What happened to the time? When we are preoccupied with our daily lives, it can seem that entire seasons pass in a second. And our goals, they can easily get lost in the chaos. You want to wake up: to regain control of your time and achieve your goals. But how exactly?

Like a river, our lives are always flowing onward, over and around the highs and lows of our daily experiences. As humans, we frequently try to reduce such ups and downs by planning for the future, dwelling on the past, and avoiding experiencing the present emotion. As a result, we dull our sense of aliveness and sort of zone out. No wonder we "wake up" to realize minutes, days, or even weeks have passed us by!

Have you ever had the experience of driving a car only to find yourself suddenly at your destination? Where have you been? Not present, that’s for sure! But really, what does it mean to be present in your day-to-day life?

It’s quite challenging to focus all your attention on this moment. Try it: As you are reading these words, slow down. Experience the action of reading one word at a time. What sounds do you hear in the room around you? How comfortable are you? How are you breathing? Recognize that you are alive, right now, at this moment. What was that like for you?

Reflect On What You Really Want

Take a walk or meditate, write in a notebook, or talk to a friend to get your mind thinking about what you want and need right now. If you don't know where to begin, consider your relationships, job, and overall health, and reflect on whether there is anything you wish to improve in any of those areas.

If those areas of your life seem quite steady, consider the big picture and ask yourself questions like, "When am I the happiest?" "When do I feel the greatest about myself?" and "When do I feel the worst about myself?" That can put you in the right direction to gain more or less of something in your life.

Daily Intentions

Make a plan for the day. Not a rigorous, hard schedule or a rigid list of must-do's, but a plan that works for you, that establishes your goals, intent, and hope for what you want to get out of this day. Make a declaration the night before or early in the morning about what you will do to ensure that this day makes a difference.

Identify What Drains You

You should consider what physically or mentally exhausts you. They don't necessarily have to be things you hate to do.  Once you can point out these tasks, try to stop doing them.

Pursuing meaningless activities deprives your body and mind. Consider delegating or removing them from your to-do list. Tiredness is a strong indication from your mind, body, and heart that the activity is bad for you.

It is critical to run YOUR race, live YOUR life, focus on what is essential to YOU, and design your life around YOUR vision.

Finding Your Theme

You've definitely heard a number of other suggestions for being present in the moment, such as breathing, mindfulness, meditation, and so on. Expand on this idea: how can you be present and focused on a project or goal in your life? Choose a theme.

This is how it works: For example, this year's theme for my business is "fun and inspired action." This theme functions as a filter. Each month, I examine my business goals through the lens of my theme and prioritize those that will be the most enjoyable and inspiring to me and my customers. When I'm brainstorming projects to work on, I seek those that best fit my theme. When selecting new prospects and coming up with new ideas, my theme gives me a sense of exploration.

What is YOUR theme? It’s time for you to wake up and be on fire too!

Remember

Focus is energy. It's where you're channelling the entire force of your potential, for better or worse. Energy flows where focus goes. Living the right habits, such as the one mentioned above, will help you improve your focus muscles.

You have the ability to live a more focused life. If you make a commitment, you will see a difference.

Finding your life's purpose is a lifelong adventure, but once you've found it, you'll discover that your life opens up in ways you never imagined possible.