1- Meditate. The basic goal of most meditations is to focus on the present moment without distraction or disturbance. This may sound easy in theory, but it can take a lot of work to cultivate a mindful meditation practice. However, any effort you put into meditating will reward you with a sense of calmness and an enhanced perspective of the present.

• Choose whether to meditate while sitting comfortably or while walking slowly through a peaceful environment.
• Focus on your breath. Take deep breaths down into your diaphragm, feeling your belly rise and fall with each breath.
• Scan your body and notice any physical sensations you're experiencing. You might feel the air moving through your nostrils, the sensation of the floor underneath you, a sense of calm, or even a sense of fear/anxiety.
• Do not judge the sensations you notice, and do not try to hold on to them. Simply acknowledge their existence and let go of them.
• Any time a thought enters your head, do not force it away or cling to it. Much like the sensations you noticed, you should acknowledge that thought's existence and simply let it go.
• Any time you lose focus or become distracted, return to your breathing and focus on the sensation of each breath.

2- Focus on your senses. Your brain has a seemingly endless river of thoughts rushing through it at any given moment. These thoughts help you most of the time, but they can be distracting or even damaging. The best way to quiet your mind is to focus on what's observable. Take note of concrete, tangible sensory information, and force your mind to dwell on the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and physical sensations of your environment.

• Look around you and notice the intricate arrangement of the world around you.
• Let yourself listen to the sounds of your environment. If you are in a noisy area, like a crowded coffee shop, try to listen to the steady hum of all the voices together instead of trying to single out individual sounds.
• Feel the chair/couch/floor under your bottom, and take note of the ways your legs and rear end feel against that surface. Notice the way your feet touch the floor, the way your hands rest on your lap or on the arm rests at your sides.
• Don't force yourself to appreciate the things around you. If you are fully present, you will become aware of everything in your immediate environment.
• As you observe your surroundings with your senses, resist the urge to evaluate them. Think of them as simply "being," rather than as being good or bad.

3- Try to appreciate the little things. You may be tempted to think of your life as a series of big events, and those events are important. But don't forget that your life is also composed of countless little moments, which are available to you every day. One of the easiest ways to enjoy a moment is to mindfully engage with that moment and appreciate it for what it is. You can do this in countless little ways each day to bring greater meaning and peace to every moment.

• Slow down each day to appreciate the way things look, sound, taste, smell, and feel.
• When you shower, notice the sensation of rubbing shampoo into your hair or soap on your body.
• Every time you eat, slow down and notice your food: the way it looks, smells, tastes. Chew slowly and think about how much water, sunlight, and farm work went into creating that meal.
• Engage with each moment fully, and eventually you will learn to enjoy and appreciate every aspect of every moment.

4- Learn to see other perspectives. If you're upset about something that a friend, relative, or colleague said/did, that frustration can quickly ruin an otherwise enjoyable moment. It's easy to feel angry with others when you view that person's actions from your own point of view, but it's worth considering that his/her choice made sense to that individual.

• When you feel yourself becoming upset with another person, take a moment to step back.
• Force yourself to think of three positive reasons that someone might have said/done the thing that upset you. Focus on positive reasons - don't say things like, "He did it to upset me," or "He doesn't know what he's doing."
• As you come up with positive reasons, work to see the situation from that individual's perspective. He or she probably had a rational reason for the behavior at hand, which you might be blind to because you're locked in your own perspective.
• Learning to see things from other people's perspectives can help you see situations more objectively, making you more calm and in the moment. It can also help you become a more understanding, empathetic individual.