In The Moment
Is it me or have the last few weeks been especially trying? There just seems to be an over-abundance of misery and sorrow floating around the world. It got me thinking about my own life and how I might better appreciate just how good I've got it.
In previous posts I've shared with you the story of my childhood. Quick synopsis for anyone who hasn't read it, I grew up as the single child of a single parent in the projects, living off welfare and food stamps. That surely doesn't make me unique or special nor do I purport to be.
I grew up a pretty angry kid. Breaking out of my cycle of anger wasn't easy. As a young adult recently enlisted in the Army I came across the works of two men whom I would never meet but who changed my life. The first was a country-accent having good-ole-boy sounding sales motivational speaker named Zig Ziglar. About 20 years ago my wife and I were shopping at the thrift shop for kids clothes (we maximized my small check by buying second-hand) when my wife came across a 10 cassette series by this fella named Zig Ziglar. It was titled "How To Be A Winner." Well heck, I didn't know anything about this guy but I knew he was talking my language. The cassette collection was a dollar so we splurged. I listened day and night to that series. In it he had a number of practical steps in goal setting, focusing on goals, positive affirmations. He was also the first person to ever introduce me to the idea of having a "choice" in being happy and about living in the moment. (go figure, I had no idea I could choose to be happy)
Ultimately many of his ideas brought me to the study of Buddhism as a philosophy, not necessarily as a religion. But the Buddha too espoused the idea of choosing happiness, accepting suffering as a natural part of life, and living in the moment. I think that is where we Americans fail at long-term happiness. We are so busy living, working, existing for tomorrow, that we don't always stop and appreciate where we are today. I don't think it is built in to us inherently. We're a nation of go-getters. We need the next mountain to climb, the next challenge to overcome. Have you ever heard the country song by Alabama that says "I'm in a hurry to get things done, oh I rush and rush until life's no fun. All I really gotta do is live and die, but I'm in a hurry and don't know why." That is us. That is the story of America. And while it can surely be exhilarating it can also be hollow and exhausting.
As I look at so much tragedy around the world recently and far closer to home amongst my family and friends, I have to ask myself if we wouldn't all do ourselves a service by slowing down to catch our breath every once in awhile and taking stock in just how lucky we are. Call it blessed, call it Karma, call it whatever you like. If you're breathing, if you've got people around who love you, if you've got something to eat and a roof over your head, you're doing better than hundreds of millions of people right now. Sometimes the greatest gift we can give the world is to simply stop and be appreciative for what we've got.
I find the more I am in the moment, the more I focus on being appreciative for what good things and good people I have in my life right now, the easier it is to live a happy life. I'm no expert at anything and maybe this sounds a little too much like positive mumbo jumbo to you because you're a "realist." Fair enough. But I will tell you one thing that still rings true from that thrift shop purchase of that Zig Ziglar lecture; he said "positive thinking won't get you anywhere, but it will get you everywhere further than negative thinking will."
In our zealous urge to own the biggest house and the fastest car or the biggest truck. In our madness in stuffing as many after school activities for our kids as possible to make sure they stand out from their peers. In our willingness to throw our friends and coworkers under the bus if it will give us a competitive advantage at work, we miss what is truly important in life. We miss the "right now." The only time we are ever truly guaranteed.
I recognize we can't change all the negativity in the world by ourselves, but we can change the world to those who matter most to us; our immediate friends, family and colleagues. There is nothing more powerful or beautiful than someone who has chosen to live a happy life and who spends a fair amount of time "in" the right now. Please note, I'm not saying we shouldn't plan for tomorrow, but we should absolutely live in today.
On this Sunday as you plan out your week ahead, I encourage you to carve out a few moments each day to simply meditate on the moment, to be thankful and appreciative for what you have, and to show that appreciation to those who most deserve it, the ones closest to you. A pat on the back, a smile, a hug, a quick call to a loved one far away, or a well placed "thank you" or "I love you" have lasting effects on those who matter most to us. That's how we make the world a better place. That's how we make life worth living.
