Why can’t you just focus on what you are doing right now? Is it really necessary to keep in mind at all times everything you’ll have to do this week? Try to only keep your mind on what you are doing now, and every time it flies away, gently bring it back.
It will be hard at first. It will feel unnatural because your mind is used to wonder even when this is doing you harm. See your mind as the spotlight that keeps the actors in focus on a theatre scene. It wouldn’t be of any use if the light would jump all around, it would only make things impossible to understand.
In the same way, your mind jumping forward and backward from what you’re working on now makes things harder. It’s unrealistic to think that you’ll be able to keep your mind fixed at all times on the thing you’re working on, but you can train it to calm down and not go too far from this moment.
And you need your mind to fly close to this moment because here is where decisions are made. You’ll need your mind focused on what is available now, to be able to make good decisions.
An extra benefit of keeping your mind on what you’re doing is increased efficiency because your energy won’t be lost on things that will never become real. The mind loves to explore and it is a good thing, but you need to teach it when this is useful and when it is not.
Why are you so serious? Don’t you ever feel the need to play? Every day, you plan everything in an attempt to be as productive as possible, thinking that this way you’ll be able to do more.
What about enjoying what you’re doing? Do you ever consider that? Probably not, because you forgot how it feels to take pleasure in the things you do. Maybe it’s time to learn again how to feel good while doing the things that you need to do.
When you were a child there was no need to make time to play. It came naturally, and you made everything into a game. You need to remember how to make the things you need to do feel like games. Games that you want to play, not necessarily win.
Life does not need to be so serious, but it’s up to you to make it feel like a game. How you approach every situation and what you plan to get out of it will define the amount of fun you’ll have doing it. For all that you do, make up rules that change the way you feel. Rules that get you more interested in the activity than in finishing. When they stop working, don’t be afraid to make up new rules.
Find ways to bring play into as many activities as possible. When you’re able to play with serious things, most of the stress in your life will go away. And instead of losing energy when doing things, you’ll end up being recharged.
Live a playful life. Enjoy every moment of it, because it’s all that matters, and it’s all that is.
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