Appreciate The Small Moments (You Don’t Get Them Back)
I can’t seem to shake this heavy feeling since the tragic Humboldt Broncos accident here in Saskatchewan. It’s so very sad.
I’ve been thinking about what the kids, families, friends and community are going through, and I can’t even imagine their pain and grief.
I’m also amazed by the outpouring of support across the world and people seeking out the positive in such a difficult time.
A tragedy like this can remind us all to be even more appreciative of life and the small moments each day – because you just don’t know what tomorrow will bring.
This can help you to find more joy and contentment in those moments and have fewer regrets.
Here are three ways to cultivate being more appreciative what’s going on in the moment and the people and things around you.
1. Be grateful for the mundane.
Each day list five things in your life you could be grateful for, but might go unnoticed.
These can be simple things like a good night’s sleep, a warm day, a card game with your kids, someone who held the door open for you at work, a good meal, a kiss from your spouse before heading off to work, toothpaste and so on.
Cultivating gratitude for the simple things builds your resilience and helps you to appreciate more of what’s around you.
2. Transience.
Are you mentally present with people, especially your loved ones? Is your presence undistracted and authentic? If not, recognizing life’s transience can help to do this.
Transience is your awareness that time is finite, each moment is precious and it will never repeat.
There are only so many evenings left until your kids go off to college or days you will be able to spend at the lake in summer. You don’t get this time back.
Allow transience to provide you context on what’s most important and seize these small moments before they exit, unannounced and unappreciated.
This can motivate you to engage more deeply with life and really be present in those moments.
3. Focus attention on “what’s important right now?”
When you find your attention on worrying about what happened in the past or what might happen in the future, you aren’t present in the moment – the here and now (not to mention that you are consuming a lot of valuable mental energy with worry).
Practice mindfulness and pay full attention to what’s going on in the moment.
To do this, ask yourself “What’s most important right now”? It helps to focus your attention on what’s going on in the moment, like your kid telling you a story from her day or making supper with your spouse or a conversation with your employee. Give your undivided attention.
We can get caught up in the day to day to-dos and miss the simple things in life. I have found myself being even more mindful this past week of enjoying the small moments while they are here.
Take time today to be fully present with the people around you and find ways to better appreciate the small moments in life (you don’t get them back).
