The Gift of this Moment

I hear this a lot, “life is a gift,” but do we believe it?

As humans, we tend not to remember the good when the bad comes along. In fact, we forget everything good that ever happened and curse life out. “What kind of life is this? This hardship is too much. Why me?”

Amid these roller coasters, we get lost in the race to beat life at its own chess game. We want so badly to win every time that it all feels more like a competition than a gift.  We focus on the big picture, but don’t realize that every moment, every action is essential to living a full life (the big picture). 

Little drops of water, little grains of sand, make the mighty ocean and the pleasant land… So the little minutes, humble though they be, Make the mighty ages of eternity.– Julia Abigail Fletcher Carney.

Have you noticed that thinking of life on a large scale is overwhelming? Take a minute to think about the last time you pondered on multiple spheres of your life in relation to your future… what emotion came next? Let me guess… anxiety/fear/pressure…

There is nothing wrong with having a picture of how you want your tomorrow (future) to be. But if tomorrow never comes, will you be okay signing out with today as your last day?

If your answer is ‘No’, then you have work to do.

What I am saying is this: be intentional about your now. We shouldn’t be overly concerned about the tomorrow (future) that we forget today is for the living. Your concern should not be about all the things you thought you would do tomorrow that you won’t be able to do, if tomorrow doesn’t come. Your concern should be about all the things you could have done today that you didn’t do, if today was your last day.

Many will say, I have faith, my tomorrow will come. However, faith is not just about hoping for the future. Faith is about living your today as fully as you can; and trusting that when tomorrow comes, if it comes, you will live it to the fullest because the universe will align yet again in your favor. There are so many things we cannot control in life, but the one thing we can do is ensure we are cherishing moments; moments with ourselves (alone time), family and friends by being fully present. Because moments are fleeting, everything in life is and if we aren’t fully present, we will miss the gift of this moment.

So, I’ve learned to say and believe that, “this moment is a gift.” Maybe sometimes, life sucks, but this present moment is great and I am basking in the beauty of it.

Life can be just like an assignment. However, the gift of moments is the ability to enjoy the simple things/pleasures in life without the pressure of life’s assignment. -E.O

I mean, aren’t we all in a search for purpose? But purpose isn’t something grand waiting to happen. Purpose is in your now, it is in the little things you do with every day that you are given. The weight of finding and fulfilling purpose sometimes takes away the art of enjoying life, and when we lose the art of enjoying life, moments inevitably lose value to us. Because the true art of living is in seizing fleeting moments and making the best of it. So, don’t stop living waiting for something to happen. Don’t stop living hoping for something to change. Don’t stop living your life thinking there is a better time to live. Don’t get sucked in the largeness of life, live in the moments of life instead. Take charge of your now. Do all you can with your today.

If tomorrow never comes, they will only remember you for what you did today and not what you thought of doing tomorrow.- E.O

Today, in this very moment,  is the most important time of your life, don’t lose it. Use it. Love it. Enjoy it. Cherish it. Live it… to the fullest.

PAL’s Keynotes

• How do we get lost in the largeness of life? *by overthinking*

• How do I remind myself to be fully present in my now? *by meditating and self-reflecting*

Do you have examples on how we get lost in the largeness of life and how we can remind ourselves to be fully present, please share in the comments below.

Here is to a 2020 of being fully present in every moment.

All my love,

E.