What the heck is 1-2-3 Maui?!?!

Ever find yourself someplace amazing or with people you truly love and care for but you can't for the life of you just be present there in that moment? Something keeps pulling your mind away-you know like little things: work, finances, deadlines, upcoming events, etc. Well I'll be the first to admit that I'm a victim of this. I can be playing with my kids at the park on a beautiful day but my mind starts to dull the magic of our playtime. It's so easy to wear many "hats" these days as we put so much pressure on ourselves to do more and more. I may be a stay at home mom but I also run my own health & fitness business and teach group fitness classes. It's way too easy to let my mind wander thinking about everything else that I have to do later that day. When in reality all that does is take away from enjoying the present. I realized that I needed to make a conscious effort to change my ways.

I'm not sure what reminded me of this but as a kid my family went to Maui on vacation when I was in about 6th grade. I was a kid in paradise and that was that. My Dad on the other hand worked hard running a business in the windy city so this trip was a big shift from his busy day to day reality. He found himself having a hard time switching over into vacation mode. It wasn't until about day two or three that he finally realized enough was enough and that he had to let it go so he could soak up paradise before our wonderful family trip was over. Something inside him came up with, 1-2-3, Maui! He said it to himself as a wakeup call to get present. I knew he did this at the time but it wasn't until recently that I've been able to truly connect to his mantra from many years ago. I'm sure my Dad doesn't even remember or think much about how he did this but that's the funny thing about kids, they remember everything! I'm screwed. No seriously though, I want my kids to remember their mommy truly being there with them not just physically but mentally & emotionally too.

So now when I start to find myself slip away regardless of the situation I channel, 1-2-3, Maui! It helps me to refocus and enjoy the present because after all it is a gift!

Have you ever felt like this? Do you have a favorite mantra or technique that you use? I'd love to hear about them.