Your brain makes and strengthens connections and pathways of things that you pay the most attention to. That’s why noticing where your attention is going and returning it to where you want it to be is such a powerful mental skill. 

 

Some people call this mindfulness, or attention training. Whatever you call it, the basic skill is to pay attention to this moment right now... the present moment. 

 

Sounds easy doesn’t it. It’s natural for your mind to drift to thoughts about the past or the future and before you know it, you are somewhere else entirely and miss the present moment. It takes practice to notice this and return to the here and now. 

 

Flow follows focus, because deep focus is a flow trigger. That’s another reason why training your mind to focus on the present moment is such a valuable skill. The present moment is the only place high performance happens. Actually, the present moment is actually all there ever is. But it's true isn’t it? ... everything that happens... happens in the present moment.

 

You can think about it this way, there are 1440 minutes in each day. How many of them are you fully present in? You are obviously asleep for quite a few hundred of them, but what about the rest? 

 

Try and notice when you drift out of the present moment and then make a conscious effort to return your attention back to what you are doing at the time so that you can be fully present. 

 

A useful trick is to use your breath to bring yourself back into the moment. Throughout the day, pause and take one easy breath, then focus your attention onto what matters most .. the now. 

 

You can even practice this when you do simple things like brush your teeth. Give it a try today.