Living in the Now by Changing Your Mindset

By Ilana Jankowitz

Often in our lives we experience a feeling of disconnection. It’s a mindset of ‘anywhere but here’. We leap from one thing to the next, agonising over yesterday and worrying about tomorrow. We’re running but getting nowhere fast as our to-do list grows and grows, and the dread and restlessness of our crowded lives only increases. 

Between having no vision and little direction, we lose ourselves and the peace of the present moment. The physical and mental manifestations of this disconnection include burnout, migraines, anxiety, insomnia and depression.

What if we could awaken out of this and begin to live in our creative truth, with a clear understanding of our direction in life? What if we could live from a place of happiness and contentment, excitement, and joy? A mindset of the here and now.

If this seems impossible to you right at this minute, then you are too busy as a ‘human doing’, instead of a human being. By breaking away from all the mental chatter going on in your head, you might pause and rediscover the joy of now.

Eckhart Tolle encourages us to ‘realise deeply that the present moment is all you ever have,’ so, with that in mind, let’s step off the hamster wheel and dive into what will make a difference right now to our lives.

First of all, take some time to answer these questions:

1. Who am I? How do I define myself by the roles I undertake, the things and people I surround myself with, or the work that I do?
2. What am I good at and what makes me successful? (If you can’t answer, consider instead what you believe would make you successful?)
3. What beliefs about myself and patterns of behaviour are holding me back? (For example, do you feel you aren’t good enough? Or do you compare yourself with others?)

Are you surprised by your answers? Or are they the same stories you’ve been telling yourself and others for years? Answered thoroughly, the answers will reveal to you a detailed picture of yourself.

So, your self-discovery starts now. Write down just 3 things you want to change about any part of your life. However, there are 3 pieces of advice I would give on doing this:

1. Stick with just 3 - don’t give yourself another to-do list!
2. Make them simple. Pick something that you can change easily. This will give you confidence and strength to tackle the meatier, more complex aspects of your life later on.
3. Give them a timeline if you have to break them down into small steps and give yourself a deadline for completion. 

Once you have chosen your 3, think about how your life will improve by changing them and the impact it will have if you don’t make any changes.

When your mindset begins to change and when you stay in the present instead of spiralling off into past or future scenarios, you will be raring to change more, succeed more, and lead a happy and fulfilled life. But don’t run the risk of burnout again.

Here are my 3 secrets to being unstoppable:

1. Always have a growth mindset. Don’t get stuck with doing the same thing, repeating the same old habits.
2. Let go of drama and steer clear of yourself or others falling into a victim mentality. Recognise that you have negative feelings, but don’t give them permanent residence. Acknowledge and move on.
3. Don’t do this alone - collaborate, connect, and create with other like-minded people. You will inspire and keep each other accountable. 

Finally, to quote Eckhart Tolle again, for good measure: ‘Life is an adventure, it’s not a package tour.’ Be rid of all the baggage of the past and don’t fret about the future - both depend on your present, so live in the now.

Ilana Jankowitz is a certified Money Coach born and raised in South Africa and currently residing in Zurich. Her work is all about identifying behavioural patterns around money, transforming negative thinking and moving from a self-destructive mindset to one that is positive and inspiring.

She is passionate about helping women to break free from self-doubt, low self-esteem and lack of self-confidence and move towards financial liberation and she can help you too with her free money quiz.  You can read all about Ilana and her work here or on any of my social pages Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube