7 Ways to Live in the Moment

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For millennia, sages from the Buddha to Yogi Berra have been advising us to tame our wandering minds and focus our attention on the present. The reason is obvious: The past is history, the future nothing but a dream. All we really ever have is now.

Great advice, but not so easy to follow—especially in our hi-tech, device-ridden world where the tools of distraction are multiplying like ants at a Fourth of July picnic. Here are seven strategies to help you smell the peonies, be present with your loved ones, and savor each moment of your day.

Make it a priority. As anyone who has ever sat down to meditate will tell you, the mind is a devilish, unruly beast prone to fretting over what happened yesterday and what might happen tomorrow. By deciding to focus on the present moment, you are taking the first step toward actually experiencing that moment. And, believe it or not, the instant you realize your mind has drifted (which it will, endlessly) is cause for celebration, and means that you’re starting to pay attention.