Mindlessness is spreading like a plague today. People constantly spend time on their phones, worry about little things, and never truly enjoy life. Only a few people manage to always be in the Present moment and experience happiness from their existence.

Those who do cultivate presence are free from negative thoughts, overthinking, capable of resisting temptation, and contribute to society. Their days are filled with happiness, meaning, and contentment that can’t be acquired through cheap dopamine.

Thankfully, anyone can learn to be Present if they stay committed to a few simple, but powerful habits.

In this article, I’ll tell you why presence is important, how it can make you happy, and give 9 strategies that will help you live fully in the moment. Let’s begin.

How Presence Will Change Your Life

Living outside of Now sucks. You constantly regret past mistakes, fear the uncertainty of the future, and go through life without paying attention to the world.

Instead of fully dedicating time and attention to work and other people, you waste them on amplifying negative thoughts that pollute your mind.

If you start cultivating presence, however, you can erase these problems completely. One of the best benefits of it is that it will help you experience life.

1: It Will Help You Witness Life

Most people exist, but they barely live. They are stuck in the rat race – an endless pursuit of wealth and success in the corporate environment at the expense of their well-being.

Quite often, they’re so preoccupied with work, responsibilities, bills, taxes, recent news, and social media that they never pay attention to what is happening around them. They allow life to pass away without getting to enjoy it.

When you are a present man, however, you fully experience life. You cherish little moments, enjoy nature, social interactions, and find pleasure in the mere fact of being alive.

This makes you happier, more secure with yourself, and helps you be more grateful. Gratitude is one of the most positive emotions you can feel, and it directly improves your mental health.

2: It Will Make You More Productive

I’ll criticize most people again. Even though they are busy and spend tons of their time at work, they aren’t productive. Most of their shifts are wasted on activities that don’t bring results.

Scrolling on social media, replying to emails, attending meetings with no specific goals – all these tasks drain your energy, destroy focus, and limit leverage.

When you’re always in the Present moment, however, you become a much better worker. There are no worries or preoccupations to pollute your mind, and no distractions that can steer you away from the right path.

You think clearly, identify the most important tasks, and focus on executing them with quality. Even though you spend less time at work this way, you actually produce more output. As a result, you earn more money and get more opportunities to improve your life.

Related article: Deep Work: How to Achieve Exceptional Results (4 Rules)

3: It Will Erase Negative Thoughts

We live in the era of information. People spend hours a day on social media to find out the latest news, complain about their life problems, and consume content.

Social media isn’t entirely a bad thing if you use it correctly. But if you mindlessly scroll and hope to get entertained, you worsen your mental health over time.

You get more anxious, unmotivated, lazy, depressed, and lose touch with the Now. Instead of living life and getting enjoyment out of it, you waste life energy on thoughts that, in the grand scheme of things, do not matter.

When you learn to always be in the Present moment, however, you experience no negative thoughts. Your consciousness is only focused on what truly exists, rather than on harmful worries. Eventually, you stop overthinking and obtain peace of mind.

4: It Will Enrich Your Relationships

Last, but not least, being fully Present in the moment improves your relationships. We connect with others so that we can learn, gain validation, and obtain valuable experiences.

It’s hard to be a good conversationalist or pay full attention to the other person when your mind is focused on something else. When you aren’t present, you subconsciously show people that you don’t care about them or respect them, and thus push them away without meaning to.

Cultivating presence eliminates this problem. When you become mindful, you fully focus on the other person, showing how much you value and appreciate them.

The quality of your interactions increases, as instead of scrolling on your phone like a zombie, you show gratitude and emit positive emotions. As a result, people become more attracted to you, and you naturally experience connections that countless people lack in their lives.

Related article: How to Be a Better Man for Her

9 Ways to Be Fully Present in the Moment

Now that you know the importance of being Present, we can move on to the practical strategies you came here for.

Gaining focus, mindfulness, and presence in the world of distraction isn’t an easy task, but it can be done. In the end, it will be worth the effort. The best and quickest way to cultivate presence is through meditation.

1: Start Meditating Daily to Always Be in the Present Moment

Meditation is an amazing habit, and it has so many benefits that they wouldn’t fit into this article. At the very least, it clears your mind, helps it focus on the Now, and rationalizes thinking.

