“Come,” the three year old girl said to my friend Charlie as she and her mother were leaving the health food store on the Upper West side of Manhattan where he worked.
Charlie, who had been helping the girl’s mother with her shopping replied, “Do you mean you want me to come with you to the park?”
As the child, Sayra, nodded her head her mom, Cheryl, feeling that the her daughter may have been imposing said, “the man has work to do Sayra,” to which Charlie, who had been attracted to the young mother when he first saw them, said that he was about to go on break and would be happy to join them for lunch in Central Park, about a block away.
I had the distinct pleasure of being Best Man at their wedding not long after and they went on to raise a family that included Sayra, her brother Chyenne and, a few years later William and Matthew.
By now you may be wondering why I’m telling you this story. If you read anything at all about Mindfullness, you’ll see how Charlie, being someone who has practiced a version of mindfullness for decades and the person who first taught me the concept more than thirty years ago, was able to just “go with the flow” of what was happening and it changed his life.
Had he been preoccupied worrying about the fact that, at the time, he had no money to speak of or the many other things he could have been thinking about, he would have missed the opportunity to meet the woman who would become his wife.
How many “in the moment” opportunities do you miss because you’re walking around worrying about the bills, your health, the temperature, or some other things in the past or future, or worse yet, out of your control the first place?
Had Charlie not been fully present he would have missed his “cue” from the small child.
This simple, but important idea, of being “mindful” can radically alter your life. It is especially helpful in lowering your stress. The more “present” you are, the less stress you’ll experience.
How to be more present in your day-to-day life:
The fastest way I know to anchor yourself in the present moment is to sit, stand or lie quietly for a moment. (If you’re driving, pull over and stop for the duration of this exercise).
Take several long, slow, deep breaths, feeling yourself in the “here and now,” Be sure not to strain and, if you feel dizzy or lightheaded at any time, stop.
As you’re watching your breath flowing in and out, feel the Universal energy moving through your body. By starting with your hands and feet, you can begin to feel this energy as it vibrates through your entire being.
Practicing this for short periods throughout your day is a great way to quickly feel better and begin to live more and more in this present time/space reality.
Please share your thoughts and experience with these ideas and please share with your community.
If you want to know more ways to make changes and begin to create the life you were born to live, take action now.
As the title of my international bestselling book asks: