Did you know that you produce between 50,000 and 75,000 thoughts a day?  Did you also know that 80% of these thoughts are negative?

Yep! – between 50,000 and 75,000 thoughts – A day.

A day??? Oui, oui, a day! Chaque jour! Every day!

Are you thinking that I have lost my marbles?  Well, these numbers were proven by psychologists.  I did not believe them either the first time I read them.  I thought “Surely, they made an error.  That can’t be true!”  But, let me ask you these questions:

– Has it ever happened that you were lost in your thoughts, and someone had to bring you back to reality?

– Do you sometimes forget what you were thinking?

– Have you ever had a reaction that was not appropriate to the present situation?

If you answer Yes to one of these questions, keep on reading as I have five practices that will help you BE still, be centered, be more in the present.

1. Sit every day in silence for 10 minutes

You must be wondering why 10 minutes?  I would say start with 15 minutes but I know for most people, 10 minutes is too long.  I gave this assignment at one of my coaching seminars.  I asked the participants to follow up with me after 7 days.  Most participants were not able to do this assignment: “They were too busy”.  Some of them did not think it was necessary.  The ones that were able to do this assignment found that they were more centered, they felt more rested, they had more peace.

After reading the number of thoughts that you produce each day; do you think this is necessary?

If you think 10 minutes is hard to do, start with 5 minutes.

2. Learn to breeeaaaaathe!!!

Breathe in through the nose at the count of 7.  Breathe out through the mouth at the count of 7.  Repeat 3 times.  It’s that simple.  This exercise can be repeated at any time during your day to bring you back to the NOW.

3.  Start by saying “Thank you” 

Living in thankfulness helps you BE in the present moment.  You are renewed in the NOW.  The more thankful you are, the less your thoughts will wander from past to future.

4.  Give yourself permission to BE…and let go

Forgive yourself and others.  By forgiving yourself and others, you will be less prone to relive what was done to you therefore, less time living in the past.

5.  Pray

And last but not least, pray!  This is an important practice.  In order to orient yourself to God, you need to prepare yourself completely.  The previous exercises will help you prepare yourself to BE in Spirit.  When you pray, you surrender to the  Higher Power.  You learn to let go of your ego, and allow God to do what only God can do.

When you pray, you also learn to submit to God.  You also learn to love more.  You have less fear.  You learn to detach from what you want, and you also learn to let go of the “should have been, would have been, could have been” – all thoughts that will keep you stuck in the past, which means out of the NOW.

I invite you to make these practices part of your every day life.  I would be interested to know how they have transformed your life.  Be part of the conversation!  Be blessed!