My 7 Year Old Fell On Her Face (Here's Why)

Yesterday, my 7-year-old fell down the steps. It was one of those slow-motion moments, where you see everything happening, but you can't stop it. She had a pen in her hands, playing with it, not paying attention to the steps.

She fell flat on her face right in front of me and Pedestra. As a parent, your heart drops. But thankfully there was no blood, bruises or bumps. Once we made sure she was okay, something hit me: this whole situation was a perfect lesson on being present. She wasn’t focused on the steps beneath her feet; her mind was somewhere else, probably caught up in whatever she was imagining with that pen. And that’s exactly why she fell.

It got me thinking about how much this translates into adult life. We might not be walking down a set of physical stairs, but we’re constantly navigating life’s steps; our responsibilities, emotions, relationships, thoughts, etc. And just like my daughter, we typically fall the most when we’re too distracted to focus on what’s happening RIGHT NOW.

A lot of us go through life with a pen in hand, metaphorically speaking. We get caught up in anxiety about the future or replaying the past over and over in our heads, losing sight of the present moment. It’s like walking down steps, looking everywhere but at your feet... you’re bound to fall. Pretty soon, you'll start REPLACING the act of living life... with thoughts about the past or future.

Soon, you're no longer driving... at least not consciously. You're using driving time to stress about life. You're no longer showering consciously, you're worrying about next week. Before you know it, you're sitting there trying to play with your kids and your mind is off, worrying about an upcoming bill you can't pay or an event you don't want to attend. Everything becomes a means to an end and you start to live life without actually witnessing, acknowledging and appreciating life as it unfolds in front of you.

Think about it. How many times have you found yourself so lost in your thoughts that you didn’t even remember what you just did? Maybe you drove home from work and didn’t remember the route you took. Maybe you had a conversation with someone, but you couldn’t recall what they said because you were already thinking about your response. That’s the pen in your hand, keeping you distracted.

When we’re present, really grounded in the moment, life flows smoother. It’s not that everything’s perfect, but you have better control of the steps in front of you. You’re aware. You see things as they are. You're able to respond to life instead of react.

When it comes to anxiety, we’re often doing exactly what my daughter did—holding onto something, like a pen (worries, fears, what-ifs), and not paying attention to the present moment. We’re stuck in our heads, thinking about all the things that COULD happen, or replaying the things that already happened.

That’s how we fall. That’s how we end up overwhelmed, stressed, and panicked. But if we can learn to ground ourselves in the present moment, we reduce the chance of tripping. We stop anticipating every worst-case scenario, and we start navigating the steps in front of us.

(💡Quick tip: Research says 85% of the negative things we think are going to happen, never happen. And for the 15% of the time it does happen, we typically handle it much better than we originally thought we would)

The present moment is the only one we have full control over. It’s the only one we can change or influence. It starts with becoming more aware. Catch yourself when you’re drifting away. Notice when you’re holding onto that “pen” of worries or distractions. Then, take a deep breath and remind yourself where you are right now. What’s happening in this very moment? Decide to actually EXPERIENCE that.

You can’t stop life from throwing challenges your way. You might still stumble every now and then, but when you’re present, you can catch yourself before you fall too hard. Just like how my daughter will remember next time to watch her steps, we can learn to walk through life with more awareness.

Stay in the moment, y’all. Life’s steps get a whole lot easier when you’re paying conscious attention and moving accordingly. If you need PERSONAL COACHING w/ me and Pedestra to help this really stick and transform your life, consider upgrading to Anxiety-Free Mastery! We teach a lot more about how to actually live in the present moment, with real tools to help create real change in your life.

Check it out here: https://www.skool.com/anxiety-free-mastery-3035/about

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