Photo: All the queuing people by Shutr
A week or so ago, as I was queuing for a ticket to a concert, my mind wandered. As I was in quite a hurry, I was thinking the usual things like “Why don’t they have more counters?” and “Why are the staffs working so slowly?”.
Then I come to realize what I was doing. A life lesson just hit me… right in the middle of a queue. This is interesting, I thought, and I pulled my little notebook to record it. Now, listen up here because if you truly apply this “principle” that hit me, it can truly turn your life around.
My Revelation
I realized that as humans, our mind tend to go to the past or the future. Never the present. But our emotions, are always at the present.
Here’s what I mean. I can bet that as you’re working day to day, your mind wanders to things like what you’ll be doing that weekend. Or, how fun the holiday you had was. You’re looking to the break you’re going to have, or how relaxing the last break you took was.
You see, we’ve never quite mastered the art of being in the present . Think about it. Even as I type this blog post, I’m thinking about what I’m going to do later on.
The Other Side of The Coin
On the other hand, we are always impatient. We hate queues, we hate traffic jams and we hate waiting for someone who’s always late for a meeting. We want things to happen NOW - we think into the future.
But yet when they DO happen, we are not there for it. We are thinking further into the future or recalling something in the past.
Now that you know this, you can at least consciously bring your thoughts back to the present when they wander. Naturally, it’s easier said than done but if you practice it enough, it can really become a habit. And when it becomes a habit…
You truly work when you are working and…
You truly relax when you are relaxing!
It will most certainly drive your productivity off the charts. Try it.
I wonder if this is an age thing? health related? personality? or could it be the task at hand?
For example, if I am sweeping a floor, doing dishes, or gardening, or sometimes cooking my mind is free to go where I direct it. This is a good time to plan meals, pray, think of who I want to call, sing or whistle while I work or come up with metaphors, ditties, or such. Life has a rhythm to it in the sounds we make. We make our now.
If it is a task that requires focus, concentrate and go for the gold.
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