Would you like to learn some tips that can help you to be able to enjoy more of everything that you do?
Any activity can be enjoyable. It depends entirely on your attitude. To claim all the moments of our lives requires the capacity to enjoy doing whatever we do, to find the intrinsic pleasantness contained therein. We can focus on the pleasurable aspects of each activity.
Instead of treating our moments as simply empty time to suffer through on the way to our goals, we can learn to focus on the pleasurable aspects of each activity. We can learn to say to ourselves, “enjoying doing the laundry,” instead of, “I have to wash these clothes before I can watch TV.” We can learn to say, “enjoying reading my e-mail,” “enjoying returning my phone calls,” or “enjoying driving to work,” not using these words to deny our present experience but to open the door to a different kind of experience, an experience where we attend to what’s pleasant in the present moment. Just as we can learn to enjoy our meditation, we can also bring that same spirit into daily life and be deeply in touch with what’s happening right now in our bodies and minds and all around us.
Here is an example of how mindfulness works in what you are experiencing in the present moment:
In this moment, I hear the sound of water running off the roof from the snow that just fell. I can hear the sounds of the workmen downstairs. I hear the washer and dryer. I hear the clickety-clack of my computer keys as I write. The coffee in my cup in now cold, but still tastes good. I’m in good health. My body is seated comfortably. I’m comfortably warm on this cold day. All in all, it’s a wonderful moment.
I could easily have a different experience in this same situation. If I resisted my experience, I could wonder, “When in the world are they ever going to finish up that work?” I could resist the sounds of the washer and dryer or the water running off the roof. I could remain unaware that my body is warm and comfortable. I could get caught up in complaining that my coffee's cold or in wishing that my computer keys didn’t make so much noise. It all depends on the quality of consciousness I bring to this situation.
In this sense, living mindfully and happily is simple. I only need to remember to be mindful and open. The practice is ease itself. When I remember this, I know I can learn to be mindful and open in every moment. Every moment can become a valued experience of being alive.
Be mindful and open in every moment. Enjoy what’s good in the present moment. When you are mindful and open in every moment, every moment can become a valued experience of being alive.