There are memorable moments happening everywhere; however, 100’s are missed on a daily basis because of one single, but powerful reason..….let me start with a story.
To see the moment to capture, you have to 'be' there......
I just had a moment that put a massive smile on my face and immediately became a memorable moment. As I'm walking into Starbucks, I find myself behind an elderly couple; I'd have to say they are in their 80's.
I was walking being the elderly man, who's walking with a very slow shuffle. We slowly, slowly proceed to the door, slowly open the door, shuffle through and finally make our way up to the pastry counter.
The couple then seem to be pretty confused and very "selective" of their order. The wife seems to understand the options so she’s helping the husband with what everything is and his options.
I then hear the Barista say, "would you like it heated up?”. However, it seemed that the elderly man could not hear him clearly, so he looked at his wife and gave a modest "HUH?". The wife then said, "would you like it heated up?". He then proceeded to say with a stunned voice, "the coffee?" The wife corrected with "NO, the muffin!".
I about died laughing and was immediately taken back to some very memorable moments of my childhood. I felt as if I was back with my Grandpa Larson. That's something he would have done to the ’T’. All I can say is, that during this moment, I found myself in a very present state.
Which led me to think about something deeper….
What would have happened had I been unconscious and consumed with thoughts on what I need to be doing, what I should be doing, what needs to get done, what didn’t get done, what bills I need to pay, how slow this couple is ahead of me, what time is it…….
That’s precisely the state my ‘old’ unconscious self would have been in.
My old self would have had 100's of thoughts racing through my head as I was following this slow shuffle trough the parking lot, through the door and up to the counter. Thoughts such as: "my gosh, I always get stuck behind someone slow. Lets get going here, it's cold, I need to get going...." Letting my mind race with impulsive thoughts.
Today, I did no such thing. I simply followed with complete presence, remaining 100% in this very moment. No rush, no hurry, no wondering thoughts, just here. I was in tune to the 'Now'. My mind was not off to the races thinking about how I was being held up, what I need to do, where I needed to be, how cold it was, why I get stuck behind the slow ones.....
You may be saying: “Big deal man. What is the point of this message?”
Well here it is -
Had I not remained in this present state of consciousness, I would have missed that moment. A moment that brought intense joy and happiness within.
Is there a greater feeling than that? Joy, happiness and bliss within?
Brian Larson
I feel this message is relevant to every minute of every day.
When do you ever feel as if you have a “quiet” mind?
It’s like you just can’t “shut it off”.
Thoughts seem to race at a thousand miles an hour, no matter what you’re doing. Driving - House duties - Working on a project - Showering - Laying down - At your work desk - Dialing the phone - working out - cooking - walking….
After reading the above you may have found yourself saying, “Nope, I really enjoy that _____. Or I LOVE doing _____.”
Which leads me to another key lesson. I want you to think of the most enjoyable thing you do. (Write, paint, draw, drive, workout, create art, fix something, build something, play video games, watch movies, hunt, walk in nature, ride motorcycle, sky dive, cliff jumping, drive fast, race).
I will tell you that it’s not the ‘thing’ that brings joy to you. It’s your state of mind. And that state is pure presence. You are THERE in that moment doing that ‘thing’. You’re completely present and not in some far off land or past, consumed with concern or thoughts. Time seems to fly by….because you are present.
This is precisely why I have a passion for photography and videography. In order to capture a moment, scene or setting you have to 'be' there. You must be present in that moment to SEE. If you remain 'blind' by impulsive and an unconsciously directed mind you will capture nothing, but a blur.
Can you see or are you blind? This may be a just a feeling you have....that's what a state of presence will bring.
Notice the moments. They are right 'here'.
It's the state of presence that brings forth the joy, not the task itself.
The state of pure presence is almost addicting as it becomes a means of meditation for many (without even knowing). Many will claim it’s their form of “release”. Release from the rat race in their lives. The worry, the stress, the concern, the anxiety, the expectations etc….
A state of pure presence erases all of that and becomes the “release”. Again, it’s not the ‘thing’, it’s the state of mind you’re in while you perform that ‘thing’ or task.
Knowing this, it becomes critical to apply this practice into as many things as we can within our everyday lives.
You can bring your presence into some of the most tedious task. Through a state of Presence you can turn boring, long and painful drives into joyful and blissful drives, that ultimately lead to you capturing beautiful moments.
Seems too simple right?
It is. However, remaining in a state of pure presence is not.
It takes practice and awareness.
It takes self-mastery.
It takes mastery of the mind.
You must know that ‘You’ direct your mind. You are not enslaved to your impulsive mind. If you are enslaved to your mind it’s because you choose to be and you can choose NOT to be.
Once you’ve made that conscious decision to master your mind, you’ve taken the first step by simply becoming aware.
Awareness is the first step.
What’s next? Lets explore that further for you HERE.
Lessons:
1. If you let your mind race and become unconscious to a borage of thoughts regarding the past and where you need to be, what you need to do, what you should be doing, what needs to get done tomorrow (the future), you could miss some of the most memorable moments of your life that are happening right Now.
2. Becoming enslaved to your impulse thoughts does nothing but cause self-induced misery and suffering.
Nothing can bring more joy or happiness than pure presence.
Remain present as often as possible and allow yourself to: Notice The Moments.
Reflection Question:
- How many moments have we missed in our lives? Moments happening right in front of our eyes, but we remain “blind” by our unconscious mind that remains enslaved to impulse thoughts.
How many moments have you missed with family or friends because your consumed with thoughts. How many moments have you missed while driving on a beautify fall afternoon because you’re consumed with thoughts. How many moments have you missed while out and about because your consumed with thoughts (you may have just missed the most amazing display of compassion or humanity right in front of you, but you were not ‘there’). How moments have you missed while attending an event because you were consumed by thoughts. How many moments have you missed, right in front of you, because you were ‘blind’ - trapped within your impulsive thoughts?
How many sunset? How many sunrises? How many thunderstorms and lightning shows? How many acts of kindness? How many acts of gratitude or thanks? How many acts of love? How many funny/hilarious moments? How many pleads for help or assistance? How many acts of admiration? How many breath taking moments within nature? How many scenes worthy of stoping dead in your tracks to take a picture or just simply take it in?
I took this picture at my parents cabin that's tucked away in some land on their farm.
How many of these moments have we missed?
Notice the moments. They are right here.
2. How can I practice more presence in my life?
3. In order to bring forth more joy in my life what tasks or ‘things’ can I be more present, while doing them?
If you'd like to learn exactly how I used the concept of 'presence' to overcome the greatest fear of my life you can do so HERE, FREE.
Think Different - Live Different
Brian Larson - Creator of: The Break Free Journey