Aside from this, meditation also gives you control over the thoughts that you think. It means that it ultimately provides you with power over yourself and allows you to shape your life the way you want.

This good habit isn’t just for monks, but for entrepreneurs and anyone who wants to improve their mental health. It isn’t complex either, and you only need to do a few things:

Sit down in a comfortable position (straight back, hands resting on legs), close your eyes, and observe the rhythm of your breath, without judging or analyzing it, for 10 minutes a day. Observe how your body feels when breathing, and pay attention to surrounding sounds.

Meditation is extremely simple, enjoyable, and easy to do. If you do implement any advice from this article, please start meditating. You will not regret it.

2: Reduce Screen Time to Always Be in the Present Moment

Aside from meditating, another great thing you can do to be fully present in the moment is to cut down your screen time.

Most of us spend hours every day on our phones, scrolling through feeds, consuming negative information, and distracting ourselves from stuff that matters. The more time you spend scrolling, the more you deprive yourself of enjoyment and happiness.

Do not get me wrong: the Internet is an amazing invention, and a great source of information and opportunities. To get the most out of it, though, you need to use it wisely.

Spend a few hours working with maximum focus, and try your best to spend the rest of the day on offline activities. Read a good book, lift weights, or think about complex issues.

Do everything you can to limit your screen time to the minimum, and focus on cultivating real-life experiences. They are a million times more enjoyable and rewarding, after all.

Recommended article: Digital Detox Challenge: How to Fix Your Life in 30 Days

3: Get a Hobby You Enjoy

A lot of people today have bad mental health, and consequently, indulge in bad habits in an attempt to improve their emotional state.

One of the main reasons so many people struggle nowadays is that they don’t have any quality hobbies. They rarely test themselves, explore new opportunities, or create value outside of work, depriving themselves of meaning.

To always be in the present moment, you need to get a hobby to recharge. Learn about things to do in your free time, pick some that interest you, and invest effort into mastering them.

Read books, play billiards, lift weights, or learn to code in Python. Find meaningful hobbies you enjoy, and spend at least 30 minutes a day on them.

On average, it takes about 20 hours to get decent at a certain thing. So don’t try to make excuses, replace easy pleasure with better habits, and be in the zone more often. You’ll love it.

Related article: How to Spend Free Time Productively (20 Best Activities)

4: Breathe Deeply to Always Be in the Present Moment

No matter what you do or what you work on, stress can be overwhelming. It can make you zone out, overthink decisions, and paralyze your efforts.

There are many different ways you can deal with stress, but the most effective one is breathing deeply. It immediately invigorates and forces you back into the Now, eliminating worry.

The most effective breathing exercise to calm down quickly is 4×4. Inhale deeply for 4 seconds, hold for another 4, exhale fully, hold the breath for 4 seconds, and repeat the cycle.

It’s easy to do, and it helps to calm down immediately. By breathing deeply, you calm down your mind, enable rational thinking, and create more effective solutions for problems.

Over time, you also learn to be fully Present in the moment, and care less about insignificant things. The less you pay attention to the insignificant, the more peace you have.

Recommended article: How to Erase Negative Thoughts For Good

5: Express Gratitude Regularly

One of the biggest spiritual issues of modern society is that people take things they have for granted. They rarely focus on the value they have and adopt the “grass is always greener on the other side” mentality.

They constantly dream about getting a better car, a better house, a better wife, a better job, and more money from the government. The more they dream about the perfect future, the more they forget how good their lives actually are.

Listen. Many people around the world dream about possessing things you have. I’m not only talking about things in a materialistic sense, such as shelter and clothes.

I’m talking about health, experiences, family, food, freedom of thought, freedom of self-expression, and others we usually take for granted. Experiencing gratitude for just 5 minutes a day greatly reduces stress and boosts your well-being.

Get a gratitude journal, write in it daily, and appreciate what you took for granted. Shift focus from lack to contentment, and you’ll spend more time enjoying your existence.

