we want something more for ourselves or something different and it is good for us to want more and shape our lives. We can keep improving our lives. We also worry because we have to survive and some of us have to support a family. We also have challenges or illness. We have family members that need our help.
However, there is a way to honor what we want for our futures while still being present, enjoying the present, and thus becoming happier in the current, present moment.
Also many of us experience burnout and need to listen to signs of burnout before it causes illness or a mental health struggle. I have articles on burnout here and on pattern interrupts which help with stress, forming new habits, and pattern interrupts can even help create a more pleasant, present moment. I will link them at the bottom of the article.
However bad our situation may be or maybe it is neutral, the present moment is important. It is the only moment we have. The moment we exist in right now.
On your journey to where you want to get, find ways to make the present moment as good for you as possible. Allow yourself to seek joy, peace, calm, or enjoyment even in the worst situations. I don’t want to mention in detail gloomy experiences but sometimes you can tell yourself a better story about the worst situation, in order to survive it. There are examples of this with Holocaust survivors.
The lesson I want to instill is that we can not only create a better story for ourselves, but we can find ways to improve the present moment so the day feels better and goes better.
Also our energy, mood, and attitude influences how our day goes.
We also create our story and interpretation of what we think is going on in our lives.
We may not even be correct. We draw conclusions and sometimes think the worst or catastrophize. Do you have proof of every conclusion you make?
How do you know what someone really thinks about you? Do you really know why someone gave you that look? Maybe they have RBF or are unaware of how they look when they walk around. Maybe they are holding tension in their face and it has nothing to do with you or your outfit or the story you are telling yourself.
Tips to Try to Create “Your Best Self” More Aligned & More Present Moment:
- Find ways to create a better story for yourself of your interpretation of your life. Do you have proof or know with certainty something is true? Can you find evidence of your new story instead?
How about aligning your current story with your ideal version of how you wish things would be? Is there a way you can start to merge your current self with what you hope for yourself in the future and start becoming your best self now?
How can you make your life easier day-to-day?
You could plan your main tasks for the next day ahead of time.
You can plan the week ahead of time. For example what you want to accomplish, calendar tasks with reminders, and schedule workouts. You can schedule something fun a week ahead.
You can plan the night before or set out a breakfast, lunch, or your outfit to make the next day easier.
Maybe you would benefit from having healthy snacks you plan and bring to work.
Would hiring a healthy meal service help save you time, planning, energy, and give your body what it needs?
What other ways can you make your life easier?
Are there things you can cut out of your schedule that you don’t really need to be doing?
What is wasting your time?
Do you need to get organized? If so, can you start small and organize a little at a time? Organization can save you time and reduce frustration.
- How can you make the present moment more enjoyable?
Can you plan a vacation or an outing to have something look forward to?
Make sure you are hydrated and have snacks in case you run late and don’t get a lunch or are late for dinner.
Would making a playlist of music or podcasts also help you have something uplifting where you don’t have to search for it in times of stress or when you need a break?
Adults need to have more fun. We need to find ways to laugh and smile. Studies have said that children laugh about 200 times a day and adults laugh only about 15 times a day.
Don’t miss out on what is in front of you by zoning out and not being present in your present moment. You could be making memories or doing better work.
You could be helping someone and are missing the opportunity if you are not present and are unaware of what someone is saying. Do not just hear, but listen.
Being present in the present moment means our mind is in the present moment. When our mind is somewhere else, we often miss out on what is in front of us. Days, weeks and months go by and we may not have much of a memory of them. Your life will pass by because your mind was wandering and not in the present moment.
You don’t want to rush through life either. Arriving at preconceived milestones is great, but make sure you are living life by your own rulebook and the milestones that matter to you. Do not require yourself to achieve milestones just because it is the societal norm and do not pressure yourself on a timeline for these milestones (such as marriage, children, education, etc). Be true to yourself. Be present and your mind will have silence it needs to figure out what is best for you and the next steps.
The present moment is where your life unfolds and you have more influence over it than you realize. Each present day also makes up the week, your month, and your year. What you do in each day adds up to who you are becoming, so make it count. When you improve the small details of your day, you can make the best of your situation, steer yourself to new horizons, and create a happier future now. Start with one shift today and let it ripple outward. Make it easy and remind yourself daily that you want to be more present and make the present moment the best you can.
One of my friends in high school had Cystic Fibrosis where he was told he would not live to old age. His advice to me that always stuck with me was to make best of everything, even things you do not like. I was complaining about going to work at the time. A job I did not like and he said that advice. It always stuck with me my whole life. He unfortunately did not live to old age, but I pass on his message here and hope it helps everyone as much as it helped me.
Remembering to make the best of the present moment is something we have to keep reminding ourselves to do, especially when the day goes poorly.
We can think of ways to shift the day and our moods. Don’t let yourself get stuck in a sour mood because of how one part of your day went. Try these tips or brainstorm a list of your own that you can read when you have a stressful moment, bad day, or are feeling down.
After reminding yourself to make the best of the present moment, it will become a habit and a way of life.
Tips to Reduce Burnout & Overwhelm: Decoding What it Means to & Let Yourself Go
Stop Negative Thoughts: Use These Pattern Interrupts to Stop Overwhelm
