Have you ever found your mind wondering? You’re working on something one minute and then all of a sudden you are thinking about something all together different and don’t even know how you got to thinking about whatever it is? Sure it happens to us all, one moment we’re doing a great job of getting things done and the next moment we’re unfocused and unable to concentrate on even the simplest tasks.

If you let it, your mind will wonder where it wants and end up – who knows where. Now this is great if you don’t have anything to do, but if you’re like most of the people, being able to stay focused when you’re trying to get certain things done would help you do your work better and faster. Keeping this type of focus is known as mindful living.

If you are rushed and stressed out mindful living is an excellent way to relieve the stress and anxiety in your life. Learning how to stay focused and in the present could actually save you time and money and, in certain circumstances, such as when driving, mindful living could actually save your life!

In addition to getting things done, there are other benefits of mindful living. For example, living in the present means that past failures or future problems don’t bother you because they simply do not exist in the present. In fact, most experts agree that if we let go of our past and concentrate on what we can do today to make our future better instead of worrying about it, we would all live better, less stressful lives. However, if you’ve ever tried to stay in the present for a long period of time, you’ll notice that your brain automatically travels to your past and future.

So how can you become more focused, present and in the moment? How can you develop mindful thinking? Like all skills it takes practice. As you practice remember to be patient because even some of the most skilled mindful thinkers, such as Zen Masters, encounter times when they have difficulty concentrating and being in the moment. The thing to remember about being in the moment is that, with practice, it becomes easier, but there will always be times when you’ll get distracted.

Mindful living is like most skills in that, when you are starting out to think in the present moment, you may feel frustrated and impatient with your progress. Give yourself time to learn this valuable skill. Becoming frustrated with your progress will only make things worse and is the opposite of what you want to accomplish.

If you do become frustrated, frame it as a good thing. Tell yourself if you’re frustrated, then you’re noticing that your mind is wandering and this helps you bring it back to the present. This will help relax your mind and your frustration will pass.

4 Tips to Becoming More Mindful

1. Practice Martial Arts or Yoga. I have trained in the Martial Arts nearly my whole life. I have found that when I am practicing Martial Arts, whether it be the hard style of Tang Soo Do, or the soft styles of TaChi or Qigong, the practice helps me stay focused and in the moment. While I haven’t practiced Yoga for nearly as long, what I’ve found is that Yoga is an excellent method to help me remain mindful and in the moment.  What these two practices have in common is that they work on involving your mind and your body.

You see, living mindfully involves getting your mind and body in sync. While all exercise can do this, such as runners becoming mindful and in the moment when they run, this isn’t really a part of running. The practices of Martial Arts and Yoga, on the other hand, were developed around the idea of becoming more mindful of the mind body connection. If you study the history of Martial Arts you will discover that their origins were very much about developing mindfulness through the mind training and meditation the movements provide.

2. Practice Mindful Meditation. Mindful meditation is based on the notion of being in the present moment. Therefore, if you want to develop mindful living, it’s an excellent practice to learn. Make it a habit you practice every day. Also, for the best results, try to meditate around the same time each day.

There are many ways to meditate. You can learn traditional methods, or you can, like many have, discover your own practice. The easiest way to begin your practice of mindful meditation is to get yourself into a comfortable seated position and then begin to pay attention your breath. As you breathe, take slow, deep breaths, one at a time. There is no rush.

Meditating helps you to begin living mindfully by staying in the present moment. As your practice deepens, you’ll be able to notice the times when your mind is really active versus the times when you’re calmer. As you master this awareness, you can begin to apply your mindful meditation practice to other parts of your day to expand the amount of time that you spend living mindfully.

3. Schedule time for you. This sounds simple enough, but it is one of the most difficult obstacles to mindful living. If you are like most people, you have difficulty making time for you.

I’m sure that you schedule all the things you need to do for work, things like projects and meetings. You need to also schedule time for meditation and other mindful practices. Once you’ve scheduled it, keep your appointment. For example, you might have scheduled time to meditate, but your mind nags you to accomplish one more chore before bedtime. Don’t do it! Keep this time for yourself!  Make your mindful practices a priority!

4. Practicing mindful living daily. I saw a movie a while back where the protagonist is about to charge into almost certain death. The camera pans to his view of the trees and the rest of nature around him. You can sense that he was savoring this moment because he was certain it would be among his last. This man was definitely living mindfully at that moment. To live mindfully you need to pay attention in the same manner.

While mindful living means staying in the present you do need to reference your past and future. This helps you make use of your history and future goals as necessary, and then allows you to move on with your life in the present.

As you practice mindful living you’ll soon be able to use your meditation techniques during those times of the day when your mind just starts doing things on autopilot. Instead of allowing your mind to wander, stay present as you engage in activities like walking, driving your car or simply waiting in line at the store.

As you continue to your practice of mindful living, you’ll begin notice an abundance of opportunities for staying focused and in the present moment. Being mindful will help you recognize these opportunities and seize them. As this happens you’ll find your life richer in more ways than you can imagine.

Wil Dieck is the founder of Total Mind Therapy author of two e-Courses “Reprogramming Your Subconscious Mind” and “Unlocking the Secret Advantage of Hypnosis” that you can have at no charge . You can sign up here to receive these positive thinking tips delivered by e-mail weekly.