6: Practice Active Listening to Always Be in the Present Moment

In the world of social media and digital connections, we’re becoming increasingly disconnected from each other. Instead of listening to other people, showing appreciation, making them feel special, and exchanging ideas, we think bullshit thoughts inside our heads.

Learning charisma and communicating properly often comes down to Presence. The more you focus on the person and what they’re saying, the more they like you. That’s because you show they’re important and interesting to you.

I’m not saying that you should be a social butterfly or that you should constantly spend time with other people. In fact, I believe the opposite: people should be more self-reliant and learn to be content with their own company.

But active listening and social skills will never harm you. They’ll only open more opportunities for business, networking, and useful connections.

To always be in the Present moment, and improve your social skills, listen more than you speak. Pay attention to other people, and try your best to understand what they’re saying. In the end, it will be worth it.

Recommended article: 8 Red Flags in Yourself (& How to Fix Them)

7: Accept Your Situation to Be Fully Present in the Moment

People often struggle with negative emotions because they don’t understand how they work. If you analyze the topic well, you’ll come to the conclusion that all negativity is resistance to what is.

It is normal, sometimes necessary to feel unsatisfied with where you’re in, since it gives motivation to change. However, if you simply complain about something you can’t change, you waste your energy.

There’s no point complaining about the economy, politics, or people you meet, since you can’t influence them directly. What you can control, however, is your attitude towards these things.

If you can change the situation (lose weight, earn more money, develop a certain trait), take action and work. If you cannot do anything about it, accept the situation and change your judgment about it.

This is one of the most important Stoic lessons, and it will give you the peace of mind necessary to be fully present in the moment.

Related article: How to Enjoy Life as an Introvert

8: Journal Your Thoughts Regularly

Every person needs an outlet where they can express themselves freely and get their emotions out without hurting others. Most people don’t have such an outlet and have trouble controlling their emotions.

They gather their thoughts inside their heads, amplify these thoughts with feelings of anger, hate, anxiety, and end up committing acts that they regret later.

To improve self-control and be Present more, start journaling. Write in a journal for 15 minutes every day to express your feelings and thoughts without restrictions.

Aside from purifying your mood and giving it clarity, journaling helps you learn more about yourself, gather new ideas, find strengths, and areas for improvement.

This habit provides you with an opportunity to release thoughts, always be in the Present moment, and reflect upon your life. It’s easy to do, and it has a high ROI, just like meditation.

9: Make Your Work Meaningful

Finally, the last thing you can do to be fully Present is make your work enjoyable. Only 1 out if 10 people on Earth love what they’re doing, and actively wish to work more. Why is this a problem?

If you do work that you don’t enjoy, you constantly worry about performance, results, and dread the next day ahead, for 40 years straight.

This puts you in a mind-numbing cycle of living paycheck-to-paycheck, zero progress, and a lack of meaning. That is why you need to find work that correlates with your purpose.

Find out who you are, what you’re good at, what problems you wish to solve, and find work areas where you could be useful. Dedicate at least an hour a day to building valuable skills and creating good products.

Over time, you’ll get good at your work, start to enjoy it, and break free from the rat race. It isn’t easy to do, but it is entirely worth it.

Recommended article: 8 Red Flags in Yourself (& How to Fix Them)

Always Be in the Present Moment

Most people aren’t present. They think much more than they should, and waste time on finding answers that cannot be found.

Presence and mindfulness will bring many benefits into your life: more experiences, focus, productivity, zero negative thoughts, and fulfilling relationships.

To always be in the Present moment, do these things:

• Meditate daily
• Reduce screen time
• Get a meaningful hobby
• Breathe deeply regularly
• Practice gratitude journaling
• Listen actively
• Focus on what you can control
• Journal your thoughts;
• Connect work to your purpose

If you implement all these steps, you will become a much more mindful, present, and happier person. You’ll gain new opportunities, improve your mental health, quit bad habits, and gain energy to pursue meaningful goals.

Start with a few simple steps, like reducing your screen time and meditating for 5 minutes every morning. It will feel uncomfortable at first, but as you remain consistent, presence and mindfulness will become your second nature, opening the door to a fulfilling life.

Work hard, be a good man, and build a meaningful lifestyle. Good luck, and have a great day, brother.

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