By Ahsan
“Slow down and enjoy life. It’s not only the scenery you miss by going too fast – you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.”
Eddie Cantor
Are you truly enjoying life? How about that last cup of coffee you had? Is your life so “go-go” that you forget to enjoy the little things?
We are getting more hectic with our lives. We go from one thing to another; one appointment is made and on to another meeting. On top of that, distractions abound from social media, incoming calls and emails that never end.
So what can a person do?
Slowing down makes perfect sense, but it might not be practical. I'm sorry to break it to you, but our modern age might always be "go-go and hectic!" So the real solution is to change a straightforward thing.
That simple and singular idea is to prioritize enjoyment!
What do you enjoy when you are not on the clock or on the weekend when things slow down? Are you doing those things often enough?
What do you do where time flies, where you feel happy and relaxed and very present? Recall those feelings of calm, engagement, excitement or bliss, if you will. Is it when you play your favourite sport or go to dinner with friends? How about when you sit down with a cup of coffee and a good book? Or go for a hike in the forest on a cool spring morning?
So here is the plan to start enjoying your life:
Make a list of things that float your boat. Try to come up with at least ten things you can honestly say make you feel happy and alive. For example, if you love reading books and are not reading them, then you are not living life to the fullest, are you?
Next, develop the ability to enjoy the things on your list. Let's suppose you enjoy travelling to new places. Are you taking a bunch of pics with your phone, editing them and showing them to your friends when you come back? Oftentimes, you were there, and your camera was there, but you missed out on truly being there. We can all do better at being more conscious and tasting that cup of coffee. Was it hot, fresh and aromatic, or did you miss its flavour and warmth going down to your belly?
Developing the ability to enjoy things is all about being present, smelling the fragrance of a good meal while it's being prepared, and hearing the sounds in the busy bazaar, from the honks of scooters to the chatter of people sipping an espresso at the café. It's not about reading the menu and the description of your entrée but tasting what you ordered.
Finally, understand that your experience in life comes from the state of mind you develop. I'm not talking about a positive state of mind but rather a relaxed state of mind. When you have a relaxed state of mind, you become more observant. You can observe things and yourself with presence. I am sure this relaxed and self-observant state has happened to you many times.
It generally happens when people are on vacation. They are away from the regular grind and indeed present doing or experiencing mundane things like tasting the best coffee ever at the most typical coffee shop.
There is an underlying phenomenon going on here. It is this: your experience of life comes from only one place⎯thought in the moment!
Herein lies a hint at how to have the best cup of coffee ever each and every time you drink coffee and truly enjoy your life.
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