If you’re stuck at the same level in your job, your studies or your sport, you need a breakthrough. You may even need a miracle.

The good news is that this miracle is available to you. It comes only with the skill that all masters possess, namely, the ability to stay in the present.

Every time your mind wanders into the past or the future, you take away attention from what you are doing. The more often you stray from the present, the less effective you become.

Jim Kim makes this point with a LinkedIn article based on the book “The Miracle of Mindfulness,” by Thich Nhat Hanh, a Buddhist monk.

Kim says he gets insight and inspiration from the author’s gentle examples of getting the most out of every moment.

“When washing the dishes,” Ki quotes the author, “think about washing the dishes, and nothing else. Just stay in that moment, and wash the dishes with as much attention and focus as you can muster. Don’t get distracted and instead use the opportunity to build your own capacity for mindfulness. When you’re washing the dishes, just wash the dishes!”

It’s the same in your life. When you study, study. When you practice, practice. Using the power of the present can bring you the breakthrough you want.