Motivational Monday: Let Go – The Only Moment You Have Is This One

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“Breathe. Let Go. Realize that this moment is the only one you have for sure” – Oprah Winfrey

Oprah’s words are the perfect reminder that we all need to live in the present moment, and perhaps not concentrate so much on the future. I don’t know about you but even over summer break, I find that to be a challenge!

What Is Letting Go?

Well, I think letting go has a few meanings:

• Living in the present and being grateful for what you have now
• Not letting past emotions, circumstances, struggles or relationships cloud your current happiness
• Enjoying now  (whether that’s a conversation with someone, a day out, an hour reading a book, etc.) – without worrying about the past or the future. 

Do you ever catch yourself doing the latter?

For example, being out one weekend, wondering what you’re doing the next? Enjoying a film, but feeling guilty about all the work you still have to do? Talking with a friend, hearing their point (but already forming your own counter-argument or idea to respond)?

I’m sure you’re thinking:

Well, the idea of completely letting go is quite idealistic!  I agree – and trust me, I’m not suggesting that I’m an expert in this field at all. That’s why I took some time today to read a little about how to embrace the present.

3 Ways To Let Go & Embrace The Present

Reading a few articles, such as this great one by Tony Robbins, I’ve compiled a few tips that I hope are helpful. (Don’t worry, I’m doing my best to follow them, too. This is one of those posts where I would really love for you all to share your experiences in the comments).

1.  Recognize your emotional habits

This one is straight from Tony Robbins.  Emotional habits are what you tend to do with your emotions – how strongly you attach certain emotions to actions.  Robbins talks about a “feminine” and “masculine” core (a leading energy you have, regardless of gender).  I took the quiz, and apparently my leading energy is actually masculine! I’m not sure I agree with the quiz results, but I feel like I’ll be digging more into this for another blog post.

2.  Be Patient

Always thinking about the future can be exhausting. Waiting to see what will happen, anticipating the worst (or the best) and constantly waiting for the future to happen are a few habits I definitely have.

Actually, I am really bad at being patient.  I wholeheartedly admit that!  Even though I know it can be the key to happiness, my mind often races faster than events unfold.

Does that happen to you, too?

3.  Inhabit the Present (Breathe)

This tip comes from this article from Psychology Today, but I love the idea. Basically, the idea is that by breathing in the present and really focusing on it, you are detaching your self-esteem from events and taking them at face value. That is to say, you are mindful of what an event is as it unfolds, not associating it with an emotion or past event.  It’s not about not having the emotion, but about recognizing it and acknowledging it as a response to the event.

Seems pretty similar to Tony Robbins’ advice in tip #1, right?

How To Set Goals & Remain Present

If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, you know I’m all for goal-setting to realize your dreams.  However, I’ve definitely come across times in my life where people comment that I’m too into planning.

I mean, we can’t plan everything right?  (Imagine if we could though!) So, when I make my goals every six months, I make a rough plan but I know there will be hiccups.  I think the key to goal- setting without overplanning is being flexible about how you achieve your goals.  In fact, sometimes the timing has to be a bit flexible, too. Be sure to check on your goals list every 3 months and update them depending on how your plan is going. (If you need help, download my free goal setting guide from the Printables Library).

What are your tips for letting go? Are you great at living in the present? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below. Any suggestions are genuinely welcome 🙂

Have a lovely and productive Monday!

P.S. Photo fans, the main image from this week’s post (and poster!) is one I took last week at the University of Barcelona.