Be Here Now

I want to be able to speak to the concern that many type-A, perfectionist women have when it comes to mindfulness: Will focusing on the present make me lose my edge?

It’s a fair question! If mindfulness means being aware of yourself in the present, grounding in the present moment, and appreciating what you have, what happens to ambition?

I am a goal-setter. I’ve never met a planner I didn’t love, and I have a to-do list every single day. Embracing more mindfulness and presence in your life DOESN’T mean that you can’t set goals, or have areas where you want to make progress. You can do both!

Without mindfulness, we spend so much of our time ruminating on the past and planning for the future that we really do miss the present. But the first step to knowing where you are going is figuring out where you are. Taking a few moments each day, or each week, to ground yourself can actually help you set the goals that matter to you, and to take small steps to get there. Here are a few ways that introducing more mindful presence to your life can help you move forward:

You set goals that matter to you

Sometimes, our ambition can get away from us. Whether the goal is a promotion, fat loss, reading 30 books in a year… if we don’t stop to ask ourselves WHY this goal matters TO US, we’ll find that even if we achieve it, satisfaction is elusive. If you have what feels like a list of dozens of goals, this becomes even more important. Pursuing goals just because you feel like you should, or because someone else in your life thinks it is a good goal, doesn’t help you get where you want to be.

By bringing mindfulness practices to your goal-setting, you ensure that you’re focusing on the goals that matter to you, and you feel real satisfaction when you reach them.

You take manageable steps

Are you often called a “dreamer”? Do you have a lot of BIG goals that never really seem to get done? Bringing your presence to your goal setting can help you to clarify your next best step, so that you can move slowly and steadily toward your goals. Mindfulness helps you to put things in the right order, so that you take it one step at a time instead of jumping way ahead.

When I start working with clients who want to make BIG changes to their health and wellness, that’s amazing! But we don’t do everything at once - we start with small, achievable steps to help us get there.

You enjoy where you are

There’s a reason that I titled this post “be here now.” If you are ambitious, if you’re a goal-setter - GREAT! But if you believe that if you just achieve that one thing (or those two, or three, or four things), you will start enjoying your life, you’re letting perfectionism take over. Whether or not you’ve achieved your goal, bringing mindful strategies into your daily life can help you to have more enjoyment where you are. It may be cliché, but it is cliché for a reason: life is about the journey, not the destination.

If you’re ready to take small, mindful steps toward your goals, but you’re not sure where to start, I’d love to help - connect with me here!