How I accidently became more present with this 1 habit 💥

I don't believe in manifestation in the sense of you can just "vision" or meditate on what you want and it will magically somehow appear.

I'm just too practical for that.

But what I DO believe in is the Neuroscience and Positive Psychology research that shows how powerful your brain is and how you can start influencing your brain to notice different things.

I unintentionally used this theory to simply start seeing some of the good in my life and also become more present. (Stay with me here....)

For example, have you ever been researching buying a certain vehicle, and then you start seeing them "all over" the roads? It's not that they weren't there before, but you didn't NOTICE them.

It's called your RAS (Reticular Activating System) in your brain and one of its responsibilities is to filter in and out pertinent information.

Listen to this 2 minute video from professionals at University of Minnesota about your RAS.

When we aren't looking for the good or intentionally practicing presence, we rarely find it. 🎯

When I was in the depths of overwhelm and had just started working with a life coach, I was pretty much only seeing all of the things that had to get done and everything I FAILED to do.

I was seeing the dishes piled in the sink, I was seeing the work tasks mounting, I was seeing (if even only in my head!) multiple to-do lists and constantly re-prioritizing, I was seeing how much time I WASN'T being (or being present) with my children.

I was completely OVERLOOKING the small precious moments of the day or the things that actually went well.

So...I started intentionally thinking about and recording 1 "win" or 1 "precious moment" each night.

It doesn't mean the hard parts aren't still there or the day didn't feel rushed, but sometimes we're just SO unintentionally focused on those things, our brains literally don't NOTICE the good things that are ALSO there.

And this is really how my presence practice began. It began simply with being intentional about NOTICING more.

I started NOTICING some of the smallest and most precious things. So I started SHARING a version of this practice with my children.

Each night as I put them to bed, I ask them "What is a happy moment you had today?"

And before they could even talk (like 2 and 3 years old), I would just recite or re-tell a small moment we had together or something I noticed that day that made my heart happy.

It became a habit incorporated into the bedtime routine that forced me to pause and not only be present with my child in that moment, but also find and acknowledge something good about that day.

And now, my 6 year old will sometimes just kick-off bedtime telling me about a "happy moment" or asking me what mine is for the day.❤️

I have noticed that it has helped me (my brain) start noticing even more small moments throughout the day and helped me feel like the days aren't completely passing me by in a blur.

Give it a try for a few days and just notice what impact it has.🫶

Your Coach,

Tara Moler