Is faster always better? We have been groomed as children to behave, fall in line, and conform to the agenda of society. A childhood story comes to mind that illustrates this point nicely. The fabled race between tortoise and hare. We all know the story, the tortoise challenged the hare to a race then beat the hare because he stayed steady to the path. I really enjoy the part in the story when the hare realizes he has plenty of time to play in the meadow and cuddle up against a tree so he does both. Meanwhile the tortoise continued to plod on passing up all the beautiful trees, streams and; meadows . He never stopped to enjoy himself but took one step after another. So ultimately the tortoise beats the hare to the finish line and skylark with all the other forest creatures at which time the hare shows up and is mocked and scorned for losing the race. I applaud the hare and propose a new winner.
How often through the course of your weekly race do you wish you could play in a meadow or nap against a tree or even read that book that has gathered dust on your shelf? How many hobbies have you passed up for fear of the dreadful mocking from those judgmental forest creatures? So you suppress your true ambitions and not the ambitions of the employer, or the society, or in many cases even the judgmental family. So live the way you want greet life as an extraordinary gift and not a race you should be trying to finish. The dreaded waking moments come to mind, stolen away by alarm clocks and irritating talk radio DJ’s reminding us how we “should act”. And let’s forget those damn advertisements ever placing new “finish lines” in our lives. Life is not about a finish line or about winning anything. After all who can be the judge of that? Who better than ourselves? I will decide where my finish line is everyday, even if that is in a meadow cuddled up under a tree while most everyone else is prodding steadily toward retirement or the promotion or getting out of or into debt, or the next new thing. Well, I’ve got news for you, the finish line is the grave and I want to enjoy the race my way. So as one who recognizes how wonderful life is and how limited time we have I have come up with a few tips for truly living in the moment and enjoying everyday.
1. Don’t rush out of bed; it is more often than not the case that we fight our way out of bed every morning. It seems like for most people it is the first victory of the day, over the mind/body and its addiction to sleep (Hooray?). I take a far different approach to waking up, to avoid this conflict. As I find myself awake I lay in bed and think about the day that is coming to me. I think about the major accomplishments I would to have throughout the coming day. Then I go through my day as if I were day dreaming. I envision my coming day and let my mind create, in its own way, fantastic outcome after fantastic outcome. I find after a few minutes of this I am very excited to get out of bed and begin my day. This is such a liberating and harmonious way to begin ones day.
2. Have a few tasks for the day; a list may include some things that need to be done and some things that are optional. I suggest you be very discretionary in regards to the needs. Keep them as minimal as possible. If something is not really a need but more of a time waster/filler, don’t do it. Humans are creative beings and so leave yourself some room for creativity. Most people jam pack their days and have no time to follow their inclinations and often times the inclinations are the quickest path to happiness. You will find that with fewer tasks the resulting tasks will turn out better. Also make some time for your passions. I have several for which I regularly make time, they include; cooking, exercising, writing, making music, and reading. This will bring the pleasure of accomplishment to everyday and often times you will find yourself going all out for these passionate tasks. You will find yourself tapping far into your creativity and going far beyond the first plan. The joy of this will continue after it the task has finished, as it translates itself into the elation of accomplishment and growth.
3. Take sometime to connect to others; take time to connect with others everyday. Have a meaningful conversation and listen with understanding to those with which you converse. This is a practice that is rare in modern times but brings great satisfaction. Find a person that you can connect with, even for a moment, because that’s really all that life is a series of moments and relationships can bring some of the most enriching moments.
4. Set aside time everyday to do nothing; everyday take some time anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours to lay on a couch or sit in an easy chair and just think. When was the last time you sat and thought? When did you last let your mind wander and pursue any thought it would? This is what separates the great lives and genius’, so rarely seen, from the greater majority. Most people only do this only a few times a year. More often than not, any thinking that is done by the average person, is while lying anxiously in bed, trying in vain to fall asleep. After lying around a little while doing nothing, you will find excitement in your thoughts, resulting in enthusiasm and motivation that you can use for the rest of your day. Resting and meditation for some people may be the best medicine, so get comfortable, breathe deeply and slowly. Get in touch with yourself and just let go. Many people feel guilty when they simply rest and take time for themselves. This is a crime we routinely commit, and we are the victims. Many will punish themselves for indulging in selfish time with guilt, anxiety, and worry. How absurd & bizarre this is. Break your routine step out of then conventional and think for yourself.
Yes, for some this may take some time to break the mold of your routine. Talk to that guy sleeping on the bench, or eat lunch on the roof. Anything that breaks you out of your habitual patterns can help. So relieve stress, think creatively, fantasize, harmonize and socialize. Laugh. Loosen up with your favorite cool brew. Find the guy’s and gals that know all the best jokes, or just find something funny in front of you, the possibilities are endless. Lets try to live like the hare, follow your inclinations even if yours are not “theirs”.
Seize the moment!
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