In previous posts I've shared with you the story of my childhood. Quick synopsis for anyone who hasn't read it, I grew up as the single child of a single parent in the projects, living off welfare and food stamps. That surely doesn't make me unique or special nor do I purport to be.
I grew up a pretty angry kid. Breaking out of my cycle of anger wasn't easy. As a young adult recently enlisted in the Army I came across the works of two men whom I would never meet but who changed my life. The first was a country-accent having good-ole-boy sounding sales motivational speaker named Zig Ziglar. About 20 years ago my wife and I were shopping at the thrift shop for kids clothes (we maximized my small check by buying second-hand) when my wife came across a 10 cassette series by this fella named Zig Ziglar. It was titled "How To Be A Winner." Well heck, I didn't know anything about this guy but I knew he was talking my language. The cassette collection was a dollar so we splurged. I listened day and night to that series. In it he had a number of practical steps in goal setting, focusing on goals, positive affirmations. He was also the first person to ever introduce me to the idea of having a "choice" in being happy and about living in the moment. (go figure, I had no idea I could choose to be happy)
Ultimately many of his ideas brought me to the study of Buddhism as a philosophy, not necessarily as a religion. But the Buddha too espoused the idea of choosing happiness, accepting suffering as a natural part of life, and living in the moment. I think that is where we Americans fail at long-term happiness. We are so busy living, working, existing for tomorrow, that we don't always stop and appreciate where we are today. I don't think it is built in to us inherently. We're a nation of go-getters. We need the next mountain to climb, the next challenge to overcome. Have you ever heard the country song by Alabama that says "I'm in a hurry to get things done, oh I rush and rush until life's no fun. All I really gotta do is live and die, but I'm in a hurry and don't know why." That is us. That is the story of America. And while it can surely be exhilarating it can also be hollow and exhausting.
As I look at so much tragedy around the world recently and far closer to home amongst my family and friends, I have to ask myself if we wouldn't all do ourselves a service by slowing down to catch our breath every once in awhile and taking stock in just how lucky we are. Call it blessed, call it Karma, call it whatever you like. If you're breathing, if you've got people around who love you, if you've got something to eat and a roof over your head, you're doing better than hundreds of millions of people right now. Sometimes the greatest gift we can give the world is to simply stop and be appreciative for what we've got.
I find the more I am in the moment, the more I focus on being appreciative for what good things and good people I have in my life right now, the easier it is to live a happy life. I'm no expert at anything and maybe this sounds a little too much like positive mumbo jumbo to you because you're a "realist." Fair enough. But I will tell you one thing that still rings true from that thrift shop purchase of that Zig Ziglar lecture; he said "positive thinking won't get you anywhere, but it will get you everywhere further than negative thinking will."
In our zealous urge to own the biggest house and the fastest car or the biggest truck. In our madness in stuffing as many after school activities for our kids as possible to make sure they stand out from their peers. In our willingness to throw our friends and coworkers under the bus if it will give us a competitive advantage at work, we miss what is truly important in life. We miss the "right now." The only time we are ever truly guaranteed.
I recognize we can't change all the negativity in the world by ourselves, but we can change the world to those who matter most to us; our immediate friends, family and colleagues. There is nothing more powerful or beautiful than someone who has chosen to live a happy life and who spends a fair amount of time "in" the right now. Please note, I'm not saying we shouldn't plan for tomorrow, but we should absolutely live in today.
On this Sunday as you plan out your week ahead, I encourage you to carve out a few moments each day to simply meditate on the moment, to be thankful and appreciative for what you have, and to show that appreciation to those who most deserve it, the ones closest to you. A pat on the back, a smile, a hug, a quick call to a loved one far away, or a well placed "thank you" or "I love you" have lasting effects on those who matter most to us. That's how we make the world a better place. That's how we make life worth living.
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