Be Happy for This Moment

“Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.”

                                                Omar Khayyan

      According to the CDC in 2013-2014 the average life expectancy in the US was 78.8 years.  Those 78.8 years are equivalent to 2.5 trillion seconds.  If each one of those seconds was a moment in your life you would have had plenty of moments to define your life.  However, the truth is there is only one moment that matters.  It is this moment right here right now.  Your life only exists at this moment.  1 second ago is a memory and the next second is not guaranteed.  That is why you should strive to be happy for this moment because this moment is truly your life.

The Ups and Downs of Life

      Being happy for this moment doesn’t mean you can’t be upset, angry, sad or depressed in this moment.  Life has its way of bringing on some hardship.  No one has gone through life without experiencing some of it.  You may have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed this morning and you just aren’t feeling energized.  You may be under some unexpected financial hardship that is jeopardizing your ability to feed your family.  You may have been diagnosed with a health issue that could cause you pain and suffering in the near future.  Any of these situations could cause you not to be happy in this very moment.

     Being happy for this moment doesn’t guarantee the happiness you may be feeling in this moment.  You could have had a great weekend and are still happy about all the fun that was had.  Your spouse or significant other could have just sent you a loving text that has put a big smile on your face.  You could have just gotten a big bonus from work and now your kids are going to have a great Christmas.  You could have just had your annual physical and received a complete bill of health.  You could just be that happy person who makes a point to live a happy life.  Any of these situations could be causing you to be happy in this very moment. 

What Is Being Happy In the Moment?

      Whether you are feeling sad or happy at this moment does not define whether you are being happy for this moment.  Being happy for this moment is just that.  It is being happy for the actual moment.  You are alive.  You are experiencing life.  You can walk.  You can talk.  You can see.  You can feel.  Even if you can’t walk, talk, see or feel, you can think.  Being happy for this moment is a mindset.  It is a way of thinking.  When you are happy for the moment you appreciate this moment for what it is.  You appreciate the moment because this moment is your life.  No matter your circumstance you must realize that you only have one life.  Be grateful for this life and the opportunity you’ve been given.

      When you have the mindset of being happy for the moment you will become more engaged in every moment.  You won’t take things for granted.  Your senses will be heightened.  Your awareness will be elevated.  You become more alive.  You will have more opportunities to appreciate life than you ever have had before.  That appreciation will become infectious.  It will become a habit you never want to lose.

How to Experience Being Happy in the Moment

     The best way to experience this mindset is to simply pause.  Stop whatever you are doing and acknowledge your appreciation for being alive.  Be grateful that you have a life to live and you can currently experience it.  When you allow yourself to be grateful you will also force yourself to know things can better.  There is no limit to happiness.  There is no limit for love.  There is no limit for growth.  There may be ebbs and flows but there are no limits.  Because there are no limits you will always strive to experience more happiness, more love and more growth.  A simple pause and acknowledgement is all the fuel you need.

      Life is made up moments.  Whether you experience 2 or 2.5 trillion it is important to appreciate every moment.  When you truly appreciate the moment you will be happy for the moment’s existence.  You will be happy for your life’s existence.  With that happiness you will be well positioned to achieve all of your desires and dreams.

 Have a great week,

Drew   

Never let your memories be greater than your dreams.

      

                        “Never let your memories be greater than your dreams.”

                                  Doug Ivester

     Reminiscing is a favorite past time within many households.  Hopefully you have been lucky enough to have some great memories of past times.  You’ve had some great accomplishments.  You’ve had some great experiences.  You’ve witness some great events.  However no matter what you have experienced never make the mistake of letting your memories be greater than your current dreams.

      The good thing about memories is that they are always there.  They also cannot change.  They are written in your hard drive just as they occurred.  Yes you can change how you feel about those memories but you can’t change the memory.  That is one reason why many of us attach and hold on to memories.  You can always count on them to be there when you need them.

The Impact of Dreams vs. Memories

       Dreams on the other hand are not as permanent.  Dreams can change.  Dreams can disappear in an instant.  New dreams can be created with the blink of an eye.  The uncertainty of a dream can be both a gift and a curse.  They are a curse if they cause pain if you never achieve them.  They are a gift because of the impact they can have on your life as you try to achieve them.

      The impact a dream can have on your life is much greater than the impact that any memory could ever approach.  Yes you can feel good about something you’ve done in your past and draw strength from it.  For example if you’ve run a marathon you can always draw on that memory when being challenged by any workout.  You’ve been there before so you know what you are capable of.  This is a great use of a memory.

