THE NOW, oh to follow my own advice!

Do you ever sail through a day as if you're being carried by a warm breeze on a cloud? I love days like these. Everything is extremely effortless and seems to naturally fall into place. The meeting you were dreading was shockingly productive and the dinner you threw together at the last minute tasted like a gourmet meal you will never again be able to replicate. Ah, yes... the beauty of a good day.

Then there is the polar opposite. I'm in too good of a mood to actually go there. But, you know the kind of day I'm referring to - we have all been there. The only thing to do is pray for bedtime to get here as soon as possible so you can forget the entire day and pretend it never existed.

Thankfully, life is often experienced somewhere in the middle, between pure bliss and utter devastation. And it is during these times when we are preparing ourselves for the brief glimpses of either of the above, which has me wondering... do we ever actually arrive? Since life can appear to run on auto pilot and take on a feeling of redundancy it is very tempting to hang onto these brief moments of the past or cling to dreams of what could be in the future. My fear is that while my attention is placed on the more dramatic times in my life I will miss the in-between, where true life occurs.

It is a practice to remain appreciative of the moment I am in. When I take life one day at a time and keep my focus there, I can truly notice myself loosen up and love where I am at - even if it has been one of those unmentionable days. Here are a few tricks I've incorporated into my routine to help keep my attention on my day at hand:

1) Set Goals: While predicting the future is impossible so to dwell on it is pointless, goal setting is something all-together different. If you know where you want to be than you are able to take the appropriate steps to get there. I have fallen into the trap more than once of taking on too many tasks because I hadn't defined the direction I wanted to travel. When I have a goal written down I am able to prioritize my day and choose what is most important to me.

2) Be Mindful: Awareness of my wandering mind is key to being able to reel myself back in to reality. For a long time I didn't even know I was living so far away from my everyday life. "What if...?" was my favorite day dream. So I stopped asking it. I can still catch myself starting a thought process with these words, but each time I notice it I am able to cut it off more quickly.

3) Breathe: I find life spinning around me at a rate I can't keep up with. If I take a moment for a few deep breaths I am able to at least slow the racing of my mind and heart. I have often caught myself bouncing sporadically from task to task. Having a calmer demeanor helps me make better decisions throughout my day that free up time for what is most important to me.

What are some tricks you use to help stay in the moment and appreciate your day to day life?