I hope you had a great weekend! This weekend we celebrated my mom’s birthday (that was for her 60th) – although it was a little early because next weekend my grandma (my father’s mom) is coming into town and being that my parents are divorced – it wouldn’t work so well. Thankfully, my mom is understanding.

Wow, that’s way more information than you needed! Speaking of information…

So I’m a reader. And I have this insatiable desire to know what’s inside books and to learn everything I can about certain subjects.

I always enjoy talking about books people are reading too. Once in a while, I’ll hear about a book that’s not so good but the person always says something along the lines of, “I still have to finish it!”

I used to be the same way. However, I realized that if I’m not enjoying the book why continue?! That’s a lot harder than it sounds for many people. Actually, I still have trouble doing it.

I think you guessed where this is going. We tend to finish whatever is on our plate, no matter how bad it tastes or how not worth it, it is. I think this is the same part of our brain that feels guilty about the books. “All the starving children in Africa,” we think.

Clearly, irrational but it makes us feel better. Because us finishing our plates has nothing to do with African children and everything to do with our health, fitness and waistline.

So, this week, if you’re eating something that just isn’t doing it for you – stop eating it! It’s very empowering.

And it’s funny because we feel guilty about wasting food yet we don’t feel guilty about adding unnecessary calories to our system.

Either way, you’re paying for it. One is with wasted money and the other is with wasted energy trying to burn off those extra calories.

Okay. That’s enough. Enough reading my daily inspiration for now.

Has anyone ever said to you, “You’re always thinking!” like it’s a good thing?

Well, I don’t think it is. I can think the bark off a tree! I’m sure you can too.

Thinking is good but what’s really good is the ability to think about only one thing.

At any given moment I’m thinking about 1000 things. Are you only thinking about the words you’re reading right here, right now?

Ever drive somewhere and have no idea how you got there?

This lack of awareness and presence leads to mindless eating. Because we’re not paying attention to what we’re doing.

We’re daydreaming while we’re awake. Scary!

This also will prevent you from fully enjoying your meals because while you’re eating you might be thinking of what’s next. Or something entirely different altogether.

When you’re in the moment like I am now – as I’m writing this (I think it’s just because I enjoy writing so much) – the words fly onto the screen and you’re not thinking about anything else.

This allows us to enjoy life more! (Being in the moment that is.)

Whether it’s with the food we eat, the exercise we partake in or the people we hang out with. When you’re there…like really there, it’s better for everyone involved, no matter what you’re doing.

So, to try to train myself to be more present, I’ve started small.

Brushing my teeth to me is like doing laundry. It takes a little oomph to get started but once you do it feels good and once you’re done it feels incredible. However, while I’m brushing my teeth I’m usually thinking about something else.

And without even realizing it, I start brushing my teeth really hard. Not good for my teeth and gums! My natural tendency is to scrub harder without even thinking about it.

That’s where the exercise comes into play.

So I have to consciously pay attention while I’m brushing to ensure I don’t brush too hard. It’s quite challenging. I really try to stay in the moment and not think about anything but my teeth.

If I don’t, I come back to my teeth and realize I’m brushing too hard.

Meditation is about stilling your mind and controlling your thoughts. It’s about having discipline with where you let your mind wander. I’ve never meditated before but I can imagine it being a very powerful skill. The ability to control your thoughts and stop them immediately and refocus on just your breathing.

That’s really hard!

Start small.

Start with just paying attention to something, anything, for the entire time you’re doing it. Whether it’s cooking, cleaning, brushing your teeth, eating, etc.

As soon as you find yourself wandering…quick…get back to what it is you’re doing. And think only about that.

I think, thinking only about what you’re doing in the moment will help you in more ways than one.