In everyday life it is so easy to get caught up in the ‘doing’ of things, the drive to the destination, the achievement of the goal or task. We are so busy doing tasks or thinking about the past or the future, we don’t enjoy the experience of now or the life we are spending getting to the outcome we have chosen.
Sometimes we can get so caught up in our thoughts that we miss the whole journey home from the office - we can’t remember driving through all the suburbs along the way, stopping at traffic lights or seeing people on the side of the road? In fact, we can’t remember anything at all! It’s a wonder we even get there safely and sometimes we don’t.
The reality is we spend a great deal of our time thinking about the past or the future - planning, worrying about foreseeable problems in our minds and rehashing past regrets that we waste the present moment, the conversation with someone we love, our children showing us their painting or talking about something that is important to them. We miss the sunsets, the smell of the rain, the sound of the birds in the trees outside, the feel of a gentle breeze on our skin. We miss the joy in the journey of life because we are so absorbed in everything but the present moment.
One very simple way while driving to reconnect is to first turn off all the sound (radio, music, etc.) in your vehicle and take time to breath focusing on your breath as thoughts come up just letting them go and refocusing just on your breath. To begin with, you may like to do this just for a few minutes at the beginning and end of your day, maybe just as you wake and as you drift off to sleep.
You will find that stillness and peace can be found in any moment and does not only exist when there is external quiet or calm. You need no props or special places to practice being present in the moment, connecting to your inner peace and stillness. All that is required is a desire to rediscover that place. Give yourself the gift of living in the moment and you will truly discover that the joy is in the journey not the destination.
Website: www.richardojoneslive.com
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