Back Flipping in Brazil (Not me, though)
Have you ever had one of those experiences that wakes you up from zombie mode? I had one recently.Within a span of 3 months I went to a colleague’s retirement party and then her funeral. It was an absolute shock! She had so many plans for retirement:
- travel with her husband, who was also retiring
- visit family and friends around world
- Spend more time with her daughters (most important)
She was finally going to do the things that mattered most.
Unfortunately, she passed away after experiencing some complications from “a routine surgery” just two months after her first trip. It’s a hard reality, but life’s calendar is not always in sync with our plans. This is another tragic reminder that we can’t postpone the things that matter most to us for some random future date.
Nothing makes us appreciate the present moment or daily life more than death. That’s why we need a way of keeping what matters most at the forefront of our minds at all times and not just when tragedy strikes.
Most of us, including myself at times, live as if we have all the time in the world. And this causes us to lose focus on what really matters in the present. I’m not saying the future is unimportant or that we shouldn’t make long-term plans. But there’s nothing more important than the present, right?
Everything happens in the present.
We live in the present, right? This means we can’t put off happiness for some future date or till the accomplishment of something. Happiness is something that we are responsible for finding, creating, and experiencing now.
But without appreciating the present or what we have there’s no way we can appreciate the future? I found a quote that fits in nicely from Frank A. Clark. He said,
“If a fellow isn’t thankful for what he’s got, he isn’t likely to be thankful for what he’s going to get.”
It’s not about the big moments, it’s about appreciating the small ordinary miracles around us everyday. We live in the present, so choose happiness now. But how can you do that?
Glad you asked!
By choosing to live with an attitude of gratitude. After visiting dozens of refugee camps in Sudan and South Sudan and traveling to some of the richest places in the world, I’m convinced that happiness has more to do with our attitude than with our circumstances.
Choose to live now.