I think there is an overwhelming tendency by most people in today’s society to treat life as if it were an emergency. Although sometimes it certainly looks that way, it really isn’t. It’s an adventure. It’s a magical adventure that is full of richness and can be very nourishing and special.
The key to experiencing that is to slow down and notice the beauty of life. People need to have more appreciation in their life, to really start appreciating the gifts in ordinary life. There is so much beauty and life is so short, yet so many of us are rushing through to the next thing, and we’re always preoccupied with how busy we are, telling everyone how busy we are, thinking about how busy we are, and thinking someday it’s going to get better than it is right now.
There is a tendency on the part of most people to measure success and happiness in life with money; like winning the lottery, being able to afford a new car, getting a job promotion, or getting a lucky break of some kind. Certainly these things are great. Everyone likes to advance in his or her career and you should be proud of yourself when you excel in the things you do, but most of life isn’t about winning lotteries, winning contests, and collecting awards and achievements. Rather, it’s about waking up in the morning and looking at the sunshine; it’s about spending time with your children, your spouse and good friends. It’s driving to work, appreciating the people you work with, appreciating your family and friends, as well as appreciating nature.
It’s amazing what happens to the human spirit, the transformation that takes place when we put more emphasis and more attention on the very gift of life itself, such as our relationships, our health, and the gift of making a contribution to other people. It’s everywhere you look and as you begin to look at life as wonderful journey, you’ll begin to pay attention and notice these things more and more.
Interestingly enough, when you start putting more attention on what’s right in your life, that’s what starts to feed you, that’s what starts to show up in your life, so you end up getting more of what you’ve always wanted; you start noticing and appreciating everything from a simple conversation to reading a good book. It’s on all ends of the spectrum. It’s not just achievements but also everything that happens in between.
Every day so many of us live our life within the privacy of our own heads, so if you’re rehearsing unhappiness, then that’s what you’re going to get. So you need to start practicing now to make your life rich and enjoyable, to appreciate it now, so that someday when that arrives you will be well-rehearsed in the art of present- moment living, of happy living, and you’ll know how to let life come to you.
Most of us look around and see everyone else scrambling and thinking more is better. And you see people frantically rushing around trying to do three or four things at once, always in hurry, and bragging about how busy they are.
When you slow down and learn to appreciate all the different and wonderful aspects of life you will gain a sense of gratitude. You will begin to take a very close look around and stop postponing those things that are truly relevant in life.
Tomorrow in not guaranteed for any of us. The past is gone and the future is not here yet so all we have is each day and the present moment. When we begin to appreciate each day on earth as a gift to be treasured and lived to the fullest that is when we create miracles.
