How do you feel if you stop in this moment to appreciate life?
What do you notice when you pause and take a deep breath? Try it now. Can you feel a sense of calm or peace inside? Maybe you can allow your nervous system to recalibrate from running in overdrive.
Celebrate yourself and how far you have come! Truly, take the time to reflect and allow yourself to love how much you have accomplished in your life without any doubt or judgment.
Are you in this present moment?
Often, when I do this practice of pausing and being the “observer-self,” I catch myself worrying about how much time I have to complete something, stressing over not knowing when something is going to happen, planning a trip a week from now, thinking about the menu, and so on. Sometimes I notice that I will distract myself—call someone, check my texts, or check my email! These are examples of habits that keep me from being present with myself.
Can you relate?
As creators, we need to pay more attention to the moments we are living rather than continually giving our time and attention to our minds and thoughts. This is a big one!
Most of us have learned to multitask. We move from one thing to another, often without really experiencing the feeling of any of them. In the process, we lose our ability to slow down, be curious, wonder, and simply enjoy what is happening right in front of us.
You may be saying, “I don’t have time for all of that fluffy stuff!”
I would disagree with you and say: You only have this moment. Start asking different questions.
We are constantly responding to the energy around us and within us. When we open ourselves to experiences that create more peace and harmony inside, we may find that we respond very differently to the circumstances outside of us that are constantly asking for our attention.
And what if, instead of immediately trying to solve, fix, judge, or control, we became curious? What if we simply said, “I wonder…”
I wonder what I am feeling right now. I wonder what my body is trying to tell me.
I wonder what I might notice if I slow down. I wonder what is beautiful about this moment.
I wonder what might happen if I don’t need to know the answer yet.
There is something freeing about curiosity. It allows us to move from “I need to figure this out” to “I wonder what is possible.”
Think about a young child discovering something for the first time. They don’t need to understand everything. They explore. They ask questions. They touch, look, listen, laugh, and sometimes make a wonderful mess!
How can we allow ourselves to feel more joy, love, and playfulness?
Play doesn’t have to mean toys or games. It might be taking a different route on your walk, trying a new recipe, dancing in the kitchen, listening to music, painting, gardening, watching the clouds, laughing with a friend, or simply allowing yourself to do something without needing it to be productive.
When we allow ourselves to play, we give the mind a little space from its constant need to accomplish. We become available for creativity, spontaneity, laughter, and perhaps even unexpected moments of joy.
And isn’t that what life is asking us to do?
Three Ways to Foster Curiosity, Wonder and Awareness
1. PAUSE — Come back to yourself.
Several times a day, stop what you are doing. Take one slow, conscious breath and ask, “Am I here?” Notice your body, your surroundings, and what you are feeling without judging it.
2. WONDER — Replace judgment with curiosity.
When you catch yourself saying, “Why is this happening?” or “I should have…,” try saying, “I wonder what this moment is showing me.” You don’t have to find an answer. Let the question simply open the door to possibility.
3. PLAY — Give yourself permission to experience joy.
Do one thing today simply because it feels good, interesting, creative, or fun. It doesn’t have to accomplish anything. Notice what happens inside you when you give yourself permission to play. Let yourself smile and laugh.
Be in the present moment!
