Improve your life by...

Joyfully living in the moment!

What does that even mean? This is a skill that children understand, but as they grow up, they unlearn. Kids are great at living in the moments. Have you ever observed a child who is on their own schedule not aware of time constraints? They are completely enjoying whatever they are doing, with nothing else distracting them. Pure joy.

What if I don't like my moments because they're stuffed with responsibilities and to-do lists? How do we fulfill our responsibilities AND joyfully live in the moment? Living in the moment actually helps us fulfill our responsibilities. We're more effective when our minds have clarity instead of racing with "to-do's".

There was an experiment done in 2007 (I've mentioned before) which showed us a surprising reality with how out-of- touch we are with our moments. World famous violinist Joshua Bell was asked to participate in an experiment playing his violin at a D.C. subway station with his violin case open for donations; pretty ordinary set up at subway stations.

They wanted to see if anyone would recognize him or even stop to listen. The results of this experiment at L'Enfant Plaza surprised everyone. People were so busy that most everyone didn't stop to recognize the beauty of his playing. "...not because people didn't have the capacity to understand beauty, but because it was irrelevant to them....this is about having the wrong priorities." (Timeless Beauty: In the Arts of Everyday Life, John Lane.)

"If we can't take the time out of our lives to stay a moment and listen to one of the best musicians on Earth play some of the best music ever written; if the surge of modern life so overpowers us that we are deaf and blind to something like that--then what else are we missing?..."Koyaanisqatsi" is a Hopi word. It means "life out of balance." "

(Weingarten, Gene. "Pearls Before Breakfast: Can One Of The Nation's Great Musicians Cut Through the Fog of a D.C. Rush Hour? Let's Find Out." The Washington Post 8 April 2007.)

In this experiment, there was one exception with people not stopping to listen. It was the children. The children stopped more frequently to listen than the adults. It was the parents who pushed them to move on. Isn't that interesting? The children recognize what rejuvenates. To-do's aren't so important to them as to take them out of the potential experiences around them. These experiences can be the rejuvenating balance we NEED. Burn-out could be a thing of the past.

Yes, children are great at living in the moments; however, they don't have the responsibilities adults have. They also don't have the experience gained through life. What if we could combine both of these? Experience which gives us perspective, as well as having joy in the moments. Imagine your life as the perfect tutorial for what you are best designed to do. Some lessons in life are enjoyable and some can be difficult or traumatic. Our past builds our present moments. How can our present moments be enjoyable if our past is full of difficult experiences?

These difficult experiences actually contain some of the most important lessons for us to learn. If someone wants to build muscle, they need to go through the process of straining and breaking down the muscles which is hard work. The harder and more consistent they work, the stronger they become. The work outs are difficult, but are they bad? No. They are the means for the muscles to become stronger. This is what our experiences in life do for us. They can shape us into a better version of ourselves. How? Keep reading.

In short, when someone buries past pain or difficulties, their minds are pulled back to the memories. This recreates the past hurts in their present day even if they're currently safe. There are many effective ways to overcome our past. One way impressed me so much that I became certified in it to help others. Hypnotherapy is an effective way to help people move forward in their lives and leave the past behind. It allows for letting the past go while keeping the valuable lessons learned. Then there are other tools to help you move forward.

Living in the moment is how we are designed to live. That's where we have increased clarity, light, enjoyment, and empowerment in our lives. We can even live longer as we do this. As each of us have increased light and clarity in our lives, our surroundings will become brighter.

Years back I was overwhelmed by a marriage I couldn't fix. This was not what I signed up for, but it was my life day in and day out. (At this point I wasn't acknowledging the junk that I was bringing to the marriage. (This was not one-sided). I had no control over a particular situation, which I had spent a long time worrying over. I had a dear friend (who was also my sponsor through a 12 step program) who reminded me to live in gratitude. I didn't feel grateful for anything in that moment, but I had no other options.

So I started looking around me and saying, "Thank you for the trees, leaves, cloud, sky, old van that is working..etc"

As I continued to be in my moment, I started to see the beauty around me, and I started to feel uplifted. I kept going and it became easier.

"Thank you for my kids that are truly sweet, thank you for my home; for this birthday party I get to go to."

Then I started thinking about the birthday party and felt an excitement. When I arrived I decided to participate (at a jump house) instead of stewing over my problems in my mind. I gradually started to feel light and free! This was the first time I had such a noticeable benefit with expressing gratitude in my moment.

This put my mind in the moment. I was surrounded by good things before this exercise, but I didn't see them. I was buried in my problem. There are things to be grateful for in any situation, we only need to see them. I find using God's earth and creations are the easiest things to acknowledge with gratitude.

Let's practice:

**This is not intended to replace any therapy you are currently in. Serious problems should be worked through with a qualified professional. This is meant as a guide to practice mind management. I found even while working with a qualified professional, I still needed help with how to manage my thoughts to really start enjoying life. Both were important through my journey.