       But why are you working out?  Do you just love the idea of pushing your body to limits for no reason?  I would venture to guess you are working out because you have the dream of being healthy and physically fit.  If you are already healthy and physically fit you most likely have the dream of staying that way through your senior years.  That dream is why you are in the gym.  That dream is why you set goals.  You have set a goal of running a 6 minute mile because of that overall dream.  The dream is the foundation for you successfully achieving that goal.

Never Waste an Opportunity to Dream

      Memories are a great solution for feeling good for the moment. However, if those memories aren’t being attached to a dream that moment can go by in an instant.  Those instants can accumulate over time and before you know it you could have wasted a decade reminiscing about the past.  I use the term wasted because if you haven’t achieved many goals in the past decade I believe you have wasted vast opportunities.  You are capable of doing so many great things especially if you have a dream associated with them.

       You have dreams.  You have aspirations.  You have desires.  The only way to get them is to define them.  Once they are defined you can now begin to work on them.  You can set goals to achieve them.  As you meet those goals you will create some great memories.  You can use those memories to help push you through any adversity you face while working on the next goal.  Memories are good but they aren’t very useful without a dream.  Your future will be determined by your dreams so make sure they are always greater than your memories.  As long as you dream, the road ahead of you will always be brighter than anything in your past.

     Lastly since you’ve decided to dream you might as well Dream Big.  I’d hate for you to settle.  As Nelson Mandela once said “There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”

Enjoy the journey and have a great week,

Drew

Defining Your Purpose

“Definiteness of purpose is the starting point of all achievement.”

                   

                                              W. Clement Stone

     What are you trying to achieve? I know there is something.  How long have you been trying to achieve it?  Has it taken longer than expected? Have you taken action towards that goal? These are all great questions that I’m sure you can easily answer.  However there is one question you need to be able to answer the most.  Why are you trying to achieve it?  You must have a defined purpose if you are serious about achieving any goal.

Examples of the Importance of Purpose

     Purpose is important because of the fuel it gives you to succeed.  Have you ever been in a tough situation at work and asked yourself “why am I even doing this?”  I think we’ve all been there and it’s not a great place to be.  Or have you ever started something you thought at the time was a great idea but 6 months down the road after hours of work you decide to stop doing it?  It was easy to stop because you weren’t getting what you expected from it right?  Did you pivot and try something else or did you give up all together?  If you gave up all together you probably didn’t spend a lot of time defining your purpose.

     The best example of purpose leading to achievement is education.  Whether you have a high school diploma, an associates degree, a bachelors degree or any post graduate degree you had a defined purpose for achieving it.  You needed that education for some defined reason that you believed in.  You believed without that degree you wouldn't get the job your wanted, the business you wanted to start or the prestige you desired.  Anytime you had to study or put in work you inherently drew on that purpose.  It was the fuel to keep you going.

Define Your Purpose 

     Defining your purpose means you define why need to achieve the desired outcome.  The more detail you provide, the more powerful the purpose.  If your purpose for obtaining a Director level position at you job is to get money for your family; your purpose is not very powerful.  The power comes when you define your purpose in detail.  Here is an example of a more detailed purpose for obtaining a Director level position at your job.

     I am going to achieve director level position at my job so that my 3 children can follow their passions and attend the college of their dreams.  If that dream is a prestigious private college at $60,000 a year then so be it.  I know how important their dreams are and I have decided to do everything within my power to help them reach them.  I am stopping the cycle of working for a paycheck because of skills and moving it to getting paid to work in a field chosen by their passion and dreams.  

    This is a well-defined purpose.  It can easily be used as fuel for your achievement.  It’s fuel because you will always be able to draw on it to help motivate you and inspire you to do what is necessary to achieve your desired outcome.  With the right motivation and inspiration you can achieve any goal you decide to establish.  However, that achievement always starts with and will be fueled by a well-defined purpose.

A Well Defined Purpose Draws on Emotion

     To get the most out of your purpose there are certain traits it must include.  It must be detailed and it must draw on your emotion. Detail gives your purpose the foundation it needs to be strong.  The lack of detail leaves a window for you achieving less than your goal.  Never be vague because you want true success in the end.  More importantly your purpose must draw on an emotion anytime you think of your purpose.  Emotion is the reason why I have described purpose as the fuel.  When your read your purpose it should evoke common emotions such as love, happiness, passion and joy.  Evoking those emotions will give you fuel to draw on anytime you think of your purpose while working on your goal.

     Take some time this week to think about your purpose.  If it’s not well defined it may be the reason you haven’t gotten to where you want to go.  If so grab a pen and some paper, find a quiet spot and have some deep reflection on your purpose.  When you’re done and have it all figured out write it down.  You are now one step closer to achieving your dreams.

Have a great week!
Drew