Within the confines of a day, it is so easy to spend time focused on the future (or the past). In turn, we may neglect to be present on the moment we’re actually living.

Do you find your thoughts frequently wandering away from the present moment in time? Do you keep a lot of physical “stuff” tied to past memories or future potential uses or pursuits that you aren’t able to make space for what you wish to do right now?

One of my favorite inspirational quotes reminding me to be present in this minute is on my desk. I don’t know who the author is although I cherish his/her words.

“The best way to live is to appreciate each minute as an unrepeatable miracle. Work at your work and play at your play. Shed your tears. Enjoy your laughter. Don’t try to borrow from your future. Accept the fact that now is the best time of your life.”

“Vision is not enough, it must be combined with venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps, we must step up the stairs.” Vaclav Havel

A great quote from the the Auto Craftsmen newsletter…

All I Need To Know I’ve Learned from Trees

• It’s important to have roots.
• In today’s complex world, it pays to branch out.
• Don’t pine away over old flames
• If you really believe in something, don’t be afraid to go out on a limb.
• Be flexible so you don’t break when a harsh wind blows.
• Sometimes you have to shed your old bark in order to grow.
• It’s perfectly okay to be a late bloomer.
• Avoid people who would like to cut you down.

The debate continues… Are multitaskers more effective at getting things done? Is there a limit to multitasking at which point one’s work becomes more slow, inaccurate, or sloppy? When is multitasking beneficial and when should one completely focus their attention on only one task?

For example, I would really want a brain surgeon to only focus on the brain surgery and not get sidetracked on calling in a lunch order. And yet, playing with a child while folding laundry seems to be part of the standard routine in my household.

A recent article in The New York Times titled “Slow Down, Brave Multitasker, and Don’t Read This in Traffic” discusses the limits of multitasking as highlighted in several research reports. One expert, David E. Meyer, was quoted, “Multitasking is going to slow you down, increasing the chances of mistakes.”

What do you think?

What do you do when work or life throws you a curve ball? Do you give up and complain? Do you begin some creative brainstorming to think of a way around the problem? Do you see it as a opportunity for a new adventure?

An incredible women I know encountered one such curve ball last week. How she handled it can be an inspiration to us all. An avid runner, she was recently injured and began treatment with a physical therapist (among other health professionals) to start the healing process. At the first session, the physical therapist advised her not to run for at least six months- she needed to give her injury time to heal. Furthermore, she couldn’t take on other activities such as bike riding, yoga, walking, etc (you get the idea) as those would impact her healing as well. The only physical activity that she would be able to do is swimming.

Such restrictions to an avid runner seemed overwhelming. Upon leaving the therapy session, a good cry provided some immediate relief of the frustration. Then, she picked herself off and went shopping for a bathing suit and goggles and signed up for a pool membership. “I’ve always thought about competing in a triathlon,” she says, “I guess now is the right time to develop my swimming ability. I’ve become a runner with goggles.”

Awesome.

Have you ever been in the midst of a big change and felt scared to take the next step? Or maybe you are in this place right now?

During these times of change, the unknown seems so frightening. Self-doubt based in fear lurks in your thoughts. What if I fail? What if no one likes me? What if I really am not good at this? What if I can’t figure it out? What if I can’t balance this with my other responsibilities? What if, what if, what if…

These statements can keep you frozen in place. Not yet ready to move forward and uncomfortable in your current position. I call this discomfort “the wonderful seeds of change”. You see, in order to take the next step, this leap of faith, you must want something different than you have today. The seeds of change stirring inside you are the blossoming of the next phase of your journey.

You will know when you are ready to leap. All the pushing and prodding in the world by other people won’t make you do it (although in the best case, it may cause you to think and in the worse case, it may irritate you). The moment you leap is so freeing because you did it… you took the next step and were willing to turn with excitement to your future.

Have you ever noticed that when a difficult situation is described, people will sometimes refer to the actions they took to get past the challenge in very strong terms? You may recall hearing comments such as “I pushed hard to get through it”, “I pushed back”, “It’s like hitting a brick wall”, and “It was a struggle but I stood tough”.

What thoughts and feelings do the words “push” and “hard” bring up for you? Do the thoughts of “pushing” reflect hard work, confrontation, worry, stress, fight, struggle, and unpleasant tasks?

What if it was possible to overcome a challenge without the need to push? Would you desire that path instead?

A quote from “the Te of Piglet” by Benjamin Hoff deserves some reflection. In the book, we are encouraged to watch water in a stream to learn about effortless action.

“When a stream comes to some stones in it’s path, it doesn’t struggle to remove them, or fight against them, or think about them. It just goes around them. And as it does, it sings. Water responds to What’s There with effortless action.”

What challenges are you facing right now that you want to get through? How have your actions been thus far? What changes can you make to incorporate effortless action to support your success?

What is it that you really want to accomplish? When you close your eyes and visualize your dreams, what do you see? Often when we allow ourselves to dream, we enjoy blissful moments of our future success. Then, when we open up our eyes, we’re still faced with the same reality. It is at this moment that we may be tempted to put ourselves down and dismiss the dream… “That will never happen. Get real. I’m not good enough. I’m not smart enough. I can never earn enough money. I … (fill in the blank).”

I offer you another alternative. Don’t give up. If you believe in yourself and your dream, it will happen.

A favorite quote of mine that I want to share with you is below. Dare I admit that it’s from a Danielle Steel book. I can’t remember which one- I don’t really read her books much anymore (it was a definitely more of a teen and early 20 something phase for me).

Don’t give up your dreams or your dreaming. Don’t let life cut your line as you reel in those dreams… hold on tightly… keep reeling… don’t give up… grab that net… and if they look like they’re about to leap out of the net after you’ve caught ‘em, jump in after ‘em, and keep on swimming, till you drown if you have to… but don’t ever let go of those dreams!

Edward M. Hallowell, M.D. has written a great book called “Crazy Busy- Overstretched, Overbooked, and About to Snap”. In it, he describes two different mental/emotional states that we may find ourselves in, C-state and F-state.

“C-state is clear, calm, cool, collected, consistent, concentrated, convivial, careful, curious, creative, courteous, and coordinated. On the other hand, F-state fractures focus and is frenzied, feckless, flailing, fearful, forgetful, flustered, furious, fractious, feverish, and frantic. It can also drive one to utter the famous f-word. In C-state you have found your rhythm. In F-state you have lost it.”

Each of us can probably remember times in our life when we have been in F-state. It certainly doesn’t feel good and it is difficult for us to have much productivity or work / life balance at those time. We’re not at our highest points of success in this state.

C-state feels good. We’re really on top of the world with this feeling. We have so much positive energy that we can devote to our tasks at hand.

The question is, where do we spend most of our time, in C-state or F-state? What is the impact to our customers, family, and friends when we’re in F-state. If we’re in a position of leadership with others, what happens to our ability to lead when we’re in F-state? If our current situation leaves us more prone to F-state, what do we need to do to change it?