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A Mantra To Live By

I often think about specific statements which have inspired me to think bigger. One of my favorites is from a fortune cookie over 20 years ago. It simply read "Live life by moments not memories".  When I first read it I thought "what does that mean?", how cliche. Over the last 20 plus years that sentence has come back to me over and over again.  In my mind it is similar to "Carpe Diem", latin for seize the day. 

Through such simple words I think of the challenge it is today in our society to do such a thing. We are over scheduled, over tired and over stressed with expectations which have become unclear.  At one time we might have known why we signed up to volunteer our time at the passion of our choice but somewhere it became another thing to do. What happened?

I believe it is simple choices which can change the trajectory of our daily lives. For some of us it might be just choosing to get out of bed. It is in the choice where the power lives.  Are you moving so fast there is no time for the choice? It is in my experience that when I have stopped long enough to sit, which is a choice, that stress decreases immediately. My focus becomes more refined by stopping and really thinking about what do I want to put my time into? I have made myself numb at times by the speed in which I try to accomplish things. It is in the numbness that I miss the point of what motivated me to begin with.

In work I believe it is easy to become numb. For a lot of people they have to work for income so it is just a have to do thing.  Stopping even in the "have to do" moments and looking for purpose can motivate even the toughest of jobs. Are you stopping to sit and still the world around you or are you caught up in the buzz? I challenge you to find a space where you can still yourself.

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