17 Mar Moment to Moment
How many times have people said to you “Live in the moment”?
This is very challenging to do, if not near impossible, as each so called moment is so brief and no sooner has it arrived than it is gone. It becomes the past; it is no longer the now! Each moment in the now is constantly moving, becoming the next moment, so you need to become aware of one moment to the next.
This is the flow of life; the ongoing moments of each breath you take, each feeling you have and each memory that gets created, constantly changing with each moment. So, start to become aware of each moment, with every step you take, with each thought you have and start noticing how you are feeling as you allow yourself to be fully present in the life that you are creating.
It is said that life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away. How many memories can you recollect that left you breathless and in absolute awe?
It is often the simplest things in life that are the most magical: from falling in love to watching a child take their first step, the blossoming of flowers, baby lambs in the fields, there are so many moments that make your heart skip a beat with delight – yet, if you are not paying attention they will be missed!
These moments do not need to be expensive or take up too much time- you just need to be consciously present in each moment to be able to experience the pleasure of them.
The average human life can be relatively short – we all know deep down inside ourselves that all life will come to an end, and that death will happen to us all eventually. Most of us do not know when or how our passing will be and pray we will pass peacefully in our sleep.
Yet, we are still shocked and taken aback when it happens to someone we know! None of us can avoid death, but we can ensure that we live a fulfilling life and not allow a part of you to die within while you are still alive. As time passes, you naturally have more of it behind you and less of it in front of you.
There is no better time than the present moment to make the decision to live each moment to its fullest in all areas of your life.
When you start to live moment to moment, it means that you are being consciously aware and present in each moment with all of your senses. It means not dwelling on the past or being anxious and worrying about the future.
When we concentrate our attention on the present and focus on the task at hand, we give our full attention to what we are doing and the best outcome is achieved.
Forget multi-tasking, many people have become obsessed with the concept of multi-tasking, with the idea that more can get done; the problem with this is that it is impossible to give two different tasks your full attention at the same time. What you are actually doing is rapidly re-focussing between the two tasks, which can often take a couple of minutes to achieve and then this often leads to making mistakes – draining your mental, emotional and physical energy at the same time.
Being present in each moment in life allows you to prolong its value and life becomes more meaningful. You begin to savour each minute, as you strive for quality rather than quantity, you embrace and begin to discover life’s pleasure in all that you do, including resting and relaxing.
As you continue to learn to be in the present moment your energy becomes more balanced and it becomes easier to manage your mental thoughts and emotions. This gives you the opportunity to take a look at your life with clarity and make changes for yourself in positive ways.
Maybe, you are somebody who doesn’t love their job, yet, you still get up every day, perhaps with a sigh, do the same journey to work and then spend the day waiting for 5pm, or waiting until Friday or your next entitled holiday!
If you are working a 5 day week feeling unhappy and unsatisfied then you are wasting 70% of that week and your life in a lower energy vibration and not being present in the moment as you are focusing on the coming weekend, which again is very stressful and draining to you as an individual – which in turn can lead to mental breakdowns and physical illnesses.
Make a choice either to leave and find a new job or maybe create your own business that you will love getting up to in the mornings or, if this is not possible at the present moment, make sure that you put your focus onto what you can appreciate about the work you are doing rather than focussing on the negative.
Of course, it’s natural to spend moments of thought in the past, remembering a great day or daydreaming of the future and what you would like to achieve.
At times, this can be a very positive thing to do, yet, when you are constantly in either one you are no longer being present in this moment and life, along with time, just passes you by. Mother Nature does not follow time by the hour as we humans do – she does not keep looking at her watch, to her time is doesn’t exist and really it doesn’t – time is just a reference point for us to measure events from the past and organise our lives! Time is an illusion – the past doesn’t exist and neither does the future. The only true reference point we have is this moment in time.
You can only remember the past or imagine the future, but you can feel what it feels like to touch, see, smell, hear and taste something right now.
Take some moments to review what is happening in your life:
- Are you so caught up in regrets of the past that you are preventing new opportunities happening in the present?
- What is happening in your work, your home life and the relationships around you?
- Do you feel happy, content and look forward to each day or are you filled with dread, tired and exhausted?
As you continue on your journey of life, do so with clarity of what is good for you, what stretches and helps you grow as a person enriching your soul.
Live a life that is full of laughter and be patient with yourself as you learn to trust yourself more, enabling you to reach out and seize each moment and the wonderful opportunities that present themselves.